University Entrance - TARA Preparation Course

TARA Essentials Course

This course is designed for students required to sit the TARA as part of their university application.

This is an introductory course to help students familiarise themselves with the exam and its requirements. No prior experience of the exam is required. 

Day 1 - Introduction to the TARA

• Overview of different question types (Critical Thinking and Problem Solving).
• Overview of exam format and examiner expectations.
• Materials provided to help improve overall performance, including practice questions with detailed explanations of solutions.
• Recommended resources, links, tips and tricks

Day 2 - Practice questions of all types (Section 1)

• A closer look at each of the question types (Critical Thinking and Problem Solving).
• Attempts at small batches of questions under timed conditions to get a feel for speed and proper exam technique.

Day 3 – Challenging question types (Section 1)

• Review of challenging problems and question types.
• Group discussion to encourage sharing of helpful strategies and alternate approaches to difficult problems.

Day 4 - Essay (Section 2)

• Overview of exam format and examiner expectations.
• Overview of past essay titles.
• Suggestions regarding format, structure, writing style and planning.

Day 5 – Essay practice and review (Section 2)

• Review of exemplar essays from previous years (including essays of successful applicants).
• Opportunity for timed practice and feedback.

TARA Advanced Preparation Course

This course is designed for students who are already familiar with the TARA and its requirements. This course is suited to students who are looking to increase their overall scores. The course takes students on a deep dive into all question types and will provide strategies to increase speed and accuracy. Callum will also provide personalised student feedback on a Section 2 essay for students sitting that portion of the exam. 

This course is aimed at students who have already completed some practice papers and will be finalising their preparation for the exam. 

Day 1 - Critical Thinking (Section 1)

• Deep dive into all of the critical thinking question types and strategies for each.

Day 2 - Problem Solving (Section 1)

• Taking a closer look at a range of numeric and spatial reasoning questions, and strategies for solving.

Day 3 - Timed practice and opportunity to go through unsolved problems (Section 1)

• Extended timed practice. Students will be asked to bring a list of their own challenging or unsolved problems to the discussion.

Day 4 - Improving your TARA essay (Section 2)

• How to write an effective and well-reasoned Section 2 essay.
• Planning tips and suggestions for more persuasive writing.
• Dealing with and responding to counterarguments.

Day 5 - Timed practice and opportunity for essay feedback (Section 2)

• Students will be asked to write a complete Section 2 essay (30 mins), which Callum will provide feedback on.
• Final questions relating to any aspect of the exam, from admin queries to specific TARA problems.

The next TARA Advanced Preparation course is running on Monday 14th December - Friday 18th December 2026, 5pm - 7pm (UK Time)

Detailed feedback: An end-of-course report is sent on completion detailing the student’s achievements and areas for further work.