TSA (Thinking Skills Assessment)

New arrangements for this test for 2025-entry will be communicated by the start of the new admissions cycle in Spring. In the meantime, you are welcome to explore the test preparation and practice materials which you may find helpful. 

What is the TSA? 

The Thinking Skills Assessment (TSA) is divided into two parts: a 90-minute, multiple-choice Thinking Skills Assessment and a 30-minute writing task. 

If you are applying for one of the following courses you will be required to take both sections of the TSA:

However, if you are applying for Economics and Management or History and Economics, you will be required to take only Section 1.

How do I register?

New arrangements for 2025-entry will be communicated by the start of the new admissions cycle in Spring. 

When do I take the test?

New arrangements for 2025-entry will be communicated by the start of the new admissions cycle in Spring. 

Practice materials

New arrangements for this test for 2025-entry will be communicated by the start of the new admissions cycle in Spring. In the meantime, you are welcome to explore the test preparation and practice materials which you may find helpful. 

Section 1 specimen and past papers

The first section of the TSA is made up of 50 multiple-choice questions. Below you can find a specimen paper, in addition to past papers going back to 2008. You can also download answer sheets for each paper and a score conversion chart. 

Section 2 specimen and past papers

Section 2 of the TSA test is a writing task. You will have 30 minutes to write a single short essay. There will be a choice of four essay questions, on general subjects that do not require any specialised knowledge.

The writing task gives you an opportunity to show that you can communicate effectively in writing, organising your ideas and presenting them clearly and concisely. You should start by planning the essay carefully, deciding what are the main points that you want to make in the limited time available, and how to organise your answer to explain and convey them clearly. You will have plenty of space if you want to use it, but a concise and well-structured answer may be more effective than a longer essay.

It is important that your answer is relevant to the question, and addresses it directly. If the question requires you to make judgements and express your own opinions, try to provide coherent arguments to support your views, and consider the merits of possible counter-arguments. Your essay will be judged by the quality of the writing, and the way you use what you know.

The document below, written by an Oxford tutor, gives several example questions from past papers and discusses ways to approach them. 

Below you can find a specimen paper and past papers going back to 2008. 

Test question guide and explanation of results

Explanation of results:

Section 1 scores 1 mark per question. Scores are calculated on the TSA scale to one decimal place (running approximately 0–100). The scale is an estimate of the candidate’s ability, which makes scoring comparable by factoring in the question and overall test difficulty, using the Rasch statistical technique. Marking of this section is automated. 

Section 2 is reviewed by the admissions tutor(s) of the college you apply to.

Further reading

  • John Butterworth and Geoff Thwaites, Thinking Skills (Cambridge University Press, 2013)
  • Anne Thomson, Critical Reasoning: A Practical Introduction (Routledge, 2008)
  • Nigel Warburton, Thinking from A to Z (Routledge, 2000)
  • Alec Fisher, Critical Thinking: An Introduction (Cambridge University Press, 2011)

How do I get my results?         

New arrangements for 2025-entry will be communicated by the start of the new admissions cycle in Spring.