Thinking Skills Assessment

The Thinking Skills Assessment (also known as TSA) is a generic admissions test, which is used as part of the admissions process for entry to some undergraduate courses at the University of Cambridge, the University of Oxford and University College London.

TSA was developed and is run by Cambridge Assessment Admissions Testing. It was developed to help universities assess whether applicants have the skills and aptitudes considered essential for Higher Education study.

The test was first introduced for undergraduate entry to the University of Cambridge in 2001, and was used as part of the admissions process for a number of undergraduate courses. It is currently used for application to the Land Economy course only.

In 2007, the University of Oxford introduced TSA as part of its admissions process for Philosophy, Politics and Economics (PPE). At this stage, the test was known as the ‘PPE Admissions Test’. The use of TSA was extended for entry to Economics and Management in 2008; to Experimental Psychology, and Psychology and Philosophy in 2009, and in 2012 to Geography, Philosophy and Linguistics, and Psychology and Linguistics. Since 2016, candidates applying for Chemistry have been required to sit a version of TSA consisting of Section 1 of the test only, with History and Economics requiring the same from 2017.

Since the 2008–09 application cycle, University College London has used TSA to assist in the selection of applicants to European Social and Political Studies (ESPS).

TSA consists of two sections, where Section 2 is optional.

Section 1 (90 minutes): 50 multiple-choice questions testing problem solving (including numerical and spatial reasoning) and critical thinking skills (including understanding argument and reasoning using everyday language).

Section 2 (30 minutes): Candidates must answer one essay question from a choice of four (questions are not subject specific). It tests the ability to organise ideas in a clear and concise manner, and communicate them effectively in writing.

The multiple-choice answers (Section 1) are marked by Cambridge Assessment Admissions Testing with 1 mark available per question. Final scores are calculated to one decimal place on the TSA scale (running approximately 0–100) using the Rasch statistical technique.

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