What is the TSA Exam for Oxford? 

The Thinking Skills Assessment exam (TSA) is a pre-interview examination required by Oxford University. This entrance exam is for undergraduate students seeking admission to specific courses, such as Philosophy, Politics and Economics. The TSA exam would assess your critical thinking, problem-solving, and writing skills. TSA is a part of the admissions process, and those who score high are considered for admission to Oxford. In this blog, we have covered everything you need to know about the Thinking Skills Assessment Oxford exam.

What is the TSA Exam For?

The Oxford University requires undergraduate students seeking admission to certain courses to take the TSA examination. The TSA examination results are considered along with your academic record, personal statement and your interview performance. You need to take this exam if you are enrolling in any of the following courses:

1. Philosophy, Politics and Economics
2. Economics and Management
3. History and Economics
4. Experimental Psychology
5. Human Sciences
6. Psychology, Philosophy and Linguistics

The examination would evaluate your critical thinking skills (ability to analyse arguments, identify assumptions, and assess evidence), problem-solving skills (ability to apply logic and reasoning to numerical problems), and communication skills (ability to organise and express your ideas in written form). Pearson VUE conducts the examination.

What is the Format of the TSA Exam?

The Thinking Skills Assessment (TSA) exam is designed in two parts. The first part is a 90-minute multiple-choice question, and the second part consists of a 30-minute writing task. Those wanting to enrol in the Philosophy, Politics and Economics course at Oxford need to take both sections of the test. While others only have to take Section 1 of the paper. The examination format is as follows:

Section	Structure	Skills Evaluated	Scoring Details
Section 1	50 multiple-choice questions	Analytical problem-solving (including numerical calculations), Critical thinking (assessing arguments and reasoning in everyday contexts)	Marked out of 50, Raw score is scaled to a 0–100 TSA score
Section 2	One essay (choose from 3 topics)	Written communication (Clarity of thought, logical argument structure, and relevance to the question)	Not numerically scored. Evaluated by Oxford tutors as part of the admissions process

The Section 2 paper questions are not subject-specific. You can choose 1 question out of 3 and write an essay.

How is the TSA Score Calculated? 

The Thinking Skills Assessment Oxford exam score is calculated by converting raw scores from Section 1 into a scale of 0-100. The conversion is done using the Rasch statistical technique. On the other hand, Section 2 is assessed by the university professors themselves. Section 1 carries 1 mark each, and there is no negative marking. The section 2 scores are not provided to students. This section’s scores are not numerically assessed. On average, the highest score for section 1 is 50-60%. Students who get 70 or more on the paper are considered to be good.

What is a Good Score for TSA?

A good score for the Thinking Skills Assessment Oxford is 70 or above. Only a few students can secure 80 or above. Scores above 80 are rare and therefore considered to be outstanding.

TSA Score Range	Interpretation
Below 40	Low performance. Not considered for interview.
40 – 60	Typical range for most test-takers. It may be sufficient for some courses.
60 – 70	Strong score. This is generally seen as competitive, especially for more selective courses.
70 – 80	High performance places the candidate in a strong position within the applicant pool.
Above 80	Exceptional score, achieved by a small number of top-performing candidates.

Also Read: Oxford University Acceptance Rate for International Students

How Much Does It Cost to Take the TSA?

The Thinking Skills Assessment for Oxford University is free of charge. However, respective test centres may charge a small amount for test taking as an administrative fee. Usually, in India, no fee is charged for taking the TSA exam. The examination is taken at Pearson VUE test centres.

Test Name	Test Fees
TSA Exam (Oxford)	Free

Also Read: Fully Funded Scholarships in the UK: Complete Details Here

What are the Test Dates for the TSA?

To register for the TSA examination, you must know the TSA examination dates. The TSA examination registration dates and exam dates are provided below for your convenience.

Particulars	Dates
TSA Test Dates 2025	21, 22, 23, 24 & 27 October 2025
TSA exam registration date	18 June – 19 September 2025 (6 pm BST)
TSA Test slot booking date	18 August – 26 September (6 pm BST)

How to Apply for Oxford TSA?

Pearson VUE conducts the Thinking Skills Assessment for Oxford. You can register for the examination by visiting the Oxford Admissions Test Registration portal opens between 18 June – 19 September (6 pm BST).  These are the steps to follow for registering for the TSA.

1. You need a UCAS ID before registering for the Oxford TSA exam.
2. You have to use the same email address for registration that you have used for the UCAS application.
3. You can register via the Oxford Admissions Test Registration portal.
4. After registration is complete, you will receive an email confirming the same.
5. Thereafter, once the test slot booking opens, you can log in to your account.
6. You can choose between various test days and select a test centre near your location.
7. After test centre booking, you are allowed to sit for the examination.

Which Universities Use TSA?

As of 2025, only Oxford University uses the TSA for admission purposes. Therefore, only students seeking admission to Oxford in specific courses such as Philosophy, Politics and Economics need to register.  This examination is not for any other university.

Previously, Cambridge University and the University College London used to use TSA for assessment. Cambridge used the assessment for admission to the Land Economy course, and UCL used it for the European and International Social and Political Studies (EISPS) program. However, these universities no longer use TSA.

Also visit: Top Universities in UK

When are TSA Results Announced?

The TSA test results will be announced in January 2026. Oxford University usually releases the test results of all its main examinations in January, and TSA is no exception. The results are sent to the applicant’s selected college soon. However, students will only receive their results in January. 

TSA Exam Centres in India 

Pearson VUE conducts the Thinking Skills Assessment for Oxford at their authorised test centres around the world. This means you can take the test from India itself. The examination is conducted at various test centres in major states in India. For example. Delhi, Mumbai, Karnataka, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and more. Here are five exam centres authorised by Pearson VUE.

State	TSA Test Centre	Address
Madhya Pradesh	Rockford Softsol-Computer Academy &Training Centre	741, Near Rockford Foundation School Mahanadda Road, Madan Mahal Jabalpur
Hyderabad	Pearson Professional Centres-Hyderabad	Vamsiram Jyothi Valencia, Road no 2,4th floor, Banjara Hills Hyderabad GHMC Telangana 500034India
Gujarat	Anuptech Equipments Pvt Ltd	B35, Krishna Industrial EstateOpposite BIDC, Gorwa Vadodara Gujarat 390016
Rajasthan	Evalult Digital Private Limited	E-103Road No. 7, Vishwakarma Industrial Area Jaipur
Maharashtra	Span Labs	B209-210, Sagar Tech Plaza, Opposite Hotel Chakra Sakinaka, Andheri East Mumbai

Is the Oxford TSA Test Hard?

Yes. The Thinking Skills Assessment for Oxford is considered a challenging examination. The examination is designed in a way that the university can differentiate the highly capable students. To clear this paper, you need to have exceptional critical thinking skills, reasoning skills, and the ability to answer questions accurately and quickly. 

The examination is intentionally kept difficult as they want to choose the best students. Therefore, the TSA examination requires you to possess strong critical thinking and reasoning skills, problem-solving, and writing skills. Moreover, you need to answer all the questions within the given time frame.

7 Tips to Prepare for the TSA

Preparation is key to scoring well on the TSA paper. Here are five tips that you can use to prepare for the TSA exam at Oxford.

1. First of all, understand the examination test format and syllabus. Thereafter, prepare each topic well.
2. Use the official TSA’s previous year papers for practice. You can get it from the official university website page on TSA.
3. Section 1 is an MCQ paper. You need to identify the common questions asked and learn the answers to them.  Section 2 is in essay format. Practice writing, and learn how to develop arguments and counter-arguments, and draw conclusions.
4. Develop critical thinking skills by using reading materials and analysing complex problems. Develop problem-solving skills by practising questions from GMAT critical reasoning tests. 
5. Try to solve sample papers under timed conditions.
6. Use online resources to learn and get help from teachers to solve difficult problems.
7. Lastly, eat a healthy breakfast, manage your stress, and get enough sleep before the examination.

To learn tips to prepare for the section 1 TSA MCQ, watch this video:

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