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  3. Thinking Skills Assessment (TSA)
  4. TSA Cambridge
  5. Preparing for TSA: Section 1

Preparing for TSA Cambridge

  • For test-takers
    • Thinking Skills Assessment (TSA)
      • TSA Cambridge
        • About TSA: Section 1 for Cambridge
        • Scoring and results
        • Dates and costs
        • How to register
        • Preparing for TSA: Section 1
        • FAQs

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In 2021 TSA: Section 1 for Cambridge will be a computer-based test. You should confirm with your school or test centre whether they will provide the computer or whether you need to bring your own.

Details have been updated in these web pages.

Preparing for TSA: Section 1

We recommend watching the video below for an overview of the format of the Thinking Skills Assessment (TSA) and top tips to get you feeling prepared.

TSA: Section 1 is not subject-specific, so there is no curriculum content to learn. It assesses the generic thinking skills you already have, and practising for the test will help you develop these skills.

A good place to start your preparation is by reading the TSA question guide, which explains and works through a sample of the different types of Critical Thinking and Problem Solving questions in the test.

Try to answer some questions from the specimen paper, going at your own pace. Look carefully at the explained answers provided for this paper; they will help you understand how the different TSA questions work and how to approach them.

Then move on to working through some practice papers under test conditions – timed and without using a calculator (you can write down your working out).

There is no need to pay for a preparation course, we provide everything you need for free!

In 2021, TSA: Section 1 will be a computer-based test. Use the computer-based demonstration test to familiarise yourself with the test functionality.

TSA: Section 1 practice tests

TSA Specimen Test
TSA Specimen Answer Sheet
TSA Specimen Answer Key
TSA Specimen Explained Answers

TSA 2020 Section 1
TSA 2020 Section 1 Answer Key and Score Conversion
TSA 2020 Section 1 Explained Answers

TSA 2019 Section 1
TSA 2019 Section 1 Answer Key
TSA 2019 Section 1 Score Conversion

TSA 2018 Section 1
TSA 2018 Section 1 Answer Key
TSA 2018 Section 1 Score Conversion

For more practice papers, go to our TSA Oxford preparation page and click in the area marked Section 1 practice papers – Thinking Skills Assessment. These are past papers that were produced for TSA Oxford, but are equivalent in format and level to TSA: Section 1 for application to Cambridge.

Computer-based demonstration test

  • TSA computer-based demonstration test
  • Computer-Based Demo Instructions

Please use this demonstration test and the instructions to familiarise yourself with the functionality of TSA in computer-based format.

Please note, however, that you will not be provided with a score. You can find practice tests in paper-based format, with answer keys and explanations, to help you evaluate your progress.

This demonstration test contains a Section 2, which is not taken by applicants to University of Cambridge. You do not need to complete this section.

The demonstration test is intended to be viewed on a desktop computer, rather than a mobile device, to accurately reflect the test-day experience.

Further reading

We provide all the free resources you’ll need to prepare for TSA. However, if you’re interested in learning more about thinking skills, here are some suggestions for further reading:

Thinking Skills by Butterworth, John and Thwaites, Geoff
Critical Reasoning: A Practical Introduction by Thomson, Anne
Thinking from A to Z (2nd Edition) by Warburton, Nigel
Critical Thinking: An Introduction by Fisher, Alec

For a general introduction to thinking skills, watch A short film about thinking.

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