The Oxford TSA thread - 2016 applicants - 4th November 2015

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Reply 60

iBall

Original post by iBall

Sure, q38, 44 & 50 from

http://www.admissionstestingservice.org/images/99503-tsa_oxford_section_1_2010.pdf

Any thoughts? Q30 also

Reply 61

beam314159

Original post by iBall

Any thoughts? Q30 also

30: Draw a triangle with each name at one of the points, and arrows between all of them representing the credits and debts. Then write the net flow over each pair of arrows, and it should be clear which answer is right. In this case, Fred gives 50 to Bill (and implicitly forgives Joe's debt to him, so Joe forgives Bill's debt, paying Bill the other 50).
Screenshot 2015-09-23 at 8.22.39 PM.png

38. This is fairly easy; just go through each answer choice and see if each edge-pair matches up with the pairs in the given. In this case, if you look at E, the crescent is facing the arrow, when it should be facing the double lines. If you find this too time-consuming or unsystematic, you could also draw partial nets of the three dice, and compare each choice against the nets, but doing that just confuses me more.
44. Examining the diagram, it's clear that there's only one set of three points where you must pass the middle point to get between the other two. The middle is the bandstand, and the edges are the statue and fountain. The other two points have to be the lake and the bowling green, and as only one of the two candidates for the fountain can be passed only by passing the bandstand twice going between the lake and the bowling green, you have identified a second point. Thus, two points are identifiable.
50. Draw a net of one of the given dice (filling in two sides with certainty), write in relevant constraints (for example, if one is on top, neither 6 nor 3 can be on the bottom), then just fill in the net, abiding by the constraints and paying attention to symmetry, and you'll have the solution.

Original post by Niharika Pandya

Hi IBall!30 should be B44 should be CI'm still trying to figure out both 38 and 50.EDIT:

50 is coming out to be A. Not sure whether I'm right, it's part guess work.

There's an answer key here: http://www.admissionstestingservice.org/images/99561-tsa-oxford-2010-section-1-answer-key-.pdf

(edited 8 years ago)

Reply 62

superdarklord

Does anyone have any advice or links to help for the essay writing part? I'm not exactly sure what they're looking for there.

Reply 63

DanieleZ

Original post by superdarklord

Does anyone have any advice or links to help for the essay writing part? I'm not exactly sure what they're looking for there.

What I'm doing is I've printed out copies of the essay part of the TSA and practice using the space provided with essay questions from past papers. I usually try to structure my arguments on a seperate sheet (or the back of my hand, whatever works) during the first few minutes before starting to write.

Other than that, I would've said it's just like any other essay. Rephrase the question, mention its implications, and define any words if necessary in the introduction, explain arguments and counter-arguments in the next 3 to 4 paragraphs, and then sum up the gist of your arguments and position on the matter in your concluding paragraph. Then read through it and try to correct as much as you can before the 30 minutes are up.

Then - sometimes - I'll go through the essay at a slower pace and try to analyze my arguments and structure to see what I executed well and what I should focus on next time.

Using the original format and time-limit of 30 minutes helps a lot because in the end, 30 minutes aren't enough to write a polished essay. I think practice is the best way to get your thoughts down on paper quickly and logically, and there are tons of past questions you can use:

http://www.admissionstestingservice.org/for-test-takers/thinking-skills-assessment/tsa-oxford/preparing-for-tsa-oxford/

Reply 64

Someone in TSR

This is my first post in TSR, so hi! :u:

How important is language considered to be in the essay part of the TSA? I'm from Germany, so native speakers will probably be better in writing than I am.
How does the specimen paper compare to the other papers in difficulty?

(edited 8 years ago)

Reply 65

iBall

Just hit 43/50, spatial arrangement still an issue ....

When it comes to using rough paper what's the technique

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(edited 8 years ago)

Reply 66

iBall

Original post by Niharika Pandya

Does anyone have any material to help with the problem solving part other than the past papers? I'm struggling with it. :frown:

Try CIE thinking skills papers

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Reply 67

Hesterrose

What is classified as a good score?

Reply 68

Someone in TSR

Original post by Hesterrose

What is classified as a good score?

From what I've read so far, I would say that it really depends on the subject. The average score of an Oxford applicant is in the mid to high 50s (there are statisitcs somewhere on the TSA website). Oxford applicants I think are mostly very clever so this is certainly a good score. However, if you want to make a competitive, outstanding application it should be in the 60s at least. This may not be true for some less competitive courses. For the most competitive ones a score in the high 60s to low 70s would be strong, I suppose. Anything in the 70s or higher makes for a very competitive application.

(edited 8 years ago)

Reply 69

Hesterrose

Original post by Someone in TSR

I'm applying for human sciences and is the score raw marks or the converted score?

Reply 70

Someone in TSR

Original post by Hesterrose

I'm applying for human sciences and is the score raw marks or the converted score?

The converted score is the one considered. The highest raw mark to achieve would be 50/50, the highest converted score would be around 98 to 102. I just saw that in human sciences over 80% are shortlisted, so I think chances are that you will get invited to interview even without a very high score. But it would certainly help. However I'm not aware of the details of the admissions process in human sciences.

(edited 8 years ago)

Reply 71

n.safar4

Original post by Someone in TSR

This is my first post in TSR, so hi! :u:

I have the same question

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Reply 72

Alice M.

Original post by n.safar4

I have the same question

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Same here ahaahah

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Reply 73

n.safar4

Original post by iBall

Try CIE thinking skills papers

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Are they really helpful?

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Reply 74

iBall

Original post by n.safar4

Are they really helpful?

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Good for extra practice and seem to be harder than standard TSA questions so if you can do well on those, it should be a breeze when looking @ past papers

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