Urgent TSA Section 1 Advice help!

Hi,

I'm applying for E&M at Oxford this year and have decided on applying for economics late. Since the TSA Section 1 is on the 24th of October, what advice could you give me? Should I focus on past papers? If so, how specifically should I use them to gain maximum benefit?

Should I look into getting a revision guide or watch related YouTube videos? Also, how can I deal with the fear of not succeeding, as I am kind of panicking

Reply 1

BetaVersion2.9

Try about 3 - 4 past papers under timed conditions. This will get you familiar with the style and format of the questions, and how much time you have to think about each. Also check out the guidance on the Pearson Vue website so that you know what to expect at the testing center.
A revision guide or YouTube vid won't help much.
Do the best you can. Selection for interview is based on many factors such as predicted grades, PS, teachers ref... The TSA score is only one part. Even if you get an interview only 1 in 3 will be made an offer. There are plenty of good quality universities out there

Reply 2

m3g5049

Original post by Ishti54

Hi,
I'm applying for E&M at Oxford this year and have decided on applying for economics late. Since the TSA Section 1 is on the 24th of October, what advice could you give me? Should I focus on past papers? If so, how specifically should I use them to gain maximum benefit?
Should I look into getting a revision guide or watch related YouTube videos? Also, how can I deal with the fear of not succeeding, as I am kind of panicking

Hi! I graduated with a 1st in PPE from Oxford a couple of years ago, so did the TSA myself, and still work with students on it now.

For Section 1, I would recommend identifying whether you're stronger at critical thinking or problem solving. After that, identify the different question types (particularly for critical thinking). Working out that you do worse on identifying assumptions, for instance, allows you to focus much more on this in your preparation. For the problem solving side, there are a few techniques that often help you to solve problems faster. I would also recommend spending a bit of time after doing a practice test working out what the quick ways of solving the problem solving questions were, as these may be useful again.

I'm running a group class on the TSA next week that goes through Section 1. I also offer one-to-one sessions if that's something you're interested in. Feel free to DM me on here if you have any questions!☺️

Reply 3

Anonymous #1

Original post by Ishti54

Hi,
I'm applying for E&M at Oxford this year and have decided on applying for economics late. Since the TSA Section 1 is on the 24th of October, what advice could you give me? Should I focus on past papers? If so, how specifically should I use them to gain maximum benefit?
Should I look into getting a revision guide or watch related YouTube videos? Also, how can I deal with the fear of not succeeding, as I am kind of panicking

Hi!
I am doing the TSA this year too, and here are some things I did to help me refine my technique:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AALHGOWvRnU&list=PLlAb3qyrQqQEmf2rAkC8NKIJ63u-IuKub&ab_channel=UniReach
I watched this channel's exam walkthrough for all papers from 2008-2015. His videos are roughly 90 mins, and the way he explains how to answer each q helped me develop a lot of the skills necessary for the TSA, and it formed a really good baseline for me.

For the 2016-2019 papers, I completed them under timed conditions, but I marked them using this book: https://www.amazon.sa/-/en/TSA-Past-Paper-Worked-Solutions/dp/0993231152
This deepened my understanding of what makes an option correct and the way TSA experts think

Then, I completed the 2020-2023 papers on my own and marked them using the Oxford Answer Key.

I also bought this book
https://imattest.ir/wp-content/uploads/The_Ultimate_TSA_Guide_300_Practice_Questions_Fully_Worked_Solutions.pdf
and completed all of the Problem-Solving Practice Questions, I found the Critical Thinking Qs confusing and an incorrect reflection of the actual TSA, so I just did 200 Problem-Solving Practice Qs.

Finally, recently I've been watching this channel's videos
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YBWXuYT4LVc&list=PLZrEtv05V8DUUaFdMg9v3kgoN2M560SGq&ab_channel=examrizz
I've found this extremely useful as it outlines clearly what to look for when answering different types of Qs, and something that has put my mind at ease is that they constantly highlight the fact that the TSA is the same structure and the same types of questions, just rephrased and switched around a little.

Hope this helps, and good luck!