Oxford PPE (Philosophy, Politics and Economics) Students and Applicants

Just wondering on the TSA...there's probably been a discussion about this but are the questions weighted equally?

Government.

What about you, thinking of applying to LSE?

Not this year lol

but i think I will be applying for Government&Economics

Sweet, ok!
I can agree that the course sounds very interesting, assuming that's your opinion.

Okay think I can clear this up now: The TSA is *not* weighted.

Evidence: Go to the site where the TSA is, print off the test, answer the questions. Mark it using the "answer key" given. Find your score out of 50, and then the percentage score.

Now do the electronic test (same questions), putting in your answers from the previous test. Click 'complete test': your result will be the same as the one you worked out from the answer key i.e. a simple, non-weighted test.

Hope that helps ppl

Explanation of PPE Scores

Results for Section 1 of the PPE Admissions Test are reported on a scale that runs from 0 to 99, to one decimal place. Scores are reported separately for Problem Solving and Critical Thinking components, together with an overall score. Each score is calculated separately, taking into account the difficulty of the questions. This allows scores on different versions of the test to be directly compared. Extreme scores are comparatively rare. The scale has been designed so that typical applicants to the most highly selective undergraduate university courses in the UK (who are by definition academically very able) will score around 60. The best applicants will score more highly, but 70 represents a comparatively high score and only a few very exceptional applicants will achieve scores higher than 80.

Yeah an Economics and a Philosophy one

They were both really approachable, its made me feel less apprehensive about the interview if I manage to get one....

Back to work I guess now :P

-Guy

Sorry, that is incorrect. The TSA is definitely weighted. The score you get on the TSA practice is not comparable to the one you'll get on the certificate or the one Oxford can see. If you want, I'll scan and upload the graph we were given for the distribution of results, but it shows the only possible results as being 102.8, 91.8. 84.5, 80.1, 76.9, 74.3, 72.1 (my score), 70.2, 68.5 etc. etc. etc.

On a fifty question test, it would not be possible to get decimal places in the percentage score, or it would mean I got 36.05 questions right.

The only thing I don't understand is how the top score was over 100


EDIT: Just to add to that, the explanatory notes we were given state:

(second emboldening mine)

So your score was 70.2...have you done the TSA practice test and if so what score did you get on that?

Hey people I'm doing (AS levels) next year, Maths, F Maths, History, English lit and German and I was wondering whether these would be a good grounding for PPE. Economics was offered but I felt the department was a bit naff - is not taking it a problem? With relevant work experience, interest,good gcses ect would these reasonable options.