TSA past papers and resources
Fifteen years of Oxford Thinking Skills Assessment papers, 2008 to 2022, with answer keys, score conversion tables and the specimen paper. The TSA was Oxford’s admissions test for PPE, Economics and Management, Experimental Psychology and related courses until 2025, when it was replaced by the TARA.
TSA past papers (2008 to 2021)
Every Oxford TSA paper from 2008 to 2022, hosted here. Section 1 is the 50-question multiple-choice paper and comes with an answer key; Section 2 is the writing task, which has no mark scheme because it was marked by the universities themselves.
What replaced the TSA
Oxford retired the TSA after the October 2025 sitting. From the 2026 admissions cycle, applicants sit the TARA, the Test of Academic Reasoning for Admissions, run by UAT-UK and delivered on screen at Pearson VUE centres. It is used by Oxford and UCL.
How to use these papers
Of all the discontinued tests, the TSA maps onto its replacement most cleanly. The skills are the same and so is the question style; what changed is how the paper is divided up and how long you get.
| Module in the current test | What to practise on | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Critical Thinking 22 questions, 40 minutes | TSA Section 1 critical thinking questions | Argument, assumption and flaw questions carry across almost unchanged |
| Problem Solving 22 questions, 40 minutes | TSA Section 1 problem solving questions | Numerical and spatial reasoning, same style and level |
| Writing Task one essay, 40 minutes | TSA Section 2 prompts | Fifteen years of essay prompts to practise structure and timing against |
The order we suggest
- Sit official material for the current test first, so you know the on-screen format and the module split.
- Work TSA Section 1 papers whole and untimed at first, marking with the answer key.
- Once accuracy is there, split your practice: 22 questions in 40 minutes, to match the current pacing rather than the TSA’s.
- Use TSA Section 2 prompts for timed essay practice. Write to 40 minutes, not to the TSA’s 30.
- Work backwards from 2022. The later papers are closest in style to what you will meet.
The pacing is different, and it matters. The TSA gave 90 minutes for 50 questions, a shade under two minutes each. It now gives 40 minutes for 22, closer to 1 minute 50. Similar, but do not assume your TSA timings transfer without checking.
Section 2 has no mark scheme. The writing task was sent to universities unmarked, exactly as the current writing task is. Use the prompts for practice, and get a person to read what you write.
The TSA format
What the test looked like, for context as you work through the archive.
| Full name | Thinking Skills Assessment |
| Used by | Oxford, and by Cambridge and UCL for some courses in earlier years |
| Courses | PPE, Economics and Management, Experimental Psychology, Human Sciences and related |
| Papers here | 2008 to 2022, plus the specimen paper |
| Section 1 | 50 multiple-choice questions, 90 minutes, problem solving and critical thinking |
| Section 2 | A writing task, sent to universities unmarked |
| Calculator | Not permitted |
| Replaced by | The TARA, from the 2026 admissions cycle |
Not every course required both sections, and the requirement changed over the years. The front page of each paper states what candidates were asked to do.
Other resources
Frequently asked questions
The Thinking Skills Assessment was Oxford’s admissions test for PPE, Economics and Management, Experimental Psychology, Human Sciences and several related courses. Section 1 was 50 multiple-choice questions in 90 minutes; Section 2 was a writing task.
The October 2025 sitting was the last. Oxford moved to the UAT-UK tests from the 2026 admissions cycle.
The TARA, the Test of Academic Reasoning for Admissions. It runs three 40-minute modules: Critical Thinking, Problem Solving and a Writing Task, and is used by Oxford and UCL.
More than any other discontinued test’s papers. The test that replaced it assesses the same two reasoning skills the TSA did, in the same multiple-choice style, plus the same kind of essay. The main difference is how the time is divided.
Section 1 does, for every year here except 2020. Section 2 never had one: the writing task went to universities unmarked, exactly as the current writing task does.
Fifteen years, 2008 to 2022, plus the specimen paper.
No. Section 1 scored one mark per correct answer with no penalty for a wrong one.
No, and you cannot in the test that replaced it either.
Start at 2022 and work backwards. The later papers are closest in style to what the current test asks.
Sources
Every file linked on this page was retrieved and checked on 6 September 2026.
- Cambridge Assessment Admissions Testing, the original publisher of the TSA.
- UAT-UK, TARA, for the structure and timing of the replacement test.
- University of Oxford, Admissions tests, for the move to UAT-UK tests from 2026.
The TSA is no longer sat. Confirm your test requirements against the official Oxford and UAT-UK pages.
Disclaimer: All past paper links on this page direct to official Cambridge Assessment Admissions Testing materials. These materials are the property of their respective owners. This website is not affiliated with or endorsed by Cambridge Assessment Admissions Testing, or any university. Please verify all information with the official source.
Talk to us about your Oxford application
The TSA archive is the best preparation material there is for the test that replaced it, but only if you use the right parts of it. Tell us where you are up to and we will reply with an honest view of what preparation would help, and whether we think it is needed at all.
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