Examius
🇬🇧 United Kingdom · Admissions
Thinking Skills Assessment (TSA) Syllabus
Critical thinking and problem-solving test used by Oxford and some other universities for courses like PPE and economics.. The complete Thinking Skills Assessment (TSA) outline — 6 subjects, 22 chapters and 81 topics — laid out so you can see exactly what has to be covered and tick each item off as you go.
Thinking Skills Assessment (TSA) subjects
Each subject below has its own page with the full chapter → topic → sub-topic tree and a set of real exam-style flashcards.
4 chapters · 19 topics · 45 sub-topics
Critical Thinking (Section 1)5 chapters · 18 topics · 38 sub-topics
The Writing Task (Section 2)4 chapters · 15 topics · 31 sub-topics
Exam Technique and Time Management3 chapters · 9 topics · 18 sub-topics
Foundational Logic and Numeracy3 chapters · 11 topics · 22 sub-topics
Course Variants and Test Logistics3 chapters · 9 topics · 18 sub-topics
Thinking Skills Assessment (TSA) flashcard decks
305 question-and-answer cards across 6 decks, written against this syllabus. Preview any deck free.
How to work through the Thinking Skills Assessment (TSA) syllabus
The outline on this page is arranged the way the syllabus itself is: subject, then chapter, then topic, then sub-topic. That last level is what most study plans skip, and it is where coverage actually goes wrong — a chapter marked "done" often has three sub-topics inside it that were never touched.
Weight your plan accordingly: Problem Solving (Section 1) carries 19 topics while Course Variants and Test Logistics carries 9. Giving both the same number of weeks is the most common planning mistake for Thinking Skills Assessment (TSA).
The ~95 hour estimate above is a first pass only: roughly 45 minutes per topic plus 12 minutes per sub-topic. Revision cycles, past papers and mocks sit on top of that number.
Thinking Skills Assessment (TSA) syllabus FAQ
What subjects are in the Thinking Skills Assessment (TSA) syllabus?
Thinking Skills Assessment (TSA) covers 6 subjects: Problem Solving (Section 1), Critical Thinking (Section 1), The Writing Task (Section 2), Exam Technique and Time Management, Foundational Logic and Numeracy and Course Variants and Test Logistics. Together they contain 22 chapters and 81 named topics.
How big is the Thinking Skills Assessment (TSA) syllabus?
The full Thinking Skills Assessment (TSA) outline breaks down into 22 chapters, 81 topics and 172 sub-topics. Problem Solving (Section 1) is the largest single subject with 19 topics across 4 chapters.
How long does it take to cover the whole Thinking Skills Assessment (TSA) syllabus?
Roughly 95 hours for one full pass. That estimate allows about 45 minutes per topic plus 12 minutes per sub-topic, so it is first-pass coverage — revision, past papers and mock tests sit on top of it. At 3 hours a day that is about 5 weeks.
Are there Thinking Skills Assessment (TSA) flashcards?
Yes — 305 question-and-answer flashcards across 6 decks, one per subject, written against this syllabus. A sample of every deck is readable on this site for free, and the complete decks are in the Examius app.
Is this Thinking Skills Assessment (TSA) syllabus free to use?
Yes. Every page here is free to read, and importing the Thinking Skills Assessment (TSA) syllabus into the Examius app to tick off topics as you finish them is free too, in United Kingdom and everywhere else. No account is needed to start.
Related Admissions syllabuses
Aptitude test that must be passed before enrolling on a Bar training course to become a barrister.
Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) syllabusStandardized test taken by applicants to UK MBA and business master's programmes.
Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) syllabusStandardized graduate admissions test accepted by various UK postgraduate and business programmes.
International English Language Testing System (IELTS) syllabusEnglish language proficiency test required for university admission and UK visas for non-native speakers.
Mathematics Admissions Test (MAT) syllabusSubject-specific admissions test for mathematics and computer science applicants at Oxford, Imperial and Warwick.
Pearson Test of English Academic (PTE Academic) syllabusComputer-based English language proficiency test accepted by UK universities and for visa applications.
Sixth Term Examination Paper (STEP) syllabusAdvanced mathematics exams used as an admissions requirement for maths courses at Cambridge, Warwick and other universities.
Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) syllabusEnglish language proficiency test accepted by many UK universities for international applicants.
Test of Mathematics for University Admission (TMUA) syllabusMathematics aptitude test used by some UK universities for maths, economics and computer science applicants.
Browse all 21 Admissions syllabuses → · All United Kingdom exams →