I simply cannot thank you enough for how much of a great help you have been! You are an absolute saviour to International students such as me who do not really have access to any references or help for these tests. Thank you again!
This was immensely helpful! Your logic with spatial reasoning is a gamechanger for me ( like you, I find visualising shapes difficult too). Thank you so much, Dr. Williams.
Just took the exam, your tips were very helpful mate! Thanks a lot for investing your time for people who don't have the advantages some applicants have!
Great Video, I Love watching your videos. You add so much to my life. I love Learning. A lot of the time I have to watch a video more then once to really get it. That is part of the enjoyment. Thank You, Matt. Jeff
Thank you so much! The time saving tips of reading the prompts first and eliminating unnecessary information was really useful. I cannot thank you enough!
Thank you so much, this was a super helpful video! I'm taking my TSA tomorrow and this really changed my perspective on how to tackle the questions. Thank you so much :)
Thank you so much for your videos! I was struggling with practice papers and kept getting questions wrong. After watching a few of your videos I have tried other papers and been getting the answers correct! You're really teaching me how to look at these questions and understand what they are looking for!
Thank you so much for these videos, I found them so helpful. One of the reasons I'd love to go to Oxford is that in every outreach video I've watched, the tutors seem so brilliant: friendly, and explaining the questions in such an understandable way. I hope that anybody reading this found the exam alright today! I was wondering if I could ask you about today's test - I had some pretty bad technical difficulties which made the test far more difficult. My screen kept freezing and things like selecting new questions or clicking on answers were very slow. There were more than a few occasions when the timer was still going whilst the screen was frozen and I couldn't see the question, which was of course very stressful and isn't what you want in such a time pressured test. I was really disappointed by this: I've put a huge amount of time into practicing the test over the last few months and trying different methods/time-saving tips, so much so that in practice, my scores have gone from the low 60s to the 80s, and once even the 90s. I was aiming for at least 80 today but unfortunately ran out of time quite badly and so didn't get to attempt all of the questions, and I had to rush a lot of them in order to answer a decent number in the time. I've emailed Worcester College, which is where I'm applying, and explained the difficulties in the hopes that they will be considered extenuating circumstances, but can I ask you what this means? Will my score be considered contextually, or just as a smaller part of my application, so my grades and references will be considered more? Will a low score impact me as negatively as it would have in a normal year, when the exam was on paper? Thanks again for this video!
Thanks for your message. Emailing the college is absolutely the right thing to do. There have been a lot of people facing difficulties with the tests, unfortunately. I wish you all the best.
just found out ive been shortlisted for a PPE interview with Pembroke College, i genuinely cant thank you enough for your fantastic guidance with these videos, especially the 2nd writing task which was extremely difficult for me as i hadn't taken any linguistic subjects for my A levels
Please can you go through the 2020 TSA Question Paper on here? I've seen the Oxford Maths Department have done it for the 2020 MAT. It would be really helpful if you could do the same.
Thank you for making this video. I am applying for Philosophy at Cambridge however the two addmisons assessments are very similar to one another so your tips are extremely useful!
Fantastic video as always! Thank you! Could someone please explain the reasoning behind the 90° turns between figures on the cube net around 17:30? I don't follow at all 😪
Sorry for being unclear. The idea is the 'IV' face stays upright, and then if we make the cube, we can work out which faces must turn 90o relative to 'IV' to make the cube. There are four such turns needed to form a cube, which means that the 'V' face moves all the way round the clock and finished upright again. Try making a cube for real and hopefully it will be clearer. (That's what I did in the end, just to be sure I wasn't losing my mind!)
Hi, thank you so much for making this video! Would you recommend answering one type of questions first and then do the next one e.g. if I’m more comfortable with critical thinking I would do all critical thinking first and then move on to problem solving? Or is it better to do the questions in the chronological order as they are?
Good question! Personally I would answer the questions in their given order. You need to show your abilities in both types of question. If you segregate them, you run the risk of being tired out by the time you switch from one type of question to the other.
Good question! I like that nuance. I think this is a case where you should tell me that distinction is relevant, rather than ask for my permission. In essays, we're often looking for students to take charge of the problem and say, "I argue there is a conceptual distinction to be made between changing and choosing to change". Great point!
Could you explain what you mean by there being four right angles (on the dice question). I wasn't quite sure of your reasoning. Thank you for the excellent video - just what I needed.
It is tricky. Tbh, I had to make a dice just to be sure I wasn't fooling myself! I really don't like the spatial questions. Essentially, when folding the dice, there are four 90 degree folds where the faces shift round clockwise, as well as some folds where there is no circular motion (just up/down) folds. That means that we can say the 'V' face will move all the way round in a full circle as we construct the dice, until it is upright again next to the 'IV'.
Hi Mr Williams, thank you for all your TSA related videos I’ve found them immensely helpful in my preparation! I started my TSA prep last week (due to difficult family circumstances) and I’ve been getting a score of around mid 60s in the Section 1. However there’s two main problems I’ve been facing: 1) understanding all the information given in a problem solving question (eg I didn’t know what a cheque was until I asked my family about it!) 2) getting tired towards the end of a paper and missing key details in questions that help you reach the answer I was wondering, do you have any advice in countering these two problems? Thank you so much! - Batool
Thanks for your comment. With regards to the first matter, the questions don’t assume any particular knowledge. For example, you don’t really need to know what a cheque is to be able to answer the question. As regards the second point, everyone gets tired! It’s a very tiring exam. The best approach is to ensure you are well slept and fed prior to the exam. It’s also a good idea to practice as many questions as possible, so that you become more efficient in answering them. Good luck!
Thank you so much for this video, it was very helpful! Just did the TSA and I’m a bit worried as I don’t think I did as good as I should’ve. Have people who have been interviewed received a relatively bad TSA score but had very good other elements?
Hi Prof! For me, I find annotating the question to be very helpful for the critical thinking, and especially for some problem solving questions when dealing with graphs. I am slightly worried about how having the test done online would affect this ability. Do you think that the average score for this years test may be lowered due to the fact that it will be sat online? And if so, would what is considered a 'good' score also be lowered as a result and relativised? Thank you very much!
Yes, I suspect that average scores will be pushed down because of the new format. And, yes, that means we will revise down what a competitive performance looks like. Good luck!
Another great video Dr Williams! What sort of score would you say gives you a good chance at an interview? Would high 60’s give you a good chance? Or do I need 70 minimum to be assured of an interview?
Thanks for your video, it’s great ; and I was wondering, does anyone know if we’re aloud to go back on questions we skipped earlier in the test and if we’ll have any scratch paper? Thanks!
When I did the demo test the other day it allowed you to skip a question and go back to it, it highlights the questions you have done, so you can see which ones you've skipped :)
Thank you for the video, you really are an angel! One question, how would use suggest to prepare for the Problem Solving part? It looks like I am never improving!
Thank you for your message! Problem-solving questions just take practice. Don't be too downhearted if you are struggling, because they are very difficult. But the more you practice, the better you will get. Little and often is the key. Aim at about 30 to 40 minutes per day of practice.
It was because in imagining the corners that would be turned to form a cube, the corners drawn describe how the flat surface should change in relation to the 'IV' face.
Yes, absolutely. Just be careful with what comes after I/me/my. "I argue" or "It is my contention" are fine. "I believe" or "It is my opinion" are no good. Beliefs and opinions are simply too subjective. Imagine a lawyer going into court and declaring that "I believe my client is innocent of all charges"! Their client would end up in prison!
Hi Dr Williams, As with your other insightful videos, thank you so so much for taking the time and effort to help students with their application! Tomorrow is the day of the TSA assessment, and while I probably shouldn't be too fixated on this question, I can't help but wonder whether Oxford colleges shortlist candidates based on country averages or global averages (the TSA average for Singaporean candidates is one of the highest in the world - does that put me at a massive disadvantage?). Also, since this year's TSA is computer-based, will be get our results immediately after the test? Thank you!
Thank u so much for this helpful video Dr Williams! I have a question tho, due to the change of the test form this year, i was interrupted abruptly due to my computer's techinical problems, and i think i didnt do it well. So if i want to write to profs and beg them reconsider about my application, who should i write the email to? Just the college ive be arranged to or i should ask the college about E&M profs' email address and write to them directly?
Great advice, thank you for this! In the TSA section 2, would you suggest picking the essay title that is 'best suited' to your degree? It seems as though there is always an economics related question, a philosophy one and a political one. So for instance would it be preferable for an E&M applicant to pick the economics question or does it not really matter?
For section 2, my general plan for the essay is point 1 (for), point 2 (against) and point 3 (for). Within each paragraph should I include objections for the main argument within the paragraph? Or combine these into one balance paragraph to have a more focused essay, with one point per paragraph? Many thanks!
Your approach sounds fine. The key thing is to make sure your argument is as comprehensible as possible. So if you think you will achieve that by having points against in a separate paragraph at the end of the essay, then do that. You also want to avoid seeming to sit on the fence. You must have a clear line of argument throughout.
Thank you so much! The video was immensely informative and helpful. Also, how many words do you recommend we write in section two? I normally can’t write more than 400-450 within the given time. And is directly defining verbs like “should” and “could” acceptable?
Yes, 400-450 words should be fine. And, yes, where could/should are hook words (as there are in the video) you should (!) define them, but can do so briefly.
Thank you so much! This video is immensely helpful. One question, when writing the essay task should I avoid only partially agreeing or disagreeing with the prompt, in favour of fully agreeing/disagreeing to improve my arguments? For example should I avoid saying that I agree with X to an extent, but Y should also be considered.
You can provide a nuanced answer (as in not agreeing wholly with the prompt) provided that answer is clear and consistent throughout the essay. Best of luck!
Hi thank for your video it was super useful - I just wanted to ask for the TSA section two - is it worth having an entire paragraph evaluating your like judgement or do you think say for the restrictions in AI question only the 3 paragraphs on the different types of restriction is what is needed
It's helpful to evaluate your argument, even if only with a sentence or two. It shows that you can appreciate the strengths and weaknesses of what you're claiming.
Is the problem solving and critical thinking score also calculated separately? If so, are interview decisions based on how people perform overall or also on how they performed in the individual sections within section 1?
The sections are calculated separately, so at interview we can gauge an individual’s strengths and relative weaknesses. For a degree like PPE, It’s not unusual for (as an example) the philosophers to push for a candidate with excellent critical thinking skills over the heads of the economists who are perhaps slightly concerned about their problem-solving abilities.
Do you need to take the TSA for the foundation course for PPE? I know this is a new course and wanted to check if it was required/. Thanks for any advice Becky
i know this is super late in terms of when i am posting this comment, but i was wondering if the TSA is the tipping point when applying for oxford? for example, if i did exceptionally well in other areas i.e grades or section 2 (i struggle with section 1 much more), would i still be considered?
You would certainly be considered, yes, but section 1 does weigh quite heavily in the scales. Please note that a) everyone struggles with section 1, and b) the more you practice, the better you will be. There is really no such thing as natural acuity when it comes to tests like section 1 TSA. It truly is a test of skill, and skills take practice, not natural gifts.
6:14 for question 46: option c, suppose, psi= damage in hearing, phi= listening to loud music. this clearly shows that phi implies psi, and the next statement shows that not psi implies not phi. this same logic can be applied above, phi=cake will be tasty, psi= fresh ingredients from market. here also, not psi implies not phi. thus option c is correct.
Thank you Matt for your useful videoes as always. Currently I am preparing myself for the BMAT test and the Section 1 of it covers the TSA questions. I am struggling to understand them to give the correct answer as English is my second language. Any useful resources with simple and clear explanation on how to prepare successfully for it will be great appropriation. Have a good day 🌞🌞😃😃 All best wishes, Roman
Hi Roman, thank you for your message! There is this video on BMAT: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-8JWJLX7RUto.html what I would note that there are many people taking the test with English as a second language, so keep practising and you will get better!
I am worried that I am at a disadvantage for section 2 because I am a very slow typer and I feel like I won’t be able to convey my argue in the time give. Do you have any tips for that?
This is not an unusual problem. I have the same issue! Focus on quality over quantity of writing. Don't worry about being very descriptive (demonstrating knowledge) and focus on being analytical (deconstructing the question and evaluating different solutions). Even if you only write ~3-400 words, but they are highly analytical and sophisticated, you'll be doing well.
These videos are really helpful and amazing! Also, excluding exceptional circumstances, what would you consider a competitive score on the TSA for Economics and Management?
@@frankied8924 PPE is marginally lower in terms of competitiveness that E&M, but it is a very small margin. Again 65> is roughly what is needed, but this changes year on year.
John Park Hi great video really helpful. Regarding the exam, will we be given paper to do working out on ? Also how would you go about defining ‘should’
I believe you will have access to writing materials. But it's worth checking with your test centre to be sure. Should can be defined in multiple ways, but a simple definition is that should can have intrinsic and instrumental components -- EG "You should vote, because it's the right thing to do" [intrisic good], "You should vote if you want change" [instrumental good]
You can see break downs of the marks here: www.ox.ac.uk/admissions/undergraduate/applying-to-oxford/tests/tsa For example, for 2019: www.admissionstesting.org/Images/572961-explanation-of-tsa-section-oxford-2019.pdf
Do you think that in the essay, its okay to give two arguments in favour of a point, and one argument against? I find that this is as much as I can write in an essay, but I'm worried that it makes my essays unbalanced?
Yes, that sounds about right in half an hour. The essay ultimately has to be somewhat unbalanced, because you can only make one case and have to make it well.
Hi Prof. Williams. Great helpfull video. To start the preparation Could you please recommend books we students need to refer for further practice or we should just focus on past papers only.
Thank you! There are some books recommended on the TSA website, but I think practising past papers is probably the most useful thing to do at this stage.
thank you for this! I was wondering how to score myself on Section 1 after doing a Test given that it is out of 50... I'm confused how to check if I'm reaching 70 or not
It's very difficult to mark your own work, because the questions have a weighting depending on how many or few people are able to answer them. You can have a rough idea by multiplying your score out of 50 by 2, but it will be a very rough idea.
for question 48, to find the day to have 550g sourdough, what I did was only look at sourdough ignoring water content, because no matter how much water I have, what I have been asked is 550g of sourdough so it's simply 50g sourdough each day * 10 = 500g so that's 10 days which makes it a Thursday but with an additional 50g it will be one more day which is the next day which happens to be a Friday. I hope my reasoning was valid and indeed true.
You actually got lucky, since you have misunderstood the question (sorry for being blunt). -sourdough is made up of BOTH water and flour -doubling the weight means it’s more appropriate (even if it is) to do something like 100 x 2^x I can explain in greater if you have gone through the video and still have questions! The key takeaway is it takes 4 days, not 11 days!
thanks so much,it’s really helpful for me. Could you explain more exercise about TSA? Like not only the last four questions in the video. It’s very struggling me to difference between different types of questions.
Is it best to argue for both sides of the argument when it comes to the essay? Or should we follow the structure you outlined in your previous video on essay writing: 1) Intro - where you define your hookword 2) Point 1 3) Point 2 4) Balance - But still insist on your initial stance and why 5) Conclusion
This year TSA being online, regarding working out on paper, do we bring in our own scrap paper or is it something the school should provide? And would I need to submit any scrap paper that I have written my workings on ? I am asking as If I don’t need to hand in the scribbled workings then I don’t have to worry about it being tidy or legible as it is just workings for me. Kindly advise. Thank you so much. Can I also ask (if its ok to ask )are TSA section 1 question generally same style questions year to year or can they change fundamentally from year to year? Much appreciate your help. Thank you
TSA questions are similar from year to year. I’m afraid I cannot answer your other questions. You may need to contact the centre where you are taking the TSA. This may be your school. Good luck with it.
Thank you for your advice! Are mini whiteboards permitted in the exam and how are the TSA essays used, do they hold a certain weight in comparison to section 1? THANK YOU!
Mini white boards are being used for the LNAT test. I'm not entirely sure about the TSA. It may depend on what your test centre says. It'll be worth contacting them to be sure. Thanks for your message! Good luck
@@frankied8924 Section 1 and 2 are scaled to be out of 100. (Actually section 1 is a little off a being a proper out-of-100 percentage for complex reasons). So the two scores are broadly comparable. But section 1 tends to be given more weight.
Thank you very much for keeping up with questions a year after this video was posted, with section 2 - in deconstructing should, are deontological/utilitarian the only ways to do so, what other methods could you use? Also, do you have to do 2 separate paragraphs if you were to use those 2 categories. For example, capitalism creates helpful innovation (utilitarian), capitalism rewards hard work (deontological) as two separate points
Also how would you introduce the deconstruction, something like "should implies an appeal to morality and therefore this essay will look at the matter from both a Kantian and instrumental perspective."
@@JesusCollegeOxford1571 what do you mean by logical and habitual, as in it is rational to do something and habitual being that is the way we have usually responded to such issues? Also, with the essay, is it just the idea of looking at something from multiple aspects (social, economic) not necessarily with specific categories?
@@doorfloorkitchen You can define should how you like, I've just suggested a few. But, yes, logical "should" might mean that given certain predicates, the conclusion follows by logic. Habitual "should" implies that you've behaved a certain way n times in the past, so might be expected to do the same on the n+1th occassion. Don't overcomplicate things. All we are looking for is a clear essay structure that helps you express your views. It can be helpful to split up the key question wording like should, and perhaps the easiest way is moral and consequential, but there are other ways.
Thank you Sir for these amazing videos! I am a student from Pakistan and I have applied to Cambridge University for a Law degree this year, I would be grateful to you if you take out some time to go through my personal statement. I tried to email you my essay before; however, an error popped up. I know I'm late and I've already submitted my UCAS application but I would still love to hear your comments about my personal statement.
15:55 the largest possible peanut content is 40% not 50% the chart says peanuts can only make up 30-40% so it is impossible for there to be more than 40% peanuts.
Thank you so much for making these videos! I had a question regarding the introduction. So essentially the introduction should have three things: 1) Very clearly answer the question in your opening sentence. 2) Define the hook word and other key words 3) Provide an outline of the essay (possibly by dissecting the hook word into its components) Is there anything else that a "good" introduction has?
The video is good. However, I am really struggling with your parallel reasoning method. This does not seem to work for passages which are very wordy and don't share similar patterns whatsoever. HELP
You need to edit out wordiness by focusing on those words that matter. These will be analytical rather than descriptive words (i.e. where an author makes a claim, rather than states a fact). The language associated with claim making often (but not always) relies on adjectives and adverbs, and highlighting these can be a good way of cutting through the noise.
Trick questions are rarely helpful for the person asking the question. If you're trying to trick someone, you likely won't get an accurate assessment of their abilities. Tricks will simply disrupt any attempt to measure your thinking skills accurately.
Also, are there any time management tips for doing section 1? When I go through papers after doing them I realize that my score would have been much higher if I had enough time to do some questions, but the time constraint just ruins it for me
First thing to note is that you're far from alone in this! Most people don't finish section 1. But you should certainly try to, and, if you have to, guess the answers! I've tried to describe some time management tips in these videos, but another one to bear in mind is that you should know how long you've got to answer 10 questions, 20 questions etc, and sticking to those time constraints. Also, don't move on without answering a question, because you probably won't have tome to come back to it, and it's very inefficient to read through a question multiple times.
Hello sir, to what extent is the TSA used to give interviews and offers? I am applying for Experimental Psychology, but I am not doing that well (around 50-60) in section 1... However, I have extremely high IB predicted grades (45/45) and also what I believe to be a strong personal statement, so could you please tell me how badly the TSA could affect my chances of getting an interview in this context?
The TSA is considered alongside the rest of your application. It is weighted highly, but a relatively low score on the TSA will not necessarily be the end of the road.
@@JesusCollegeOxford1571 Ok, thank you! Also, will my TSA score be compared with EVERYONE who has done the TSA (regardless of course), or are they compared separately for each course? e.g. If I apply for EP, then my score will only be compared against other EP students. I am asking this because I feel that some course applicants (e.g. which requires mathematics HL like E&M), will simply score higher overall because they just work better with numbers.
Just wanted to ask whether you think something similar to what the mathematics department has done with the MAT answers for this year (they've published them on youtube) will happen for the TSA before the official results day?
@@WoodyJeffay We don't have the paper. It is administered by Cambridge Assessments. So, no, we're not holding on to the paper. My hope is to produce a video as soon as the paper is available.
@@adamj6970 Should be in the next week or so. It depends on the college. Feel free to contact the college you've been assigned to if you'd like more info.
Note that you have 1 minute and 48 seconds for each of the multiple choice questions. Make sure you know how many questions you need to have done at certain way markers, such as quarter of the way through and half way through the test. Try to stick to time as far as possible. You're not penalised for incorrect answers, so guess if you need to. Otherwise, it's very important to make sure that you sleep and eat well before the test, because fatigue will affect your performance substantially.
Hi sorry but I get the bag of nuts question different from you..you say ' the peanut content is the largest possible', but how do you know that? It only says 'What is the largest possible peanut content' which then must be 40%? Help me?
@@JesusCollegeOxford1571 I would also like to be elucidated whether or not there are going to be any incentives or basically help for eu students who are not quite capable of paying the augmented tuition fees after Brexit. Indeed i know the university is extremely successful, prominent and glamorous, i belive, but right now as I am from a european country i am not able to affort it. I would be happy if you were to comfy me a bit by saying there are going to be some new scholarships in the future to help us financially in order to be able to apply for an undegraduate degree . Another thing i would like to point out is that your videos are extremely, extremely helpful, full of knowledge and have made me a better person.
@@kristiyanvalev1869 thank you very much for your kind message. There will continue to be scholarships available for non-UK students. You can perform a search here, to find out what you may be eligible for: www.ox.ac.uk/admissions/undergraduate/fees-and-funding/fees-funding-and-scholarships/search All best wishes, Matt
Thanks for your video, it’s great ; and I was wondering, does anyone know if we’re aloud to go back on questions we skipped earlier in the test and if we’ll have any scratch paper? Thanks!
Yes, I believe that, time permitting, you can go back to missed questions. It's not the most efficient method, however, to read questions, skip them and come back. You should have access to writing materials. Good luck!
Great video! Thanks a lot. I have a question though: will we be able to write on a piece of paper during section 1, even though we're taking the exam on a computer? I sure do hope so.