What is the best way to prepare for the TSA Oxford Section 1?

Section 1 of the TSA comprises of 50 questions to be answered by multiple choice answers in 90 minutes. Consequently, the single greatest constraint during the test will be time. So it will be really important to become very familiar with the types of questions that appear so that you can answer them as quickly as possible. Luckily, the types of questions to be answered fit into categories. First, questions will either be mathematical questions or logical questions. Within these categories the questions can be divided further. The best account and explanation of each question type is in the book "Think You Can Think" - which I can send you a link to and we can then work through together. Once you have an idea of each type of question, you should have a go at answering a TSA section 1 under timed conditions, as if it were the real thing. Once you have done this, you can mark your answers (the answers to past papers are available online) and you will have an idea of which types of questions you are getting wrong. Try to understand why you got a particular question wrong and how you can avoid similar mistakes in the future. If you are struggling with this I would be happy to read through and help you with this part. Following this, perhaps the next day, try another past paper, and this time pay special attention to any questions of the type you got wrong the previous day. Repeat your marking procedure and checking for how you got it wrong. Once you have repeated this enough times (I think around 7 past papers and mark schemes are available online) you should be very competent with the majority of questions and have improved many of your weakest questions a great deal.

JB
Answered by Jack B. TSA Oxford tutor

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