TSA Written Skills Assessment
The Written Skills Test (or English Test) is one of the two components of the TSA CBT test, alongside the X-ray Image Interpretation Test. It usually consists of 60 questions and is used to evaluate your skills in areas such as punctuation, spelling, capitalization, and similar. It is divided into three categories, which are Vocabulary, Reading Comprehension, and Written Communication.
If you want the skills and know-how to pass your TSA test with ease, you’ll need Prepterminal’s TSA CBT Prep Course.
Our Course will help you:
- Understand the concepts covered by the TSA test
- Get practice with actual test questions
- Learn the shortcuts to help you get the best results
- Have the confidence to pass the assessment without stress
Our course is designed to tackle the TSA vocabulary test free from worry as our curriculum covers all your bases by including in-depth explanations to each question.
This will allow you to figure out what to do in case your answer or educated guess is wrong, preparing you for the actual exam with the knowledge and techniques needed to overcome rival candidates.
Furthermore, we have a massive question bank for the CBT X-Ray portion of the main test.
The TSA CBT X-Ray question banks are designed to familiarize our reviewers with scans of objects or items that are prohibited or restricted according to TSA rules/standards.
For now, let’s take a look at each section of the TSA CBT vocabulary test and what you can expect in each section.
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Course Content
Introduction1 Step - 5 MinutesLearn how to use this course and follow the curriculum most effectively.Buy this Course: Get full access to all lessons, practice tests and guides.
Connect the Dots5 Steps, 1 Hour 20 MinutesBuy this Course: Get full access to all lessons, practice tests and guides.
Image Recognition6 Steps, 1 Hour 40 MinutesBuy this Course: Get full access to all lessons, practice tests and guides.
2D to 3D Shape Interpretation6 Steps, 1 Hour 50 MinutesBuy this Course: Get full access to all lessons, practice tests and guides.
X-Ray Supercharge Tool40 steps, 4 hoursMaster x-ray baggage screening with 40 quizzes containing over 800 questions covering a wide range of target items. Once you've completed every step of this module, you will be 100% ready for your Object Recognition Test.Buy this Course: Get full access to all lessons, practice tests and guides.- X-Ray Supercharge Guide
- X-RAY CBT Medicine and Drugs Question Bank
- X-RAY CBT Medicine and Drugs Question Bank 2
- X-RAY CBT Meds & Drugs Question Bank – Hard
- X-RAY CBT Shoes Question Bank
- X-RAY CBT Shoes Question Bank 2
- X-RAY CBT Shoes Question Bank – Hard
- X-RAY CBT Weapons Question Bank
- X-RAY CBT Weapons Question Bank 2
- X-RAY CBT Weapons Question Bank – Hard
- X-RAY CBT Tools Question Bank
- X-RAY CBT Tools Question Bank 2
- X-RAY CBT Tools Question Bank – Hard
- X-RAY CBT Knives Question Bank
- X-RAY CBT Knives Question Bank 2
- X-RAY CBT Knives Question Bank – Hard
- X-RAY CBT Cables Question Bank
- X-RAY CBT Cables Question Bank 2
- X-RAY CBT Cables Question Bank – Hard
- X-RAY CBT Pens Question Bank
- X-RAY CBT Electronic Question Bank 2
- X-RAY CBT Liquid and Cream Containers Question Bank
- X-RAY CBT Meds Question Bank
- X-RAY CBT Wallets Question Bank
- X-RAY CBT Aerosol Cans Question Bank
- X-RAY CBT Laptop Question Bank
- X-RAY CBT Guns Question Bank
- X-RAY CBT Guns Question Bank 2
- X-RAY CBT Guns Question Bank – Hard
- X-RAY CBT Electronic Question Bank
- X-RAY CBT Electronics Question Bank – Hard
- X-RAY CBT Bottles Question Bank
- X-RAY CBT Bottles Question Bank 2
- X-RAY CBT Bottles Question Bank – Hard
- X-RAY CBT Cans Question Bank
- X-RAY CBT Cans Question Bank 2
- X-RAY CBT Cans Question Bank – Hard
- X-RAY CBT Cosmetic Question Bank
- X-RAY CBT Cosmetic Question Bank 2
- X-RAY CBT Cosmetics Question Bank – Hard
- X-RAY CBT Keys Question Bank
Vocabulary2 steps, 30 minutesBrush up on your spellings, synonyms & antonyms with a full written guide and practice test.Buy this Course: Get full access to all lessons, practice tests and guides.
Reading Comprehension4 steps, 45 minutesLearn about the 6 main question types in the Reading Comprehension section of your Written Skills Assessment, and apply your learning with 3 practice tests.Buy this Course: Get full access to all lessons, practice tests and guides.
Written Communication2 steps, 30 minutesLearn to apply your English comprehension skills to logic problems and organize ideas from a selection of statements.Buy this Course: Get full access to all lessons, practice tests and guides.
Verbal Reasoning Full Tests2 steps, 20 minutesApply your learning from the three Written Skills Assessment modules with two full-length tests.Buy this Course: Get full access to all lessons, practice tests and guides.
Background Check1 step, 15 minutesLearn what to expect on your background check and how you can prepare.Buy this Course: Get full access to all lessons, practice tests and guides.
Interview1 step, 15 minutesPrepare for the panel interview with commonly-asked questions and the best strategy to impress your interviewer.Buy this Course: Get full access to all lessons, practice tests and guides.
BONUS Interview Prep Video Guide1 step, 10 minutesFind out the best common practice for interviews and how you can get yourself into the best possible headspace on the big day.Buy this Course: Get full access to all lessons, practice tests and guides.
Take the TSA CBT Practice Test
Our TSA CBT practice test is designed by psychometric and XRAY professionals and represents the questions you’ll see on the Transportation Security Officer Computer Based Test.
Success Stories
TSA CBT Vocabulary
Vocabulary is designed to evaluate your level of English, and although questions might appear simple at first, they can actually be quite complicated.
The reason behind this is because the hiring managers want to make sure that you can understand instructions well, especially when it comes to executing special protocols while on the job.
Another reason why this is implemented is because you need to write reports clearly and succinctly, both for the convenience of your coworkers and for legal reasons in case you need to document an incident or write a report.
After all, your supervisor might worry if you wrote “these person” in the report when you meant “this person”, causing them to think that another suspect or suspicious person, or persons, are on the loose in the airport because they only questioned one.
So, let’s check what to expect in the TSA vocabulary test!
Synonyms
A synonym is a word or phrase that has the same or very similar meaning to another word or phrase. Let’s take a look at the following sentence:
“We need to talk about this important issue immediately.”
- A:Peripheral
- B:Trivial
- C:Critical
- D:Minor
Explanation:
The correct answer is Critical since Important and Critical are synonyms.
Antonyms
An antonym is a word of opposite meaning to another word. Take a look at the following sentence:
“The speaker was unable to pacify the crowd.”
- A:Excite
- B:Antagonize
- C:Threaten
- D:Challenge
Explanation:
The correct answer is Excite since Excite and Pacify are antonyms.
Tips and Tricks
To improve your vocabulary, it is essential to read a lot, which is also the best way to learn the meaning of different words. No matter if you read books or newspapers, you will learn many words that you don’t use on a daily basis.
Another great way to improve your vocabulary is to practice vocabulary exercises, which you can find in our new TSA CBT Exam Preparation Course. It will definitely sharpen your skills and help you achieve a much better score.
TSA CBT Reading Comprehension
This category includes a paragraph of varying length, followed by a question with four optional answers. The questions are used to evaluate your understanding of the text and your level of English, but not your logical reasoning skills.
Questions in this part of the TSA come with a time limit, usually 90 seconds per question.
However, some questions will give you an entire block of text with a lot of details like the one below:
This document is a policy regarding good practice security measures.
- Do not leave laptops unattended in car boots overnight
- Do not leave laptops unattended in insecure areas, for example, meeting rooms next to areas of public access, and hotel rooms where others may have access. Make use of room locks and lockable storage facilities where available
- Be aware of the potential for opportunist or targeted theft of laptop bags in busy public places including airports, train stations, hotel lobbies, exhibition halls, etc., and on public transport e.g. buses, and trains
- Do not use laptops with removable media in places where that media could easily be left behind or misplaced
- When traveling, avoid placing laptops in locations where they could be easily forgotten or left behind e.g. overhead racks and taxi boots
- Be aware that the use of laptops in public places will likely draw the attention of those in the vicinity. It is possible that information viewed on a laptop screen could lead to the unauthorized disclosure of that information being processed.
- A:Laptop stealing
- B:Data hacking
- C:Sensitive info disclosur
- D:All of them
- E:None of the above
Explanation:
In this specific case, the policy is intended to protect users from all security issues such as laptop stealing, data hacking, sensitive info disclosure, etc.
Therefore, the answer is D.
Tips: A useful tip for passing this category more easily is to read the entire text before choosing the answer.
However, if the paragraph is short, it might help to read the questions first, since it will give you an insight into what the text is about.
TSA CBT Written Communication
This category of the test is very broad and may contain different kinds of questions. It is designed to evaluate your skills in areas such as English grammar, spelling, and punctuation. To score as good as possible in this category, it is essential to refresh your knowledge of grammar, syntax, usage, and organization of sentences and paragraphs.
Paragraph Organization
These exercises are designed to evaluate your ability to organize sentences into paragraphs. For example, take a look at these four sentences:
- In ancient times, most people lived on farms or large estates.
- This meant that there were not enough goods for the daily trade.
- Fortunately, their own produce was enough to sustain them in the long run.
- However, there were no shops since the small settlements were too far apart.
- A:a-b-c-d
- B:a-d-b-c
- C:b-d-a-c
- D:c-a-b-d
Explanation:
Although there are many ways to do this, the most effective one to order the sentences is to first figure out which of them sounds like an opening statement the most, which is then usually followed by a conjunction word or phrase such as furthermore, but, also, in addition, etc.
This is then ended with a sentence that provides a conclusion.
Based on these key points, the answer is a-d-b-c.
- In ancient times, most people lived on farms or large estates.
- However, there were no shops since the small settlements were too far apart.
- This meant that there were not enough goods for the daily trade.
- Fortunately, their own produce was enough to sustain them in the long run.
Sentence Completion
This part of the test evaluates your ability to complete a sentence that is missing one or more words, while the propositions include misspelling and grammatical errors.
The most ____ part of the field trip is when we ____ get to the zoo.”
- A:exiting, finalist
- B:exciting, finally
- C:excreting, final
- D:existing, financial
Explanation:
When reading the words out loud, you’ll find that B is the best choice. Field trips are supposedly exciting, and what more when you finally get to your favorite place?
The most exciting part of the field trip is when we finally get to the zoo.
The correct answer is therefore B.
One of the best ways to prepare for this part is to complete similar exercises on a daily basis. That way, you will easily remember different tenses and spelling rules.
How to Prepare for the TSA Written Skills Assessment
The TSA can be a fulfilling and lucrative occupation with competitive pay, comprehensive health insurance, and significant retirement contribution programs. The only way to get those benefits is to prepare for your TSA CBT; you only get two chances to pass the test before permanent disqualification.
You deserve a career that makes you financially secure, and the TSA can provide that opportunity. Don’t risk losing that chance; enroll in our TSA test prep course today!
