How the connect the dots section works
Numbered or lettered circles are scattered across the screen, and you click them in order as fast as you can. Prep sites describe three rounds: numbers only, letters only, then a mixed round where you alternate, 1, A, 2, B, 3, C. The circles are not laid out in order, so most of the time goes on finding the next one.
It is one of three sections in the TSO Assessment Battery (TAB), the computer based test TSA invites Transportation Security Officer applicants to take. You book it through the USA Hire system and sit it on a computer at a proctored TSA testing centre within 21 days of the invitation.
How to approach each trail
Speed comes from where your eyes are, not how fast you click:
- Before the first click, take a second to spot where 1, 2 and 3 sit. A good start sets the rhythm.
- As you click one circle, your eyes should already be hunting for the next.
- Scan outwards from where you are. The next circle is often nearby, and a wide sweep of the screen wastes time.
- On the mixed round, say the pair in your head as you go: “4, D, 5, E”. Losing your place costs more than slowing slightly.
- If you click a wrong circle, stop, find the right one, and carry on. Do not start guessing nearby circles.
Worked example
On the mixed round you have just clicked 5. The next circle is E, because the letter that goes with 5 is the fifth letter. After E comes 6, then F, then 7.
A quick check when you lose track: the letter always matches the number you just clicked. After 9, you need I; after I, you need 10.
Tips for the real connect the dots section
- Practise on a computer rather than a phone. Tapping a touchscreen is a different pace from clicking at a test centre desk.
- Learn the letter positions cold: knowing that M is the 13th letter saves a pause on the mixed round.
- Read the instructions before each round, so you know which sequence is next before the clock matters.
- Do not ease off after the first two rounds. The mixed round is the one where steady attention pays.
- If you need an accommodation, request it when invited, before you book.
Practise connect the dots on CogniPrep
Our Connect the Dots game runs three trails: 1 to 15, A to M, then 1 to 10 alternating with A to J. There is no clock on screen; each trail stops after 90 seconds, or 150 for the alternating one, which few people need. A wrong click flashes and does not count, so an error costs you only time. Your score out of 100 compares your total time with a fast reference pace. The circle counts, caps and scoring are ours, because TSA publishes none. It is free to play.