Texas exams to determine college readiness. The TSI Assessment (TSIA) is part of the Texas Success Initiative enacted by the Texas State Legislature and designed to determine a student’s readiness for college-level coursework in the general areas of reading, writing, and mathematics. If you are an incoming college student in Texas, you are required to take the TSI Assessment - unless you are already exempt (read below) - to determine your readiness for college-level work. Based on how you perform, you may either be enrolled in a college-level course and/or be placed in the appropriate developmental course or intervention to improve your skills and prepare you for success in college-level courses.
What are passing scores?
Students scoring at or above the cut scores are considered “college ready” and eligible to enroll in any entry level college course (For Example: English Composition, History, Government, or College Algebra). Some college level courses require passing scores in more than one area.
Passing cut scores for TSIA as set by the state:
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Mathematics: a minimum score of 350
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Reading: a minimum score of 351
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Writing: a score of 5 on the essay section or a score of 4 on the essay and a minimum score of 340 on the multiple-choice section
Exemptions for the Texas Success Initiative Assessment (TSIA)
A student shall be exempt from taking the TSIA if the student has:
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Scored a 23 or higher on the ACT composite and a minimum of 19 on both the English and math tests;
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SAT administered prior to March 2016: Earned a combined (verbal critical reading + math) SAT score of 1070, with a minimum score of 500 on both sections;
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SAT administered March 2016 and later: Evidence-Based Reading and Writing (EBRW) minimum score of 480, Mathematics minimum score of 530 (no combined score needed);
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TAKS scale score of at least 2200 on the math section and/or 2200 on the English Language Arts section with a writing subsection score of at least 3;
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Veterans, active duty personnel, and a student who is serving as and, for at least 3 years preceding enrollment, has served as a member of a reserve component of the U.S. armed services;
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Transfer from another institution having satisfactorily completed college-level coursework; or
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Enroll in a certificate program of one year or less (Level One certificates) at a public institution.
If you think you may be exempt, please contact an advisor at your college. For a complete list of TSI exemptions, visit www.thecb.state.tx.us/TSI.
TSIA Resources and Links
