TSI and ACT

TSI and ACT scores information

The ACT, like the SAT, is a college entrance exam used by many colleges and universities to determine an applicant’s college readiness level.

Students are advised to take the ACT or SAT during the spring of their junior year so there’s time, if it is necessary to retake the exam, to do that in the summer or fall of their senior year before college admissions deadlines.

All universities and colleges in Texas accept both the ACT and SAT scores to determine college readiness and students who attain sufficient scores on either exam, will be exempt from taking the state-required TSI (Texas Success Initiative) Assessment.

The general impression is that math on the ACT test is slightly more complex than the math portion of the SAT.

Test-takers need a pretty strong grasp on algebra, arithmetic, and geometry to score sufficiently and have the TSI requirement waived. For TSI exempt status and SAT scores, check out this page.

The ACT requires perhaps a deeper understanding of these math fields than the SAT as about 9 out of 60 ACT math problems deal with advanced mathematical concepts such as imaginary numbers, trigonometry, logarithms, and advanced geometric shapes that are assessed perhaps a bit more superficially on the SAT.

Exempt Status

Students that attain a composite ACT score of 23 or higher and at least a score of 19 on the English portion of the ACT will receive exempt status so they won’t have to take the English reading and writing portions of the TSI Assessment.

Students who attain a 19 score or higher on the ACT mathematics porting will also see the requirement to take the TSI mathematics section waived as well.

The ACT comes with a composite score on a scale that runs from 1-36. The average composite score is 21. Keep in mind that the general impression is that the ACT is more time-intensive and more fast-paced than the SAT.

Scores cannot be older than 5 years. Let’s see how much time you have to deal with problems on the ACT:

ACT Math requires you to solve 60 problems in exactly 60 minutes, so you have 1 minute, or 60 seconds, per individual math problem.

ACT English requires you to deal with 75 problems in 45 minutes, so you have 36 seconds per individual English problem.

ACT Reading requires you to deal with 40 problems in 35 minutes meaning you have 52.5 seconds per individual reading problem.

College comes at a cost. So read also this post about the Texas College 529 Savings Plan, a great way to help families save money for their children’s college education.

So all incoming college students in Texas have to score sufficiently on the Texas Success Initiative (TSI) Assessment unless they are exempt. When students are accepted by their preferred college, they are asked to submit their TSI scores before they can enroll.

If they hold exempt status, they need to present proof as well or they won’t be able to register for the school’s academic courses. Students may be exempt from just one or all of the TSI subjects.

Many students take Dual Credit courses so they can earn college credit while still in high school. Dual Credit students have many benefits, one of them being that this wat they may also attain TSI exempt status.

The TSI Assessment includes three testing fields for determining a student’s knowledge and skills. The fields cover reading, writing capabilities, and math.

Texas state law requires all college-bound students to take the TSI Assessment to make sure they are ready to attend college-level coursework successfully at the state’s public colleges and universities.