Tests before you take Orientation

Texas Success Initiative (TSI)

THEA QT(formerly TASP)

Approved TSI Exams

Exemptions from TSI

Accuplacer

Chemistry Placement

Math Placement

College of Engineering - Remote Math Placement

Texas Success Initiative (TSI)

The Texas Success Initiative is a provision in Senate Bill 286. The Texas Success Initiative requires institutions of higher education to assess the academic skills of each entering undergraduate student to determine the student’s readiness to enroll in freshman-level academic coursework. The law requires students to be assessed in the areas of mathematics, reading, and writing.

HOW IS COLLEGE READINESS ASSESSED?
The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) has approved the following assessment instruments to be used in determining a students’ college readiness:

*THEA QT
*COMPASS
*ASSET
*ACCUPLACER

 

THEA QT

All students, who are not exempt from a TSI approved exam by predetermined SAT, ACT, or TAKS scores, must take and have scores reported to UTSA from one of the approved TSI exams such as THEA or Accuplacer prior to participating in Orientation and course registration

Approved TSI exams- There are several different methods to meet your TSI requirements.

1. Accuplacer - a computer-adaptive test taken at Testing Services and available Monday-Friday. Please log on to ASAP to sign up for Accuplacer. Cost: $32.00. Results: available immediately at the end of the test. See more information below.

2.THEA QT - paper and pencil testing given by UTSA Testing Services at the downtown campus once a month. Cost: $25.00 to UTSA and $29.00 to Evaluation Systems. Results: 7 to 10 business days. Register now!

 

Exemptions from TSI- A student must meet all score requirements within a specified exam.

For a printable list of exemptions based on ACT, SAT, or TAKS scores, click here.

It is the students responsibility to review the exemptions listed below to determine if they meet the exemptions. Remember some exemptions are full and some are partial. Partial exemptions do require additional testing.

Students shall be exempt from the requirements of the Texas Success Initiative who meet or exceed the following criteria:
(note: Exemptions can be full or partial)

· ACT - (full) composite score of 23 with a minimum of 19 on both the English and Mathematics tests. ACT (partial)-If a student has a combined score of 23 with a minimum of 19 in only one and not both content areas, the student will be exempt in only one area and will be required to take a TSI exam in the other area. (ACT score exemptions are valid for 5 years from the date of test.) Note that the English test covers the TSI areas of reading and writing and the Mathematics test covers the TSI area of mathematics.

· SAT - (full) combined Critical Reading and Mathematics score of 1070 with a minimum score of 500 on Critical Reading and/or Mathematics tests. SAT (partial)-If a student has a combined score of 1070 with a minimum of 500 in only one and not both content areas, the student will be exempt in only one area and will be required to take a TSI exam in the other area. (SAT score exemptions are valid for 5 years from the date of the test.) Note that the Critical Reading test covers the TSI areas of reading and writing and the Mathematics test covers the TSI area of mathematics.

· TAKS (exit-level) – 2200 in mathematics and/or 2200 in English/Language Arts (ELA) with a subscore of at least 3. Students who do not meet the exemption criteria in all areas will need to take a TSI approved exam in the areas they did not meet the exemption criteria. Note that the English/Language test covers the TSI areas of reading and writing and the mathematics test covers the TSI area of mathematics. (Valid for 3 years.)

· A student who has graduated with an associate or baccalaureate degree from an accredited institution of higher education.

· A student who transfers to UTSA from a private or independent institution of higher education or an accredited out-of-state institution of higher education and who has satisfactorily completed college-level coursework as determined by this institution.

· A student who has previously attended any Texas public institution of higher education and has been determined to have met readiness standards at that institution.

· A student who is serving on active duty as a member of the armed forces of the United States, the Texas National Guard, or as a member of a reserve component for at least a three-year period preceding enrollment. Temporary Exemption form from the Testing Services Office must be completed each semester.

· A student who on or after August 1, 1990 was honorably discharged, retired or released from active duty as a member of the armed forces of the United States or the Texas National Guard or service as a member of a reserve component of the armed forces of the United States. Exemption form from the Testing Services Office must be completed.

· A student who is non-degree seeking. Special Undergraduate must complete form in Testing Services Office.

For a printable list of exemptions based on ACT, SAT, or TAKS scores, click here.

Accuplacer

The Accuplacer exam is an approved alternate to THEA which is administered by computer. Please log on to ASAP to sign up for Accuplacer, no walk-in slots are available. The Accuplacer exam costs $32.00 which is charged to the student's UTSA account.

 

Chemistry Placement

Student wishing to enroll in General Chemistry (CHE 1103) must take and pass the Chemistry Placement exam prior to registering for the class. This test may only be taken once every two years, so come prepared! The fee for chemistry placement is $10.00 which is charged to the student's UTSA account. A scientific non-graphing calculator is permitted. Please log on to ASAP to sign up for the Chemistry Placement exam, no walk-in slots are available. If a student does not achieve the passing score of 37 out of 50 questions then they will be placed in Basic Chemistry (CHE 1073). Students have 55 minutes to complete the exam.

Math Placement

Nearly 90% of UTSA students are required to take a math placement test prior to Orientation. The math placement exam is comprised of Algebra, Precalculus, and Calculus placement exams. Come prepared because these tests determine your class placement. The fee for any math placement is $10.00 which is charged to the student's UTSA account. No calculators are allowed. Please log on to ASAP to sign up for Math Placement exams, no walk-in slots are available.

If you are unsure as to whether or not you need to take a Math Placement exam, consult the Math Matrix here.

Math Placement Topics Lists

Who needs to take the Math Placement exam?

Those individuals who want to enroll in MAT 1023 (College Algebra), MAT 1033 (Algebra with Calculus for Business), MAT 1043 (Introduction to Mathematics), MAT 1073 (Algebra for Scientists and Engineers), STA 1043 (Introduction to Statistical Reasoning) or STA 1053 (Basic Statistics) and who did not meet the score criteria on the following national tests must take and pass Algebra Placement exam to register for Algebra during orientation:

1. Students that have a THEA (formerly TASP) math score below 270

2. Students who scored below an 85 on Accuplacer mathematics

3. Students who do not have a combined SAT score of at least 1070 (Critical Reading and Mathematics Only) with at least 500 on the mathematics.

4. Students who do not have a composite ACT score of 23 and a minimum of 19 on the mathematics and English sections.

 

Who needs to take the New Calculus Placement exam?

Students who are exempt from THEA and want to enroll in Precalculus (MAT 1093) or Calculus I (MAT 1214) and who have not satisfied the prerequisite for either course must take and pass the New Calculus exam. Also, students who achieved a THEA math score of 270 or higher, or an Accuplacer math score of 85 or higher must take and pass this placement exam for placement into Precalculus (MAT 1093) or Calculus I (MAT 1214).

Math Matrix

TSI Status	Score	Class Choice	Placement	Type
Exempt due to ACT or SAT	n/a	MAT1023,1033,1043,1073 or STA 1043,1053	NONE	n/a
Exempt due to ACT or SAT	n/a	MAT1093 Precalculus or MAT 1214 Calculus	YES	New Calculus
Exempt due to TAAS, TAKS or Prior College	n/a	MAT1023,1033,1043,1073 or STA 1043,1053	YES	New Algebra
Took THEA	270 or higher	MAT1023,1033,1043,1073 or STA 1043,1053	NONE	n/a
Accuplacer	85 or higher
Compass	39 or higher
Asset	38 or higher
Took THEA	270 or higher	MAT1093 Precalculus or MAT 1214 Calculus	YES	New Calculus
Accuplacer	85 or higher
Compass	39 or higher
Asset	38 or higher
Took THEA	230 to 269	MAT1023,1033,1043,1073 or STA 1043,1053	YES	New Algebra
Accuplacer	63 to 84
Took THEA	Below 230	Remediation Required	NOT ELIGIBLE	n/a
Accuplacer	63

College of Engineering - Remote Math Placement

Currently, this option is only for admitted College of Engineering students who meet the score requirements to be eligible to take the New Calculus Math Placement test. Please review the table above to determine eligibility for the New Calculus test. The scores that determine eligibility must be in the UTSA system.

Please refer to the letter you received for the College of Engineering regarding this process. If unable to find your letter you may view it here.

If you have questions please email UTSA Testing Services at testinfo@utsa.edu.

Please include your name and UTSA ID number. Please Allow 5-7 business days for completion of the remote testing process.

 

 

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