Question 1Multiple choice
A drawer holds 5 black socks, 3 white socks and 4 gray socks. One sock is taken at random. What is the probability that it is not gray?
What is on the TSIA2
The TSIA2 (Texas Success Initiative Assessment 2.0) is the placement test Texas public colleges and universities use to see whether you are ready for college-level courses. It has two subjects: Mathematics, and English Language Arts and Reading (ELAR), which includes an essay.
| Test | Questions | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Mathematics | 20 | Quantitative Reasoning 6, Algebraic Reasoning 7, Geometric and Spatial Reasoning 3, Probabilistic and Statistical Reasoning 4 |
| ELAR | 30 | 15 reading-focused (one literary set of 4 and 11 informational, 2 on paired passages), then 15 writing-focused (one essay-revision set of 4 and 11 sentence questions) |
| Essay | 1 prompt | A 300- to 600-word essay on one randomly selected prompt, scored 1 to 8 |
| Subjects | Mathematics; English Language Arts and Reading (ELAR), with an essay |
|---|---|
| Format | Multiple choice, four options, adaptive |
| Time limit | None: the tests are untimed |
| CRC score | 910 to 990 in each subject |
Mathematics
- Quantitative Reasoning: ratios, proportions and percents, comparing numbers, and linear equations and expressions in context.
- Algebraic Reasoning: linear equations, inequalities and systems; evaluating functions; quadratic, exponential, polynomial, rational and radical equations; growth, decay and compound interest.
- Geometric and Spatial Reasoning: unit conversions, perimeter, area, surface area and volume, transformations, and right triangle trigonometry.
- Probabilistic and Statistical Reasoning: probability, measures of center and spread, and reading and choosing data displays.
English Language Arts and Reading
- Literary Text Analysis: details, inferences, the author's choices and word meaning in a literary passage.
- Informational Text Analysis and Synthesis: main ideas, inferences, purpose and word meaning in informational passages, and how two argumentative passages relate.
- Essay Revision and Editing: improving an early draft of an essay, sentence by sentence.
- Sentence Revision, Editing, and Completion: grammar, usage and punctuation in single sentences.
How the tests work
The multiple-choice tests are computer adaptive: questions get harder or easier depending on your answers. They are untimed. Some math questions show a pop-up calculator (basic, square root or graphing); handheld calculators are not allowed.
If your CRC score is below the college-ready benchmark, you move on to a Diagnostic Test of 48 questions in that subject. It gives a second way to show college readiness and a profile of your strengths and weaknesses.
Try 3 questions
Why bread rises
(1) A loaf of bread rises because of a living thing: yeast, a single-celled fungus. (2) When flour and water are mixed with yeast, the yeast feeds on sugars in the dough and gives off carbon dioxide gas and a small amount of alcohol. (3) On its own, that gas would simply escape. (4) What holds it in is gluten, a stretchy network of proteins that forms when wheat flour is moistened and kneaded. (5) The gluten traps the gas in thousands of tiny pockets, and the dough swells like a balloon. (6) In the oven, heat makes the trapped gas expand further, drives off the alcohol, and finally kills the yeast, setting the bubbles in place. (7) The holes you see in a slice of bread are what remains of those pockets of gas.
Question 2Multiple choice
Which choice best summarizes the passage?
Question 3Multiple choice
Select the best version of the part of the sentence in brackets. If you think the original sentence is best, choose the first answer.
The welding kit includes three [items: a] helmet, a pair of gloves, and a wire brush.
Next step
Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board: Texas Success Initiative
Questions people ask
How many questions are on the TSIA2?
The Mathematics CRC test has 20 questions and the ELAR CRC test has 30, plus one essay. A score below the benchmark leads to a Diagnostic Test of 48 questions in that subject.
Is the TSIA2 timed?
No. College Board says the assessments are untimed. The essay must be started and finished in one session.
Can I use a calculator on the TSIA2?
Not your own. Some math questions show a pop-up basic, square root or graphing calculator.
Who has to take the TSIA2?
Students entering a Texas public college or university who are not exempt. You may be exempt with college-ready scores on the SAT, ACT or the STAAR English III or Algebra II end-of-course tests, or after completing a College Preparatory Course, among other ways. Your college confirms.