TSI Assessment Practice Test

Unofficial TSIA2 test prep: 30 questions in English language arts and reading (ELAR) and 20 in math, each explained.

Each spring, the students at Tolliver School plant a garden behind the gym. The cafeteria uses the lettuce and herbs in its lunches, and whatever is left in June goes to a food pantry two blocks away. The science classes test the soil, and the art classes paint the signs. According to the passage, what happens to produce that is left over in June?

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Unofficial practice questions, not affiliated with the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board or College Board. Bank checked October 12, 2026.

TSI key facts to print 18 lines, made to print

TSI Assessment (TSIA2) key facts

What the state’s own TSIA2 documents say about the test, read October 12, 2026. An unofficial summary: your college’s testing center has the final word on dates, cost and exemptions.

How the test works

  • Version TSIA2 replaced the first TSI Assessment on January 11, 2021. Results from either version can be used for five years from the test date.
  • Subjects English language arts and reading (ELAR) and mathematics. Each begins with a College Readiness Classification (CRC) test.
  • Format Multiple choice and computer adaptive: questions get harder or easier with your answers. ELAR also has an essay.
  • Time limit None. The tests are untimed.
  • Breaks An option to save and finish later lets you stop at certain points and return within 14 calendar days. The essay is started and finished in one session.
  • Before you test A Pre-Assessment Activity is required before you register. The college or school district that gives your test provides it.
  • Retakes Allowed at any time. The testing center has the details.

Mathematics

  • CRC test 20 questions: 6 Quantitative Reasoning, 7 Algebraic Reasoning, 3 Geometric and Spatial Reasoning, 4 Probabilistic and Statistical Reasoning. Scored 910 to 990.
  • College ready 950 to 990 on the CRC test, or a CRC score below 950 with a Diagnostic Test level of 6.
  • Diagnostic Test 48 questions, 12 in each of the four areas. Given when the CRC score is below the benchmark.
  • Calculator No handheld calculators on the online test. Some questions open a pop-up calculator: basic, square root or graphing.

English language arts and reading (ELAR)

  • CRC test 30 questions. 15 reading: one literary passage with 4 questions and 11 on informational texts, 2 of them on paired arguments. 15 writing: one draft with 4 questions and 11 on single sentences. Scored 910 to 990.
  • Essay One prompt, 300 to 600 words, scored 1 to 8 by computer on purpose and focus, organization, development, sentence variety, conventions and critical thinking.
  • College ready 945 to 990 on the CRC test and at least 5 on the essay; or a CRC score below 945, a Diagnostic Test level of 5 or 6 and at least 5 on the essay.
  • Diagnostic Test 48 questions: 24 reading and 24 writing. Given when the CRC score is below the benchmark.

Who may be exempt

  • Test scores Students who met the college readiness standard on the SAT, the ACT, or the STAAR English III or Algebra II end-of-course test.
  • Coursework Students who finished a College Preparatory Course in high school or college-level courses. Other restrictions apply.
  • Other Students in a Level-One certificate program, students not seeking a degree, and current or former members of the military. Ask an adviser.

Source: Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, Texas Success Initiative, https://www.highered.texas.gov/texas-success-initiative/ (the version in use and how long results last), and the TSIA2 documents it links: Mathematics Test Specifications v1.4, https://reportcenter.highered.texas.gov/training-materials/tsia2-math-test-specifications-v1-4/ ; ELAR Test Specifications v1.4, https://reportcenter.highered.texas.gov/training-materials/tsia2-elar-test-specifications-v1-4/ ; Student Informational Brochure, https://reportcenter.highered.texas.gov/training-materials/tsia2-student-informational-brochure/ ; Interpreting Your Scores, https://reportcenter.highered.texas.gov/training-materials/tsia2-interpreting-your-scores-brochure/ . All read 2026-10-12. Checked October 12, 2026.

Next step More reading: Accuplacer reading practiceTSI math practice test

All 50 questions

Reading 15

  • The council's plan for the old mill drew a mixed response. A few neighbors welcomed the apartments, but most were cool to the idea and said so at the hearing. As used in the passage, "cool" most nearly means TSIA2 ELAR Test Specifications (v1.4), Informational Text Analysis and Synthesis: vocabulary (interpreting words and phrases in context). Word sense (unenthusiastic; lukewarm): Wiktionary, cool, adjective.
  • Each spring, the students at Tolliver School plant a garden behind the gym. The cafeteria uses the lettuce and herbs in its lunches, and whatever is left in June goes to a food pantry two blocks away. The science classes test the soil, and the art classes paint the signs. According to the passage, what happens to produce that is left over in June? TSIA2 ELAR Test Specifications (v1.4), Informational Text Analysis and Synthesis: main ideas and supporting details. The answer is read from the passage printed with the question.
  • For ten years the Quill River ferry ran on a schedule nobody could read: the sign listed departures in faded paint, half of them wrong. Last month the operator posted a new sign and a phone number. Riders now complain about only one thing: the coffee. The author mentions the coffee most likely to TSIA2 ELAR Test Specifications (v1.4), Informational Text Analysis and Synthesis: author's craft. The answer is read from the passage printed with the question.
Show all 50 questions (47 more)

Reading, continued

  • Nora had practiced the speech forty times in the barn, where only the cows could judge her. Now the grange hall was full, and her notes shook like leaves in her hand. Then she caught sight of her grandfather in the back row, nodding as if she had already finished. She set the notes down and began. As used in the passage, "judge" most nearly means TSIA2 ELAR Test Specifications (v1.4), Literary Text Analysis: vocabulary. The answer is read from the passage printed with the question.
  • Nora had practiced the speech forty times in the barn, where only the cows could judge her. Now the grange hall was full, and her notes shook like leaves in her hand. Then she caught sight of her grandfather in the back row, nodding as if she had already finished. She set the notes down and began. It can reasonably be inferred that Nora sets her notes down because she TSIA2 ELAR Test Specifications (v1.4), Literary Text Analysis: inferences. The answer is read from the passage printed with the question.
  • Nora had practiced the speech forty times in the barn, where only the cows could judge her. Now the grange hall was full, and her notes shook like leaves in her hand. Then she caught sight of her grandfather in the back row, nodding as if she had already finished. She set the notes down and began. The author compares Nora's notes to leaves mainly to show that she is TSIA2 ELAR Test Specifications (v1.4), Literary Text Analysis: author's craft. The answer is read from the passage printed with the question.
  • Nora had practiced the speech forty times in the barn, where only the cows could judge her. Now the grange hall was full, and her notes shook like leaves in her hand. Then she caught sight of her grandfather in the back row, nodding as if she had already finished. She set the notes down and began. Where had Nora practiced her speech? TSIA2 ELAR Test Specifications (v1.4), Literary Text Analysis: explicit information. The answer is read from the passage printed with the question.
  • The Okoro Bakery opens at five in the morning, an hour before any other shop on Dell Avenue. By six, the line of nurses and bus drivers has thinned, and Mrs. Okoro starts the second batch of bread for the office crowd. It can reasonably be inferred that the bakery's earliest customers are mostly TSIA2 ELAR Test Specifications (v1.4), Informational Text Analysis and Synthesis: inferences (single-passage). The answer is read from the passage printed with the question.
  • The old bridge over Finch Creek was sound enough for people on foot, but the county closed it to trucks. Engineers found that years of heavy loads had weakened two of its beams. As used in the passage, "sound" most nearly means TSIA2 ELAR Test Specifications (v1.4), Informational Text Analysis and Synthesis: vocabulary (interpreting words and phrases in context). Word sense (complete, solid, or secure): Wiktionary, sound, adjective.
  • Passage 1: Our town should replace the Main Street parking lot with a small park. Shoppers linger where there are trees and benches, and people who linger spend more. Passage 2: Removing the Main Street lot would hurt the shops it serves. Many customers drive in from farms miles away, and they will go elsewhere if they cannot park. Both authors would most likely agree that TSIA2 ELAR Test Specifications (v1.4), Informational Text Analysis and Synthesis: synthesis (paired argumentative passages). The answer is read from the passage printed with the question.
  • Passage 1: Schools should start later in the morning. Teenagers who get more sleep pay closer attention in class. Passage 2: A later start only moves the problem. Practices, jobs and homework would run later too, and students would go to bed later to match. How does the author of Passage 2 respond to the argument in Passage 1? TSIA2 ELAR Test Specifications (v1.4), Informational Text Analysis and Synthesis: synthesis (paired argumentative passages). The answer is read from the passage printed with the question.
  • The repair café at Alder Hall asks one thing of visitors: stay and watch. A volunteer will mend a lamp or a zipper for free, but only while its owner sits beside the bench. The organizers most likely have this rule because they want visitors to TSIA2 ELAR Test Specifications (v1.4), Informational Text Analysis and Synthesis: inferences (single-passage). The answer is read from the passage printed with the question.
  • Some call the Henley water tower an eyesore. They have a point: the paint is peeling and the legs are streaked with rust. But for sixty years it has been the first thing travelers see of the town, and a town that tears down its landmarks soon looks like every other. The author's attitude toward the water tower is best described as TSIA2 ELAR Test Specifications (v1.4), Informational Text Analysis and Synthesis: author's craft. The answer is read from the passage printed with the question.
  • Volunteers at the Pruitt Trail count hikers every Saturday. The numbers decide which sections get new gravel first, since the busiest stretches wear out fastest. Without the counts, the trail crew would be guessing. Which sentence best states the main idea of the passage? TSIA2 ELAR Test Specifications (v1.4), Informational Text Analysis and Synthesis: main ideas and supporting details. The answer is read from the passage printed with the question.
  • When the Marlow Public Library stopped charging late fees, some residents warned that books would never come back. The opposite happened. In the first year, the number of overdue books fell, and hundreds of people who had stayed away because of old fines signed up for cards again. The main idea of the passage is that ending late fees TSIA2 ELAR Test Specifications (v1.4), Informational Text Analysis and Synthesis: main ideas and supporting details. The answer is read from the passage printed with the question.

Writing 15

  • (1) Our school should keep its library open until six. (2) Many students have no quiet place to study at home. (3) The library has forty computers, the buses leave at three. (4) The cafeteria serves pizza on Fridays. (5) Due to the fact that the library would be open, students could finish their work before dinner. Which is the best version of sentence 3? TSIA2 ELAR Test Specifications (v1.4), Essay Revision and Editing: Standard English conventions. Rule: Purdue Online Writing Lab, Identifying Independent and Dependent Clauses (comma splices).
  • (1) Our school should keep its library open until six. (2) Many students have no quiet place to study at home. (3) The library has forty computers, the buses leave at three. (4) The cafeteria serves pizza on Fridays. (5) Due to the fact that the library would be open, students could finish their work before dinner. Which is the best version of the opening words of sentence 5? TSIA2 ELAR Test Specifications (v1.4), Essay Revision and Editing: effective language use. Rule: Purdue Online Writing Lab, Concision: Changing Phrases.
  • (1) Our school should keep its library open until six. (2) Many students have no quiet place to study at home. (3) The library has forty computers, the buses leave at three. (4) The cafeteria serves pizza on Fridays. (5) Due to the fact that the library would be open, students could finish their work before dinner. Which sentence should be removed because it does not support the writer's main point? TSIA2 ELAR Test Specifications (v1.4), Essay Revision and Editing: development. Rule: Purdue Online Writing Lab, On Paragraphs (unity).
  • (1) Our school should keep its library open until six. (2) Many students have no quiet place to study at home. (3) The library has forty computers, the buses leave at three. (4) The cafeteria serves pizza on Fridays. (5) Due to the fact that the library would be open, students could finish their work before dinner. Which word best joins sentences 1 and 2 into one sentence? TSIA2 ELAR Test Specifications (v1.4), Essay Revision and Editing: organization. Rule: Purdue Online Writing Lab, Transitional Devices.
  • Choose the word or words that correctly complete the sentence. My brother is two years older ___ I am. TSIA2 ELAR Test Specifications (v1.4), Sentence Revision, Editing, and Completion: conventions of usage. Rule: Purdue Online Writing Lab, Spelling: Common Words that Sound Alike (than, then).
  • Choose the word or words that correctly complete the sentence. The box of old photographs ___ on the top shelf. TSIA2 ELAR Test Specifications (v1.4), Sentence Revision, Editing, and Completion: conventions of grammar. Rule: Purdue Online Writing Lab, Making Subjects and Verbs Agree (rule 5).
  • Choose the word or words that correctly complete the sentence. The choir sang ___ at the spring concert. TSIA2 ELAR Test Specifications (v1.4), Sentence Revision, Editing, and Completion: conventions of usage. Rule: Purdue Online Writing Lab, Adjective or Adverb? (good or well).
  • Choose the word or words that correctly complete the sentence. The new schedule will not ___ the morning classes. TSIA2 ELAR Test Specifications (v1.4), Sentence Revision, Editing, and Completion: conventions of usage. Rule: Purdue Online Writing Lab, Spelling: Common Words that Sound Alike (affect, effect).
  • Choose the word or words that correctly complete the sentence. The team lost ___ first game of the season. TSIA2 ELAR Test Specifications (v1.4), Sentence Revision, Editing, and Completion: conventions of usage. Rule: Purdue Online Writing Lab, Spelling: Common Words that Sound Alike (its, it's).
  • Choose the word or words that correctly complete the sentence. The trainer asked us to stretch, to drink water, and ___ before the race. TSIA2 ELAR Test Specifications (v1.4), Sentence Revision, Editing, and Completion: conventions of grammar. Rule: Purdue Online Writing Lab, Parallel Structure.
  • Choose the word or words that correctly complete the sentence. When a person joins the club, ___ must pay the fee by June. TSIA2 ELAR Test Specifications (v1.4), Sentence Revision, Editing, and Completion: conventions of grammar. Rule: Purdue Online Writing Lab, Using Pronouns Clearly (agree in person).
  • Which sentence about the power cut is punctuated correctly? TSIA2 ELAR Test Specifications (v1.4), Sentence Revision, Editing, and Completion: conventions of punctuation. Rule: Purdue Online Writing Lab, Commas vs. Semicolons in Compound Sentences.
  • Which sentence about the walk to the bus stop is written correctly? TSIA2 ELAR Test Specifications (v1.4), Sentence Revision, Editing, and Completion: conventions of grammar. Rule: Purdue Online Writing Lab, Dangling Modifiers and How To Correct Them.
  • Which sentence uses the apostrophe correctly? TSIA2 ELAR Test Specifications (v1.4), Sentence Revision, Editing, and Completion: conventions of punctuation. Rule: Purdue Online Writing Lab, The Apostrophe (forming possessives of nouns).
  • Which sentence uses the comma correctly? TSIA2 ELAR Test Specifications (v1.4), Sentence Revision, Editing, and Completion: conventions of punctuation. Rule: Purdue Online Writing Lab, Commas After Introductions.

Mathematics 20

  • A $40 shirt is taxed at 8.25%. What is the total cost? TSIA2 Mathematics Test Specifications (v1.4), Quantitative Reasoning: solve problems with ratios, proportions, and percents. The answer is worked out from the numbers in the question.
  • A 26-foot ladder leans against a wall with its base 10 feet from the wall. How high up the wall does it reach? TSIA2 Mathematics Test Specifications (v1.4), Geometric and Spatial Reasoning: apply right triangle relationships and basic trigonometry. The answer is worked out from the numbers in the question.
  • A floor is 12 feet by 7.5 feet. A yard is 3 feet. What is the area of the floor in square yards? TSIA2 Mathematics Test Specifications (v1.4), Geometric and Spatial Reasoning: convert units within systems of measurement. The answer is worked out from the numbers in the question.
  • A gym charges a $30 joining fee plus $18 a month. What is the total cost of 7 months? TSIA2 Mathematics Test Specifications (v1.4), Quantitative Reasoning: solve proportional relationship problems in context. The answer is worked out from the numbers in the question.
  • A paint mix uses 3 parts blue to 5 parts white. How much blue paint is in 24 quarts of the mix? TSIA2 Mathematics Test Specifications (v1.4), Quantitative Reasoning: solve problems with ratios, proportions, and percents. The answer is worked out from the numbers in the question.
  • A town of 8,000 people grows 5% each year. What is its population after 2 years? TSIA2 Mathematics Test Specifications (v1.4), Algebraic Reasoning: solve quadratic and exponential relationship problems in context. The answer is worked out from the numbers in the question.
  • A town's population fell from 2,500 to 2,300. What was the percent decrease? TSIA2 Mathematics Test Specifications (v1.4), Quantitative Reasoning: solve problems with ratios, proportions, and percents. The answer is worked out from the numbers in the question.
  • Factor x² + 2x − 15. TSIA2 Mathematics Test Specifications (v1.4), Algebraic Reasoning: identify and manipulate quadratic, polynomial, exponential, rational, and radical expressions. The answer is worked out from the numbers in the question.
  • If 2x + y = 11 and x − y = 1, what is x? TSIA2 Mathematics Test Specifications (v1.4), Algebraic Reasoning: solve linear equations, inequalities, and systems of linear equations. The answer is worked out from the numbers in the question.
  • If f(x) = 7 − 2x, what is f(−3)? TSIA2 Mathematics Test Specifications (v1.4), Algebraic Reasoning: evaluate linear functions. The answer is worked out from the numbers in the question.
  • In a class of 30 students, 18 play a sport. One student is picked at random. What is the probability that the student does not play a sport? TSIA2 Mathematics Test Specifications (v1.4), Probabilistic and Statistical Reasoning: compute and interpret probability. The answer is worked out from the numbers in the question.
  • The mean of five quiz scores is 8. Four of the scores are 6, 9, 10 and 7. What is the fifth score? TSIA2 Mathematics Test Specifications (v1.4), Probabilistic and Statistical Reasoning: analyze, interpret, and draw conclusions from data. The answer is worked out from the numbers in the question.
  • The point (−2, 7) is moved 5 units right and 3 units down. Where does it land? TSIA2 Mathematics Test Specifications (v1.4), Geometric and Spatial Reasoning: use transformations to investigate congruence, similarity, and symmetry. The answer is worked out from the numbers in the question.
  • Simplify (6x⁵) ÷ (2x²), where x is not 0. TSIA2 Mathematics Test Specifications (v1.4), Algebraic Reasoning: identify and manipulate quadratic, polynomial, exponential, rational, and radical expressions. The answer is worked out from the numbers in the question.
  • Simplify 5x − 2(x − 6). TSIA2 Mathematics Test Specifications (v1.4), Quantitative Reasoning: identify, manipulate, and interpret linear equations, inequalities, and expressions. The answer is worked out from the numbers in the question.
  • Solve 6(x − 1) = 2x + 22. TSIA2 Mathematics Test Specifications (v1.4), Algebraic Reasoning: solve linear equations, inequalities, and systems of linear equations. The answer is worked out from the numbers in the question.
  • Solve x² = 5x + 24. TSIA2 Mathematics Test Specifications (v1.4), Algebraic Reasoning: solve equations and evaluate functions (quadratic, polynomial, exponential, rational, radical). The answer is worked out from the numbers in the question.
  • Two fair coins are tossed. What is the probability of exactly one head? TSIA2 Mathematics Test Specifications (v1.4), Probabilistic and Statistical Reasoning: compute and interpret probability. The answer is worked out from the numbers in the question.
  • What is the median of 21, 14, 30, 17 and 25? TSIA2 Mathematics Test Specifications (v1.4), Probabilistic and Statistical Reasoning: compute and describe measures of center and spread of data. The answer is worked out from the numbers in the question.
  • Which of these numbers is between 5 and 6? TSIA2 Mathematics Test Specifications (v1.4), Quantitative Reasoning: compare magnitudes of rational and irrational numbers. The answer is worked out from the numbers in the question.

How this list was compiled: Our own questions, written to the two TSIA2 test specifications prepared for the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board by College Board, Version 1.4 (ELAR: https://reportcenter.highered.texas.gov/training-materials/tsia2-elar-test-specifications-v1-4/ ; Mathematics: https://reportcenter.highered.texas.gov/training-materials/tsia2-math-test-specifications-v1-4/ ; both linked from https://www.highered.texas.gov/texas-success-initiative/ and read 2026-10-12). The 50 questions follow the two College Readiness Classification tests as the specifications split them. ELAR, 30 questions: 15 reading (one literary passage with 4 questions; 11 on informational passages, 2 of them on paired arguments) and 15 writing (one draft with 4 questions; 11 single sentences on grammar, usage and punctuation). Mathematics, 20 questions: 6 Quantitative Reasoning, 7 Algebraic Reasoning, 3 Geometric and Spatial Reasoning, 4 Probabilistic and Statistical Reasoning. Reading answers are checked against the passage printed with the question; writing rules at the Purdue Online Writing Lab (https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/general_writing/index.html) and two word senses at Wiktionary, read 2026-10-12; every mathematics answer was worked out a second time from the numbers the question prints. None of these questions is on the TSI math page of this site. Licence: Passages, drafts, questions, choices and explanations are original work of this site. The people and places in them are made up for practice.

How it works

This free, unofficial TSI assessment practice test has 50 questions of our own, as many as the two TSIA2 College Readiness Classification (CRC) tests ask. Not affiliated with the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board or College Board.

Read the full guide

The version given now

The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board’s TSI page, read October 12, 2026, says the TSIA2 replaced the first TSI Assessment on January 11, 2021. Its multiple-choice tests are untimed and computer adaptive: questions get harder or easier with your answers.

How the 50 are split

Reading has 15 questions: one story passage with four, and eleven on short informational passages, two of them paired arguments. Writing has 15: one draft with four, and eleven single sentences. Math has 20, split 6, 7, 3 and 4 across its four areas. The TSI math practice test has 80 more.

The essay

The real ELAR test also has an essay of 300 to 600 words on one prompt, scored 1 to 8. This page has none.

  • You cannot register until you finish a Pre-Assessment Activity. The college or school district that gives your test provides it.

Questions and answers

What is on the TSI assessment?

Two subjects. ELAR is multiple-choice reading and writing plus an essay. Mathematics covers four areas: quantitative reasoning, algebraic reasoning, geometric and spatial reasoning, and probabilistic and statistical reasoning. A score under the benchmark leads to a 48-question Diagnostic Test in that subject.

What score do you need on the TSI?

The state’s score brochure counts 950 or more on the math CRC test as college ready, and 945 or more on the ELAR CRC test with an essay score of at least 5. A Diagnostic Test result can also qualify; see the key facts sheet.

Is there a printable TSI practice test?

Yes. After a round, Print opens its ten questions as a sheet; you can add the other 40 and an answer key. The key facts sheet prints on its own. Choose Save as PDF in the print window to keep a file.

Is there a TSI test study guide?

The key facts sheet under the questions is a one-page study guide: test lengths, score ranges, college readiness benchmarks, the essay, the calculator rule and the exemptions, restated from the state’s published TSIA2 documents.

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