This TSI cheat sheet distills the TSIA2 across both subjects — English Language Arts & Reading and Mathematics — into a printable quick reference for the cut scores and rules that decide your placement. It's a premium cheat sheet built by Capital Prep — the one premium prep we trust — and it's yours free. Reinforce it with the rest of your free TSI toolkit: the practice test, study guide, and flashcards.
TSI exam at a glance
- Subjects: Two — ELAR (English Language Arts & Reading) and Mathematics
- Format: Computer-adaptive multiple-choice, plus the WritePlacer essay in ELAR — untimed
- Result: Placement, not pass/fail: college-ready vs. developmental or co-requisite support
- College-ready targets: ELAR CRC 945+ with essay 5+; Mathematics CRC 950+
- Administered by: Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB), delivered by the College Board
- Cost: Set by each college or testing center (often free to about $10-40)
What’s on the TSI cheat sheet
- ELAR: Reading (Literary + Informational) — main idea, inference, tone, synthesis across sources, and vocabulary in context — roughly a quarter of the content.
- ELAR: Writing & the WritePlacer Essay — essay and sentence revision, modifiers, parallel structure, grammar conventions, and the 1-8 essay traits.
- Math: Quantitative & Algebraic Reasoning — percents, proportions, linear equations, slope-intercept form, quadratics, and functions — the biggest score-movers.
- Math: Geometric & Statistical Reasoning — area, volume, the Pythagorean theorem, angles, and mean/median/mode/probability.
How to use it in your final week
- Memorize the two cut-score targets first: ELAR CRC 945+ with a WritePlacer essay of 5+, and Mathematics CRC 950+. Everything else on the sheet supports hitting those numbers.
- Lock in the core math formulas — slope = rise/run, y = mx + b, area and volume of basic shapes, the Pythagorean theorem, and mean/median/mode — since translating word problems is where most points move.
- Run the WritePlacer trait checklist the night before: take a clear position, develop each point with a specific example, use transitions, vary sentences, and reserve time to clean up conventions.
- Because the TSIA2 is untimed, use the sheet to slow down — a final read of the reading-inference and grammar rules the morning of the test keeps careless errors from costing you the cut.
The cheat sheet is your review layer — your TSI practice test drives the exam-readiness ring at the top of this page. Download it, review, then take a full practice exam (or drill with the study guide and flashcards) to see where you stand.
TSI cheat sheet FAQ
Yes — the TSI cheat sheet downloads as a PDF with no sign-up and no account. It sits alongside Career Employer's free TSIA2 practice test, study guide, and flashcards, so your whole review toolkit costs nothing.
It condenses the highest-yield TSIA2 facts onto a quick reference: the college-ready cut scores for ELAR and Mathematics, the CRC-to-Diagnostic flow, core math formulas, grammar and reading rules, and the WritePlacer essay traits — grouped by the eight content areas across both subjects.
Yes. It lists the college-ready targets front and center: an ELAR CRC of 945 or higher with a WritePlacer essay of 5 or higher, and a Mathematics CRC of 950 or higher. Because the TSIA2 is a placement test rather than pass/fail, these are the numbers that route you into credit-bearing courses.
No — it's a review and last-week cram layer, not a full course. The TSIA2 spans reading, writing, an essay, and four math areas, so pair the sheet's facts with worked practice questions and timed essay writing to actually lift your CRC score above the cut.
Click the download button or the preview card at the top of this page and the PDF opens instantly — nothing to fill out. Bookmark the page so you can pull it up again the morning of your Texas Success Initiative appointment.
References
- 1.Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. “Texas Success Initiative (TSI).” highered.texas.gov, 2026. ↑
- 2.College Board. “Texas Success Initiative Assessment 2.0 (TSIA2).” accuplacer.collegeboard.org, 2026. ↑
- 3.College Board. “TSIA2 Scores and Placement.” accuplacer.collegeboard.org, 2026. ↑
- 4.College Board. “TSIA2 Student Guide.” accuplacer.collegeboard.org, 2026. ↑
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