The TSI—otherwise known as the Texas Success Initiative—is meant to evaluate how prepared you are for the college learning environment before you sign up for your first course load. As it stands, this particular examination is required of every student preparing to start college in the state of Texas. There are a few points of exemption for this exam, however, especially for those who performed well on a national college readiness exam, such as the SAT or ACT. If you turn out to have to take this exam before you enroll in your first official college courses, don’t feel discouraged.

What Is Featured on the TSI WRITING Section?

Written Essay, Multiple Choice, Sentence Logic, Essay Revision, Sentence Structure, Agreement

Grammar and Agreement

• Subject Verb Agreement

• Verb Tenses

• Present Perfect, Past Perfect, and Future Perfect Verb Tenses

• Linking Verbs

• Action Verbs and Linking Verbs

• Idiomatic Usage

• Nouns In Different Roles

• Preposition Overload

• Choosing the Correct Adjective

• Using the Correct Pronoun

• Verbals

• Predicates

• Prepositions

• Prefixes, Suffixes, and Root Words

• Subjects

• Complete Predicates

• Direct and Indirect Objects

• Subordinating Conjunctions

• Gerund, Infinitive, and Participle

• Adjectives in a Series

• Degrees of Comparison

• Unequal Comparison Adjectives

• Unequal Comparison Adverbs

Sentence Logic

• Adjective Clauses and Phrases

• Adverb Clauses and Adverbial Clauses

• Clauses

• Misplaced Modifiers

Punctuation

• Common Comma Functions

• Exclamation Point

• Semicolon Usage

• Apostrophes

• Italics and Ellipses

• Slash

• Brackets

• Dash

• Ellipses

• Question Marks

• Quotation Marks

• Italicizing and Underlining

• Parentheses

• Hyphens

• Making Commas Flow

• Commas

• Consistency In Punctuation

Sentence Structure

• Sentence Structure

• Fragments and Run-On Sentences

Writing Strategy

• Coherence In Writing

• Rhetorical Strategy of Cause and Effect Analysis

• Rhetorical Strategy of Classification and Division

• Rhetorical Strategy of Comparing and Contrasting

• Rhetorical Strategy of Description

• Rhetorical Strategy of Narration

• Rhetorical Strategy of Persuasion

• Rhetorical Schemes

• Writing a Response to the Text

• Thesis Statements

• Drafting a Thesis Statement

• Drafting Body Paragraphs

• Drafting Conclusions

• Introduction I

• Introduction II

• Persuasive Techniques

• Writing Strategies

Writing Organization

• Complete Sentences

• Connecting Sentences

• Editing Sentences to Read Better

• Making Sentences More Distinct

• Text Structure

• Organizational Methods to Structure Text

• Organization in a Paper

Writing Style

• Word Choice and Intended Audience

• Word Usage

• Figurative Language

• Style, Tone, and Mood