Department of English and Modern Languages

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TIPS FOR SOLVING THE "MYSTERY" OF THE REGENTS' TEST

Regents' web site www.gsu.edu/-wwwrtp

 QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS ABOUT THE REGENTS' TEST

1. When must I take the test? You must take the test after completing 30 semester hours, or you may take the test as early as your first term of enrollment. Ask your advisor if you have questions about your eligibility. Also, check the current college Bulletin. See below:

2. How do I arrange to take the test? Sign up for Regents' Test  online at http://www.gsw.edu/academics/schedule.html. Those in remediation must also sign up for Remediation course/s.

3. What happens if 1 do not take the test when required? You may be suspended or withdrawn from school.

THE NATURE OF THE TEST

The Regents' Test has two sections, the essay and reading. The essay requires a student to write an essay on one of four topics. Topics for the Regents' Test are selected from a list of approved topics. The reading comprehension test consists of several short passages followed by questions on each passage, as well as questions on word usage. There are sixty questions on the test.

PASSING THE TEST

ESSAY -- The essay is rated on a scale of one to four (one being the lowest rating and four being the highest rating) by three independent readers. An essay must be rated a two or higher by at least two of the three readers in order to pass.

READING -- A student must score above the cut off point of the scale score of 61 (approximately 70% of the items) in order to pass.

STANDARDS FOR GRADING THE ESSAY

The testing subcommittee of the University System Academic Committee on English defined the four levels of competency as follows:

4: The "4" essay has a clear central idea that relates directly to the assigned topic. The essay has a clear organizational plan. The major points are developed logically and are supported with concrete, specific evidence or details that arouse the reader's interest. The essay reveals the writer's ability to select effective, appropriate words and phrases; to write varied, sophisticated sentences; to make careful use of effective transitional devises; and to maintain a consistent, appropriate tone. The essay is essentially free from mechanical errors, it contains no serious grammatical errors, and the ideas are expressed freshly and vividly.

3: The "3" essay has a clear central idea that relates directly to the assigned topic. It contains most of the qualities of good writing itemized above. The essay generally differs from a "4" in that it shows definite competence, but lacks distinction. The examples and details are pertinent, but may not be particularly vivid or sharply observed; the word choice is generally accurate, but seldom, if ever, really felicitous. The writer adopts an appropriate, consistent tone. The essay may contain a few errors in grammar and mechanics.

2: The "2" essay meets only the basic criteria, and those in a minimal way. The essay has a central idea related directly to the assigned topic and presented with sufficient clarity that the reader is aware of the writer's purpose. The organization is clear enough for the reader to perceive the writer's plan. The paragraphs coherently present some evidence or details to substantiate the points. The writer uses ordinary, everyday words accurately and idiomatically and generally avoids both the monotony created by series of choppy, simple sentences and the incoherence caused by long, tangled sentences. Although the essay may contain a few serious grammatical errors and several mechanical errors, they are not of sufficient severity or frequency to obscure the sense of what the writer is saying.

1: The "I" essay has any one of the following problems to an extraordinary degree or it has several to a limited degree: it lacks a central idea; it lacks a clear organizational plan; it does not develop its points or develops them in a repetitious, incoherent, or illogical way; it does not relate directly to the assigned topic; it contains several serious grammatical errors; it contains numerous mechanical errors; ordinary, everyday words are used inaccurately and unidiomatically; it contains a limited vocabulary so that the words chosen frequently do not serve the writer's purpose; syntax is frequently rudimentary or tangled; or the essay is so brief that the rater cannot make an accurate judgement of the writer's ability.

TIPS FOR PREPARATION

Attend the review session which is held the week before the test.

Use the Approved Regents' Topics to write a practice essay in a simulated testing situation. Topics can be found on the Regents' web site at: www.gsu.edu/-wwwrtp.

TIPS FOR WRITING YOUR ESSAY

Select your topic carefully. You will have a choice of four topics, none of which will require specialized knowledge. You must write on the topic selected since an essay will fail if it does not address the topic.

Once you have selected your topic, begin to plan your essay. Because the topics are of a general nature, you must narrow your topic in such a way as to allow you to demonstrate your writing ability.

Allow approximately ten minutes to outline and organize your essay, forty-five to write it, and five minutes to proofread it. If you begin to write without planning, your essay may lack organization. You will not have time to rewrite the entire essay to correct the organization.

The organization of your essay is important. The central idea (thesis) is the focus of the entire essay.

The supporting points are the main reasons you have for the opinion you express in your thesis. The thesis and your principal supporting reasons should be presented in the introductory (first) paragraph.

The entire essay should have from four to five paragraphs; an introduction, the body (two to three supporting paragraphs) and a conclusion. Be sure to be specific in your discussion of your main ideas.

You may use a dictionary or electronic spellchecker to check your spelling during the final fifteen minutes.

TIPS FOR READING

The test consists of ten passages with five to eight items for each passage. In all, there are sixty items on the test. The categories of Vocabulary, Literal Comprehension, and Analysis will each be assessed by twelve to fourteen items. There are twenty to twenty four items in the Inferential Comprehension category.

Passages on the test are from textbooks, literary works, magazines, newspapers, and other written material that, in the judgment of committee members, college students should be able to comprehend.

The score on the reading sections is based on the number of correct answers. Since you are not penalized for wrong answers, as with some reading tests, it pays to guess as a last resort.

You may make marks of any kind in the test booklet. Take advantage of this opportunity to underline passages, to mark problem questions to return to if time permits, etc.

Survey each selection before reading. The test is speeded. Know when to skip passages or items so that you have an opportunity to read and answer every question you could answer correctly. Do not spend too much time on any item. Never attempt to reread an entire passage before finishing the test.

TESTING CHECK LIST

BRING THESE TO THE TEST:

• NO. 2 PENCILS
• BLACK OR BLUE PENS
• A DICTIONARY
• GSW ID CARD

DO NOT BRING THESE TO THE TEST:

• CELL PHONES
• BEEPERS
• WATCHES THAT BEEP

TESTING PROGRAM SCHEDULE

The Learning Support Department sponsors a Regents' Review Session approximately a week before the test. Please contact Ms. Kris Lawson or Ms. Jackie Willis at (229) 931-7010 or (229) 931-2724 for specific information regarding the Review Session.

You may access the Regents' web site at: www.gsu.edu/-wwwrtp for information on the essay and reading exams, including sample essays and a 30 minute sample reading test.

Published by:
Department of English & Foreign languages and Learning Support Programs
Office of the Registrar

Georgia Southwestern State University Summer 2003