Anderson HS College Readiness Testing
Which Test? When? Why?
|
Test |
Who Takes It |
When |
Why It Matters |
|
PSAT/NMSQT |
All 10th & 11th graders |
PSAT school day October |
Practice for SAT/ACT, scholarship opportunities (National Merit Scholarship Program for juniors) |
|
SAT |
11th & 12th graders |
SAT School Day March Jr. year, Fall Sr. year |
College admissions, scholarships, Texas college readiness. |
|
ACT |
11th & 12th graders |
Spring Jr. year, Fall of Sr. year |
College admissions, scholarships, alternative to SAT |
|
TSIA-2 (Texas Success Initiative Assessment) |
Any student without qualifying SAT/ACT/scores |
Year-round for dual credit, seniors |
Required for dual credit & Texas public college course placement. Read about the TSI College Ready Benchmarks here. |
- PSAT School Day (10th & 11th) and SAT School Day (11th) FREE to Anderson HS students.
- Fee Waivers available for eligible students (SAT & ACT) – see Ms. Jill Spencer
- Test Optional: Many colleges no longer require SAT/ACT, but scores may help with college acceptances, scholarships & placement.
- TSI Exemptions: Certain SAT or ACT scores can meet the exemption. Students who do not meet the exemption via SAT or ACT are required to take the TSIA2 test prior to graduation.
Test Prep & Practice Resources
PSAT & SAT collegeboard.org
Bluebook™ app digital practice test: Chromebook>Apps>Bluebook>Sign in with College Board acct
Khan Academy SAT Prep (free, personalized): satpractice.org, Bluebook and Khan Academy
College Board's PSAT/SAT Practice Quick Start Guide
Understanding Your Scores: satsuite.collegeboard.org/understanding-scores
ACT act.org
Free ACT practice tests & prep: act.org/prep
Understanding Your ACT Scores: act.org/scores
TSIA-2 accuplacer.org -
Free practice questions: accuplacer.collegeboard.org
Student Info Brochure: TSIA-2 Guide
College Testing Timeline
- 10th grade – Take PSAT (practice), explore Khan Academy SAT prep.
- PSAT for sophomores and juniors October 2025. Students will be automatically registered by Anderson High School.
- 11th grade – Take PSAT in October (National Merit eligible), SAT/ACT in spring.
- SAT School Day for juniors in March 2026. Students will be automatically registered by Anderson High School.
- 12th grade – Retake SAT/ACT early if needed; Take TSIA2 if needed for TSI Exemptions.
- What is Test Optional?
- Colleges requiring SAT/ACT for 2025-2026 Applications
- Send your test scores via College Board or ACT by the college application deadlines! Anderson does not send your test scores!
Anderson HS is a testing location for all SAT and ACT Saturday administrations
- Start early – short daily practice beats cramming. Try the SAT Question of the Day!
- Use IXL in the Austin ISD Student Portal for PSAT, SAT, ACT, and TSIA2 review and practice
- AISDStudent Portal>IXL>Learning>Testing
- Save all login info for College Board, ACT, and Accuplacer portals.
PSAT/ NMSQT
The PSAT, Preliminary SAT, helps prepare students for the SAT and ACT. All sophomores and juniors are automatically registered for the test that takes place at Anderson in October. This exam does not count towards your college applications but it is the qualifying test for the National Merit Scholarship.
Scope
Duration: 2 hours 14 minutes
Sections: Math, Evidence-Based Reading, and Writing
Cost: Fee is covered by the school
Max Score: 1520
https://satsuite.collegeboard.org/psat-nmsqt
SAT
The SAT is used as an entrance exam used by many colleges and universities. This test can be used as one factor in the admission decision process. Juniors will be registered by Anderson HS to take the Free SAT School Day Exam in March of 2026.
Scope
Duration: 2 Hours 14 Minutes
Sections: Math, Evidence-Based Reading and Writing
Cost: SAT School Day in March is free for Juniors, $68 via https://mysat.collegeboard.org/login
Max Score: 800 each section, 1600 total
To register for the SAT, visit www.collegeboard.org.
*Students who are eligible can receive a fee waiver. Check with Ms. Jill Spencer for requirements
SAT DATES @ Anderson August 2025 - May 2026
| SAT Test Date* | Registration Deadline | Deadline for Changes, Regular Cancellation, and Late Registration** |
|---|---|---|
| Aug. 23, 2025 | Aug. 8, 2025 | Aug. 12, 2025 |
| Sept. 13, 2025 | Aug. 29, 2025 | Sept. 2, 2025 |
| Oct. 4, 2025 | Sept. 19, 2025 | Sept. 23, 2025 |
| Nov. 8, 2025 | Oct. 24, 2025 | Oct. 28, 2025 |
| Dec. 6, 2025 | Nov. 21, 2025 | Nov. 25, 2025 |
| March 14, 2026 | Feb. 27, 2026 | March 3, 2026 |
| May 2, 2026 | Apr. 17, 2026 | April 21, 2026 |
| June 6, 2026 | May 22, 2026 | May 26, 2026 |
ACT
Similar to the SAT, the ACT is used as an entrance exam by many colleges and universities.
Read about the new ACT (Including the optional Science and Writing Sections) here.
Scope
Sections: Eng., Math, Reading, Writing (Optional), Science (Optional)
Duration:
- Core ACT (English, Math, Reading): 125 minutes
- Core ACT + Optional Science: 165 minutes
- Core ACT + Optional Science + Optional Writing: 205 minutes
Cost: $68 Standard Test, $25 Writing Section, $4 for Science
Max Score: 36
To register for the ACT, visit www.act.org.
*Students who are eligible can receive a fee waiver. Check with Ms. Jill Spencer
ACT Dates @ Anderson August 2025 - May 2026
| ACT TEST DATE | REGISTRATION DATE |
| April 5, 2025 | February 28, 2025 |
| June 14, 2025 | May 9, 2025 |
| July 12, 2025 | June 6, 2025 |
| September 6, 2025 | August 1, 2025 |
| October 18, 2025 | September 12, 2025 |
| December 13, 2025 | November 7, 2025 |
| February 14, 2026 | January 9, 2026 |
| April 11, 2026 | March 6, 2026 |
| June 13, 2026 | May 8, 2026 |
| July 11, 2026 | June 5, 2026 |
Texas Success Initiative (TSIA2) Exam
The TSI Assessment is designed to help institutions of higher education determine if students are ready for entry level courses in English and Math. All students are encouraged to complete and meet the TSI Exemption scores before they graduate. The test is typically administered to 11th graders during their spring semesters if they do not meet the TSI score exemptions via SAT (see chart below). Seniors will have the opportunity to re-test throughout their senior year. For more information, please visit TEA's site
Need to TSI test, sign up HERE.
Scope
Duration: About 3 hours but it's self-paced and not timed
Sections: English, Writing (Essay), and Math
Cost: Free on campus
Scores Needed to meet TSI requirements for exemption:
| Test | ELAR Score | Math Score |
Essay Score Writing |
| SAT | 480 | 530 | N/A |
| ACT | Combined score of 40 on English and Reading | 22 | N/A |
| TSIA 2 |
945 or Less than 945 and a diagnostic level of 5 |
950 or Less than 950 and diagnostic level of 6 |
5 |
TSIA2 Practice
TSI Practice (Select TSIA 2)
IXL in the Austin ISD Student portal
TSIA2 Score Retrieval
Students will immediately receive an email from Accuplacer following their test with a link to retrieve their scores.
If you don't have access to that email but need your scores, please follow these steps:
- Go to the Accuplacer Student Portal
- Enter in your Information (Where it asks for student ID you'll need to enter your State ID. You can find this by logging into the student's Naviance account, clicking on About Me, and My Account)
- Once you enter your information, scroll to the bottom of the page and select Send my scores
- You'll receive an email to the account listed with your score report
- If you need to send it to an institution, from your score report, select Share my Score Report and select the school that needs your scores
Questions?
College & Career Center – Anderson HS- room 133
Jill Spencer – jill.spencer@austinisd.org
.