THEA.pdf

THEA

TEXAS HIGHER

EDUCATION

ASSESSMENT

®

NEW YORK

THEA

TEXAS

HIGHER

EDUCATION

ASSESSMENT

®

Copyright © 2005 LearningExpress

All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions.

Published in the United States by LearningExpress, LLC, New York.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data:

THEA : Texas Higher Education Assessment.

p. cm.

ISBN 1-57685-475-2

1. THEA Test—Study guides. 2. Basic education—Ability testing—Texas—Study guides.

I. Title: Texas Higher Education Assessment. II. LearningExpress (Organization)

LB2353.7.T37T44 2005

373.126’2—dc22

2004016516

Printed in the United States of America

987654321

ISBN: 1-57685-475-2

For more information or to place an order, contact LearningExpress at:

55 Broadway

8th Floor

New York, NY 10006

Or visit us at:

www.learnatest.com

The CD-ROM included free in this book allows you the option of taking a complete test or just selecting some

practice questions in any of the three subjects. In addition, the CD-ROM scores the tests for you and (like the book)

offers detailed answer explanations.

Our CD-ROM is designed to be user-friendly, however, please consult the “How to Use the CD-ROM”section

in the back of this book before you use the program.

About the CD-ROM

v

CHAPTER 1 What Is the THEA? 1

CHAPTER 2 The LearningExpress Test Preparation System 7

CHAPTER 3 THEA Practice Exam 1 23

CHAPTER 4 THEA Reading Review 67

CHAPTER 5 THEA Math Review 83

CHAPTER 6 THEA Writing Review 175

CHAPTER 7 THEA Practice Exam 2 197

CHAPTER 8 THEA Practice Exam 3 239

HOW TO USE THE CD-ROM 281

Contents

vii

THEA

TEXAS HIGHER

EDUCATION

ASSESSMENT

The Texas Higher Education Assessment (THEA) was designed to ensure that students in Texas obtain

the reading, math, and writing skills necessary to take on college-level work. The test portion of the

program is administered and developed by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB)

and National Evaluation Systems, Inc. (NES). It was created to help educators identify students who may need

remedial help before pursuing higher-education courses.

Who Must Take the THEA?

All students who plan on enrolling in a Texas public institution of higher learning must take the THEA test.

Educational institutions decide what to do with students who do not pass portions of, or the entire test.

The THEA must also be passed by the following:

■ those who are entering a public higher education institution in Texas

■ those transferring from a private higher education institution in Texas

■ those transferring from an out-of-state higher education institution

■ those who are teacher education students in institutions in Texas

CHAPTER

What Is

the THEA?

CHAPTER SUMMARY

This chapter gives you the basic information you need to know about

the THEA: who has to take it, how to register, what is on the test, and

how it is scored.

1

1

You may not have to take the THEA if one of the

following is true of you:

■ you have an ACT composite score of 23, with a

minimum of 19 on both the English and Math

tests

■ you have an SAT combined Verbal and Math

score of 1070, with a minimum of 500 on both

the Verbal and Math tests (NOTE: The SAT is

changing in March 2005. These criteria may

change.)

■ you score 1770 on the Texas Assessment of

Academic Skills (TAAS) Writing test; score 89 on

the Texas Learning Index on the Reading test; and

score 86 on the Texas Learning Index on the

Math test

■ you enroll in a certificate program of 42 semester

credit hours or less at a public community college

or technical college

■ you have an associate’s or baccalaureate degree

NOTE: There are several other exemptions, and

institutions may have their own guidelines for exemp￾tion. You should understand whether these exemptions

apply to you before registering for the exam.

How Do I Register

for the THEA?

You may register for the THEA by mail or online.

(NOTE: You may only register by phone if you are reg￾istering late or are seeking emergency registration.) If

you are registering by mail, complete the form found in

the THEA Test Registration Bulletin. Your high school

guidance office or college admissions office will have

free copies of this bulletin. If you are registering online,

go to www.thea.nesinc.com. Once you have registered,

you will receive a registration receipt, and later an

admission ticket to the exam. You must bring your

admission ticket with you on exam day.

Registration Fee

There is a registration fee for the THEA test. At the time

this book was printed, this fee was $29. If you can’t

afford the fee and you think you might qualify for a

waiver, contact the financial aid office of the institution

you wish to attend or your high school guidance office

to see if it can be arranged.

2

THEA CAT

It is possible to take the THEA test on a computer. If you miss dates for the paper-and-pencil exam, this may

be a way for you to take the test on a different date; the Computer-Administered Test (CAT) is given more fre￾quently. The THEA CAT is administered once a week at 12 different locations in Texas. However, keep in mind

that seating is limited and the registration fee is higher than the fee for the paper-and-pencil test.

Important Contact Information

For questions as to whether you are exempt from tak￾ing the THEA test, about registration procedures, test

taking, score reports, or alternative dates and places,

contact your high school guidance office, college admis￾sions office, or one of the following:

Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board

www.thecb.state.tx.us

Division of Educational Partnerships

The Center for College Readiness

P.O. Box 12788

Austin, TX 78711-2788

512-427-6330

THEA Test

National Evaluation Systems, Inc.

www.thea.nesinc.com

P.O. Box 140347

Austin, TX 78714-0347

512-927-5397

When and Where

The THEA is administered six times throughout the

year. Typically, there is one test date in each of the fol￾lowing months: September, November, March, April,

June, and July. To find the test center closest to you,

check the THEA Test Registration Bulletin.

What Is the THEA Like?

You will have five hours to complete all three sections

on the THEA test; the three sections are not timed sep￾arately, which means you can take as much time as

you need for each section, but your total testing time

will not exceed five hours. Each section has from 40 to

50 multiple-choice questions; the Writing section also

has an essay. You do not have to complete every section

in one sitting. You may concentrate on one or two sec￾tions the first time you take the test, re-register, and

work solely on the third section at a later date. (How￾ever, keep in mind that you will have to pay the regis￾tration fee each time you take the test.)

What Is Tested

Three subjects—reading, math, and writing—will be

tested. All of the questions on the THEA will be in

multiple-choice format, with the exception of the essay￾writing portion. Each of the three sections of the test is

designed to test specific skills, which are listed below.

Reading

The first section of the THEA is the Reading section. It

is made up of 40 to 50 multiple-choice questions based

on approximately seven reading selections (300–700

words each). The questions on the Reading section of

the test are designed to test your ability to:

■ determine the meaning of words and phrases

■ understand the main idea and supporting details

in written material

■ identify an author’s purpose, point of view, and

intended meaning

■ analyze the relationship among ideas in written

material

■ use critical reasoning skills to evaluate written

material

■ apply the following study skills to reading assign￾ments: organizing and summarizing information;

understanding and following directions; and

interpreting graphs, tables, and charts

–WHAT IS THE THEA?–

3

Mathematics

The Math section of the THEA is also composed of

between 40 and 50 multiple-choice questions. The

types of math covered include fundamental mathe￾matics, algebra, geometry, and problem solving. Fol￾lowing are skills that are covered in each mathematical

discipline on the Math section of the THEA:

■ Fundamental Mathematics: Solving word prob￾lems with integers, fractions, decimals, and units

of measurement; solving problems involving vari￾ous types of graphs, tables, and charts; solving

problems involving mean, median, and mode;

and variability.

■ Algebra: Graphing numbers and the relationship

between numbers; solving equations and word

problems with one or two variables; understand￾ing operations involving algebraic expressions;

and solving problems involving quadratic equa￾tions.

■ Geometry: Solving problems involving geometric

figures; and solving problems involving geometric

concepts such as similarity, congruence, paral￾lelism, and perpendicularity.

■ Problem Solving: Using a combination of mathe￾matical and reasoning skills, including deductive

and inductive reasoning.

You will not need to memorize any complicated

formulas for the Math section; all appropriate formu￾las will be provided. Certain types of calculators are

permitted for the THEA.

Writing

The Writing section is made up of two subsections:

a multiple-choice subsection of between 40 and 50

questions, and a writing sample subsection where you

will demonstrate your ability to communicate your

thoughts in writing. The multiple-choice subsection

will test the following skills:

■ Elements of composition: Recognizing purpose

and audience; recognizing unity, focus, and devel￾opment in an essay; and recognizing effective

organization.

■ Sentence structure, usage, and mechanics: Recog￾nizing effective sentences; and recognizing edited

standard English.

The following qualities will be taken into consid￾eration when your essay is scored:

■ appropriateness

■ unity and focus

■ development

■ organization

■ sentence structure

■ usage

■ mechanical conventions

Test Day

On test day, you should plan to arrive around 30 min￾utes before the start of your test. You must bring your

admission ticket with you. If you are taking a paper￾based test, you should have several #2 pencils with you,

as well as an eraser. You are allowed to use a basic (non￾programmable) calculator on the THEA. Calculators

will not be provided to you, and you should check with

your testing center to be certain you have the correct

type of calculator.

–WHAT IS THE THEA?–

4

You will also need to have two forms of identifi￾cation. At least one form of identification must have a

recent photograph of you. Some approved forms of

identification include:

■ driver’s license

■ passport

■ military identification card

■ student identification card

What Not to Bring

Here are some items that will not be allowed in the test

room:

■ cell phones

■ pagers

■ unapproved calculators

■ watches with alarms

■ paper

■ study aids (dictionaries, books)

■ food or drink

■ backpacks or large bags

What about Scores?

After about two weeks from the day you take the THEA,

you should receive your scores. (If you take the THEA

CAT, you will receive unofficial scores immediately.

Later, you will receive official scores.) At the time you

register for the THEA test, you can request that your

scores be sent to one or more colleges or universities. If

you fail any portion of the THEA, the university or col￾lege you attend will require you to take remedial courses

in that subject until you are able to pass that section of

the THEA.

How the Test Is Scored

The multiple-choice sections of the exam will be scored

electronically. There is no penalty for guessing, so it is

in your best interest to fill in an answer, rather than

leaving a blank, even when you are unsure.

The writing sample is actually scored by human

beings, rather than by a computer. The scaled score for

the essay is from 1 to 4 points—4 being the highest.

Your essay will be read by two different people, so your

essay will receive a final score between 2 and 8. If you

score 6 or above, you automatically pass the entire

Writing section; your multiple-choice writing subsec￾tion is not even considered in the overall score. If you

score a 4 or below, you fail the entire Writing section,

regardless of your score on the multiple-choice sub￾section. If you score a 5 on the essay, then you must

answer 70% of the writing multiple-choice questions

correctly in order to pass the Writing section. In other

words, whether or not you pass the Writing section

depends most heavily on the quality of your essay, so

you should concentrate most of your study time on

learning to write a good essay.

Where Do I Begin?

You should begin your study program with Chapter 2,

“The LearningExpress Test Preparation System.” This

chapter will help you devise a study schedule for your￾self. If you stick to it, and devote yourself to improving

those areas in which you need help, you will be on

your way to passing the THEA.

–WHAT IS THE THEA?–

5