The Regents' Test (RT) is a reading and writing test required by the University System of Georgia (USG) as one method of satisfying the Regents' Writing and Reading Skills Requirement mandated by the Board of Regents. The RT has two parts: Essay and Reading. Additional information about the Regents’ Test is located on the Regents' Testing Program’s website (http://www2.gsu.edu/~wwwrtp).

• The Regents' Reading Skills course (RGTR 0198) is intended to ensure that all graduates of USG institutions possess certain minimum skills in reading comprehension.
• The Regents’ Writing Skills course (RGTE 0199) is intended to ensure that all graduates of USG institutions possess certain minimum skills in writing.
• Students enrolled in a Regents' course must pass the corresponding Regents' Test in order to receive a passing grade for the course. Students not passing the course receive a "U" and must repeat the course until they pass. Those passing receive a grade of "S."

Students may exempt these courses by passing:

• the Regents' Reading Test and the Regents' Essay Test
• an approved alternative test in reading comprehension and in writing

Correct. You do not take the RGTE/RGTR courses if you pass the Regents' Tests or exempt the test by SAT/ACT/AP scores.

Students may exempt RGTR 0198 by scoring at or above specified scores on the following examinations.

• Regents' Reading Test exemption score: 61
• SAT-I Verbal exemption score: 510
• ACT Reading exemption score:23

Students may exempt RGTE 0199 by scoring at or above specified scores on the following examinations:

• Regents' Essay Test exemption score: 2
• College Board Advanced Placement(AP) English Language and Composition exemption score: 3
• College Board Advanced Placement(AP) English Literature and Composition exemption score: 3
• International Baccalaureate(IB) higher-level English exemption score: 4
• SAT II English Writing exemption score: 650
• SAT reading score of 530 and above for students who earn an "A" in English 1101
• SAT reading score of 590 and above for students who earn a "B" in English 1101
• ACT English score of 23 and above for students who earn an "A" in English 1101
• ACT English score of 26 and above for students who earn a "B" in English 1101

Note: These exemptions are not available to students entering USG after Spring 2008.

• Incoming freshmen enrolled in English 1101 who did not exempt the Regents’ Test based upon their SAT, ACT, IB, or AP scores will take the Regents’ Test in their first semester of enrollment.
• Students transferring to MSC with 30 or more earned semester credit hours from outside the USG or from a USG program that does not require the Regents’ Test, should take the Regents’ Test during their first semester of enrollment. The Regents' Test must be passed before transfer students begin their third semester. After the second semester, RGT classes must be taken in order to be eligible for the RT.
• Transfer students with 30 or more semester hours transferring from institutions within the University System are subject to the Regents’ Test policy outlined in the Catalog. These students will have a “Regents’ Test Hold” placed on their registration the first semester of enrollment to notify them that they should take the Regents’ Test during that term.

• Non-transfer students who do not pass one or both parts of the test on their first attempt may repeat the RT one time without taking the skills course if they have accumulated less than 45 earned semester credit hours.
• Non-transfer students with less than 45 earned semester credit hours and who have a “B” or higher in English 1101 and English 1102 may have a second retake opportunity without enrolling in the Regents’ Test courses.
• Transfer students with more than 30 earned semester credit hours from an institution outside the System who take the test during their first semester may repeat it during the second semester without enrolling in the Regents’ Test courses. If these transfer students wait until their second semester to test, they will not have an opportunity to retest without taking the Regents’ Test courses. If transfer students from outside the System have not passed the test before their third semester of enrollment, they are subject to the skills course requirement. Students transferring from institutions within the System who have not passed both parts of the Regents’ Test by the time they have earned 45 semester credit hours will be required to enroll in the RT classes each semester of enrollment until they have passed both parts.

The Alternative Regents’ Test is given to students whose primary language is not English. This testing session is held on a different date than the main RT sessions. If your primary language is not English, you should submit a petition to the Associate VP of Academic Affairs requesting to take the Alternate Regents’ Test. The student petition form is available on the MSC website. Click here to get the form.

A Regents’ Hold is an automated process that examines your academic records looking for indications that you have satisfied the Regents’ Test requirement. Students who have earned, or who will have earned by the end of the current term, 45 or more semester credit hours and have not satisfied the Regents' Writing and Reading Skills Requirement will have a Regents' Hold placed on their academic records.

• If you have not satisfied the reading requirement, the hold means that you must take RGTR 0198.
• If you have not satisfied the writing requirement, the hold means that you must take RGTE 0199.
• These holds are not removed until passing scores are received, satisfying the test requirement.

Students who transferred to Macon State College with 30 or more earned semester credit hours from outside the USG or from a USG program without RT requirements have two semesters in which to satisfy the RT. If students do not satisfy the RT requirement by the end of the second semester of enrollment, a Regents’ Hold will be placed on their academic records.

• If you have not satisfied the reading requirement, the hold means that you must take RGTR 0198.
• If you have not satisfied the writing requirement, the hold means that you must take RGTE 0199.
• These holds are not removed until passing scores are received, satisfying the test requirement.

The Reading Test

• One hour administration time
• 54-item, multiple choice test
• Nine reading passages with five to eight questions about each passage
• Passages usually range from 175 to 325 words in length
• Topics are drawn from a variety of subject areas in social science, mathematics, natural science, and humanities
• Passages entail various modes of discourse
• exposition
• narration
• argumentation
• The questions that accompany the passages of the Reading Test have been designed to assess four major aspects of reading:
• vocabulary
• literal comprehension
• analysis
• inferential comprehension

• One Hour
• Must choose one of four topics given

• A standard score is used to describe the Reading Test performance of each examinee.
• This score is derived by translating the student's total raw (number-right) score on the test to a Rasch score scale with a range of 0 to 99.
• The minimum passing score on this scale is 61.

Each essay is graded independently by three raters who use a holistic procedure to assign ratings to the essay.

• Raters use a three-point scale
• 3 indicates superior performance
• 2 indicates satisfactory performance
• 1 indicates substandard or failing performance
• The final score is usually the rating on which at least two out of three raters agree.
• When there is no agreement among the raters, the final score is the middle rating.
• A student may request formal review of a failing essay if there is one passing score among the three grades the essay was assigned.
• The review is initiated on the student's campus
• If the student's campus level appeal is sustained, the essay is sent to the Regents' Testing Program Office to be rescored by a System-wide review panel

MSC students' Regents' Test scores are sent directly to their MSC e-mail account around six-weeks after the last testing session has been completed.