REGENTS` REQUIREMENT

Regents` Exam

The Regents` Exam is a test of reading and writing skills required by the Board of Regents` for all students seeking an undergraduate degree from a University System of Georgia institution. The Regents` Exam consists of two sections, essay and reading, administered in that order. The exam lasts two hours, 60 minutes for each section.


Many Georgia Tech students satisfy these requirements through a combination of previous test scores and grades in ENGL 1101. Students who lack the necessary scores or grades to meet the Regents` standards must take the Regents` Exams for Reading and Writing.


Previous Test Scores to Satisfy Requirements

Students may satisfy the Regents`requirements for proficiency in reading with the following test scores:


  • SAT Verbal score of 510 or higher
  • ACT Verbal score of 23 or higher


Students may satisfy the Regents` requirements for proficiency in writing with the following test scores:


  • College Board Advanced Placement (AP)

    • - English Language and Composition Test score of 3 or higher
    - English Literature and Composition Test score of 3 or higher

  • SAT II: English Subject Test score of 650 or higher
  • SAT Reasoning: Writing Test score of 560 or higher


They may also satisfy the writing requirement with the following combinations of test scores and ENGL 1101 grades:


  • SAT Verbal score of at least 530 combined with A in ENGL 1101
  • ACT Verbal score of at least 23 combined with A in ENGL 1101
  • SAT Verbal score of at least 590 combined with B in ENGL 1101
  • ACT Verbal score of at least 26 combined with B in ENGL 1101


Students who have submitted these previous test scores to Georgia Tech should automatically satisfy the Regents` requirements. No further action is necessary.


Regents` Courses

RGTR 1098 (Regents` Reading) and RGTE 1099 (Regents` Essay) prepare students to take or retake the Regents` Exam. Undergraduate students cannot receive an Associate or Baccalaureate degree from the University System of Georgia until they pass the Regents` Exam.


RGTR 1098 and RGTE 1099 are taught as one class. This course primarily teaches students the fundamentals of writing an essay in preparation for the essay portion of the Regents` Exam. Students learn basic rules of grammar, organization, and argumentation; they practice brainstorming and proofreading techniques; and they become familiar with the types of essay questions asked on the Regents` Exam.


In the last weeks of the class, students learn strategies for passing the reading comprehension portion of the Regents` Exam. Students discuss how they can improve their skills in the following testing areas: (1) vocabulary, (2) literal comprehension, (3) inferential comprehension, and (4) analysis. Students also learn techniques for meeting the time requirements of both portions of the exam.


Regents` Exam to Satisfy Requirements

Students who do not satisfy the Regents` requirements through test scores and/or grades must take the Regents` Exam, beginning the first semester after they have earned 10 hours of college credit. They must take the test each semester until they pass. Students who satisfy any portion of the Regents` requirements through previous testing will NOT need to take that portion of the Regents` Exam.


Essay

For the essay section of the exam, each student is given four general-knowledge topics and asked to write an essay about one of those topics. The topics deal with life experiences, history, literature, or socio-economic political issues.


Reading

The reading comprehension section of the Regents` Exam consists of 54 multiple-choice questions, divided into 5-8 questions about each of 9 short reading passages ranging from 175 to 325 words in length. The passages are drawn from a variety of sources including college textbooks, popular magazines, encyclopedia entries, and short fiction. The questions assess four reading skill sets:


  1. Vocabulary
  2. Literal comprehension
  3. Inferential comprehension
  4. Analysis


Regents` Exam Registration

Students who have already received 10 hours of college credit are automatically registered for the Regents` Exam, which is offered on the Georgia Tech campus in the tenth week of each semester. Students receive an email from the Registrar`s office announcing the test and advising them to check OSCAR for specific test times and locations. Students who attended a high school in which English was not the language of instruction may request an alternate test for speakers of English as a Second Language. The registrar includes information about registering for this alternate test in the email announcing the testing dates.


For more information about Regent`s Test, please refer to www.lcc.gatech.edu/regents