Compass Test
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OC uses the COMPASS test , a computer-based test approved to satisfy the Texas TSI requirements and is given on a walk-in basis. Students may start the test anytime between 8 am and 12:30 pm, Monday through Thursday and by 8:30 am on Friday during the fall and spring semesters. During the summer, COMPASS is available between 8 am and 12:30 pm Monday through Thursday; the campus is closed on Friday from about mid-May to mid-August.
No appointment is needed for the COMPASS test.
Students must present a photo ID, Social Security card and $29 payment for the initial test. The retest fee is $10 per section.
Only the essay section of the test is timed and students have 75 minutes in which to complete and submit their written essay. The other portions (objective Writing Skills, Reading and Mathematics) of the test are not timed individually; however, the total time limit for the test is 5 hours. That is sufficient time for virtually everyone to complete the test.
The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board has established minimum TSI scores for the COMPASS test. Scores at or above the following standards place students into college-level courses:
| Reading | 81 |
| Algebra | 39* |
| Writing (essay) | 6 |
| or | |
| Writing (essay) | 5 |
| AND | |
| Writing (objective) | 59 |
*College Algebra (MATH 1314) standard is 60
