English, Reading and Math Proficiency Requirements and Tests

English/Writing Proficiency and Requirements

All incoming students who have attained SAT verbal scores of 550 or above or ACT English scores of 24 or above are exempt from taking the writing proficiency test. This exam is administered by the Academic Center for Excellence.

New students who have not fulfilled the writing proficiency requirement by meeting the SAT/ACT standards are required to take an essay placement test. This includes both first-time freshmen and transfers with potential writing courses, which have not been evaluated and confirmed by the registrar. Those who show an acceptable level on the essay test continue fall or spring with ENG 110 Expository Writing. Those who demonstrate weaknesses must enroll fall semester in ENG 100, College Writing Fundamentals. Students completing ENG 100 with a C- grade or above earn admission into ENG 110. Students not meeting the C- requirement must meet with the writing specialist to discuss options. (Students enrolling other than the fall will be advised individually.)

ENG 110 Expository Writing or its equivalent is required for graduation at Taylor, followed by two writing (WR) courses, typically in a student’s major. All students are expected to complete ENG 110 by the end of their first year.

Writing courses transferred from other institutions to meet ENG 110 must represent the total writing requirement at that university (the last course in a sequence if more than one semester is offered). The course should include process writing, finished essays, and a research paper. The Registrar’s Office (in consultation with the English department at Taylor University) must approve transfer courses.

Students wishing to attempt CLEP credit for ENG 110 must have scores at or above SAT verbal 660 or ACT English 27. Passing the objective portion at 80 percent qualifies a student to write the essay for evaluation by the English department at Taylor University. The CLEP exam for expository writing must be taken and passed by October 15 for students entering in the fall semester and March 15 for students entering in the spring semester. (Students not completing all requirements by the appropriate date must register for ENG 110 during their second semester.)

An AP score of 5 for ENG 110 qualifies for credit, while a score of 4 requires evaluation of the essay by the English department of Taylor University. The AP process must be completed with the Academic Center for Enrichment by November 1 of the student’s first semester. It is the student’s responsibility to verify that AP scores are received in the Academic Center for Enrichment prior to enrollment at Taylor.

If the AP or CLEP exam for expository writing is passed and approved by the Academic Center for Enrichment, the fee for posting credit to the transcript should be paid prior to second semester preregistration.

Reading and Math Proficiencies

All new students, both first-time freshmen and transfers, must demonstrate proficiency in reading and math. Proficiency tests are administered when students arrive on campus. These exams are administered by the Academic Center for Enrichment.

Students may fulfill the proficiency requirements for reading and math in one of the following ways:

Reading: All students must fulfill the reading proficiency requirement according to the following guidelines.

  • Students with SAT verbal scores of 540 or above or ACT English scores of 23 or above will be considered to have met the reading proficiency requirement.
  • Students with SAT verbal scores between and including 460 and 530 or ACT English scores between and including 19 and 22 will be required to attain a passing score on the reading proficiency test before November 1 for students entering in the fall and April 1 for students entering in the spring. Students in this group who have not passed the reading proficiency test by this deadline are required to be enrolled in IAS 180 Applied Learning Techniques-Verbal during interterm or spring semester. To arrange testing, please contact the testing office.
  • Students with SAT verbal scores below 460 or ACT English scores below 19 will be enrolled in IAS 180 Applied Learning Techniques-Verbal in their first semester of attendance at Taylor.

Math: All students must fulfill math proficiency requirements according to the following guidelines.

  • Students with SAT math scores of 550 or above or ACT math scores of 24 or above will be considered to have met the math proficiency requirements.
  • Students with SAT math scores between and including 460 and 540 or ACT math scores between and including 19 and 23 will be required to attain a passing score on the math proficiency test before November 1 for students entering in the fall and April 1 for students entering in the spring. Students in this group who have not passed the math proficiency test by this deadline are required to be enrolled in IAS 185 Applied Learning Techniques-Math during interterm or spring semester. To arrange testing, please contact the testing office.
  • Students with SAT math scores below 460 or ACT math scores below 19 will be enrolled in IAS 185 Applied Learning Techniques-Math in their first semester of attendance at Taylor. The math proficiency test will be given as part of these courses.
  • Students are eligible to enroll in one of the mathematics general education courses when they have met the math proficiency requirement.
  • Passing the math proficiency is a prerequisite to any of the math courses