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Regents Examination in English Language Arts (NY): complete guide to the exam, the three parts, and the scoring rubrics

A complete guide to the New York State Regents Examination in English Language Arts. Explains the three-part exam (Part 1 Reading Comprehension, Part 2 the Source-Based Argument essay, Part 3 the Text-Analysis Response), the NYSED holistic scoring rubrics, the Next Generation ELA Learning Standards behind it, and how to study for a 65 or higher, with links to every dot point.

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The Regents Examination in English Language Arts is New York's high school exam in reading and writing, administered by the New York State Education Department (NYSED). Unlike a content course, it tests transferable skills applied to unseen texts: close reading, evidence-based argument, and literary analysis. This page is the index for our Regents ELA content: below is a map of the three-part exam, the holistic scoring rubrics, the standards behind it, and the study approach, with links to every dot point we have published.

The exam at a glance

The Regents ELA exam is a single three-hour test, scored out of 100 with 65 as a passing score and 85 as the "mastery" mark many students aim for. It has three parts:

Part 1: Reading Comprehension. 24 multiple-choice questions across three texts, typically one literature or prose passage, one poem, and one informational passage. Worth 24 raw points (one per question).
Part 2: Source-Based Argument. An essay based on four texts about one issue. You take a position, support it with evidence from at least three of the texts, and answer opposing views. Scored on a 6-point holistic rubric.
Part 3: Text-Analysis Response. A short essay on one text: identify a central idea and analyze how one writing strategy develops it. Scored on a 4-point holistic rubric.

The raw scores from all three parts are added and converted to a scaled score out of 100 using the official NYSED conversion chart, which is released with each administration.

Part 1: Reading Comprehension

Part 1 presents three unseen texts and 24 multiple-choice questions. The questions test literal and inferential comprehension, central ideas, author's craft (tone, structure, purpose), and vocabulary in context (the Next Generation exam folds vocabulary into the reading questions rather than testing it separately). The reliable approach is to read each text actively, then answer with the text in front of you, returning to the lines a question points to.

Part 2: the Source-Based Argument essay

Part 2 gives you four texts on a single debatable issue and asks you to write a source-based argument. The task directs you to establish a precise claim, distinguish it from alternate or opposing claims, use specific and relevant evidence from at least three of the texts, cite each source by text number, organize your ideas coherently, and maintain a formal style. It is scored holistically out of 6.

Part 3: the Text-Analysis Response

Part 3 gives you a single text and asks for a short expository response, usually two to three paragraphs. You must identify a central idea of the text and analyze how the author uses one writing strategy (such as characterization, figurative language, structure, point of view, or tone) to develop that idea, supporting the analysis with specific evidence. It is scored holistically out of 4.

The literary and rhetorical toolkit

Both essays and the reading section reward analysis of how writers achieve effects. These pages cover the transferable toolkit of devices and strategies you analyze on every part of the exam.

Evidence and citation

Evidence is the connective tissue of every written response. These pages cover selecting, embedding, and citing textual evidence, and the line between analysis and summary that separates the top rubric bands from the middle.

Exam strategy

Knowing the format, the timing, the command words, and the rubrics is its own skill. These pages cover how to read the tasks and budget your three hours.

The scoring rubrics

Both written tasks are scored holistically: a rater assigns a single score that reflects the response as a whole across four criteria.

Content and Analysis. The precision of the claim or central idea and the depth of analysis (the line between analysis and summary).
Command of Evidence. How effectively specific, relevant evidence from the text(s) supports the analysis.
Coherence, Organization, and Style. Logical structure, transitions, varied sentences, and a formal style.
Control of Conventions. Grammar, usage, punctuation, and spelling.

Part 2 (Argument) uses a 6-point version of this rubric; Part 3 (Text-Analysis) uses a 4-point version. Learning the band language is one of the highest-leverage things you can do, because it tells you exactly what raters reward.

The standards behind the exam

The Regents ELA exam is aligned to New York's Next Generation English Language Arts Learning Standards (revised 2017). For grades 11 to 12 these organize into three strands: Reading (close reading, central ideas, author's craft and point of view, evaluating arguments), Writing (writing arguments and explanatory texts with evidence, planning and revising), and Language (conventions, figurative language, academic vocabulary). Part 1 assesses Reading; Parts 2 and 3 assess Writing; and the conventions criterion on both essays assesses Language.

How to study Regents ELA

Learn the three tasks separately. Part 1, the argument essay, and the text-analysis response reward different moves; drill each on its own.
Read unseen texts widely (literary prose, poetry, and informational), practicing close reading and inference.
Write toward the rubric. Know the band descriptors so your claim is precise, your evidence is specific, and your analysis goes beyond summary.
Practice citing by text number in the argument essay; raters expect "(Text 1, line 4)"-style attribution.
Use released exams from the NYSED Regents site to practice timing and the exact task wording.

For the official exam materials

NYSED publishes past Regents ELA exams, scoring keys, rating guides, and the rubrics on the NYSED Regents Examinations site and the NYSED high school ELA assessment page. The Next Generation ELA Learning Standards are published on the NYSED standards page. Always study from the current rating guides and released exams, because the rubrics and task wording are set by the board.

English Language guides

In-depth written guides with paired practice quizzes.

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English Language practice quizzes

Multiple-choice drills with worked answer explanations. Your scores stay on this device.

The NY-REGENTS system, explained

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Common questions about English Language

How is the Regents Examination in English Language Arts structured?

The Regents ELA exam is a single three-hour test with three parts. Part 1 is Reading Comprehension: 24 multiple-choice questions across three texts (one literature or prose passage, one poem, and one informational passage), worth 24 raw points. Part 2 is the Source-Based Argument, an essay in which you read four texts on one issue and write an argument taking a position, scored on a 6-point holistic rubric. Part 3 is the Text-Analysis Response, a short essay on a single text in which you identify a central idea and analyze how one writing strategy develops it, scored on a 4-point holistic rubric. The total raw score converts to a scaled score out of 100 using the official NYSED conversion chart for that administration, and 65 is a passing score.

What are the three parts of the Regents ELA exam?

Part 1 (Reading Comprehension) is 24 multiple-choice questions on three unseen texts, testing close reading, central ideas, inference, author's craft, and text-based vocabulary. Part 2 (Source-Based Argument) gives you four texts on a single issue and asks you to establish a precise claim, distinguish it from opposing claims, and support it with specific and relevant evidence from at least three of the four texts, citing each source by text number. Part 3 (Text-Analysis Response) gives you one text and asks for a two-to-three-paragraph response that identifies a central idea and analyzes how the author uses one writing strategy to develop it.

How is the Regents ELA argument essay scored?

Part 2 is scored on a 6-point holistic rubric with four criteria: Content and Analysis (does the essay introduce a precise and insightful claim and analyze the texts to distinguish it from opposing claims), Command of Evidence (does it make highly effective use of specific and relevant evidence from at least three texts), Coherence, Organization, and Style (is it logically organized in a formal style with varied sentences), and Control of Conventions (grammar, usage, spelling). A score of 6 demonstrates a precise and insightful claim with in-depth analysis; a 4 is solid and competent; below 3 the analysis becomes mostly summary.

What does Part 3, the Text-Analysis Response, ask you to do?

Part 3 gives you one text (literary or informational) and asks for a short expository response, usually two to three paragraphs, that does two things: identifies a central idea of the text clearly and accurately, and identifies one writing strategy the author uses (for example characterization, figurative language, point of view, structure, or tone) and explains how that strategy develops the central idea. You must support the analysis with specific and relevant evidence from the text. It is scored on a 4-point holistic rubric using the same four criteria as Part 2.

What standards is the Regents ELA exam built on?

The exam is built on New York's Next Generation English Language Arts Learning Standards (revised 2017), which organize grades 11 to 12 into Reading standards (close reading, determining central ideas, analyzing author's craft and point of view, evaluating arguments), Writing standards (writing arguments with valid reasoning and evidence, writing informative and explanatory texts, planning and revising), and Language standards (command of grammar and conventions, figurative language, and academic vocabulary). Each exam part maps to these strands: Part 1 to Reading, Parts 2 and 3 to Writing, and the conventions criterion on both essays to Language.

How do I study for a 65 or higher on the Regents ELA exam?

Learn the three tasks separately, because the exam tests transferable reading and writing skills, not memorized content. For Part 1, drill close reading and inference on unseen literary, poetry, and informational texts. For Part 2, practice writing a precise claim, weaving in evidence from at least three sources with text-number citations, and answering a counterclaim. For Part 3, practice the two-move response: name a central idea, then analyze one writing strategy that develops it. Master the rubric language so you write toward what raters reward, and time yourself against released exams from the NYSED Regents site.