Taking College Placement Tests – GradPlan (2024)

FAQs

Taking College Placement Tests – GradPlan? ›

College Placement Tests are computerized and/or written assessment tests that check your academic skill levels as you enter college. Each college has different placement test requirements. This information should be available on their website, or you can ask your academic advisor for more details.

Use School Resources

Most schools that offer placement testing also have studying resources available. These often include practice problems, review packets or workshops. Your school's resources may be accessible online, or you may need to visit a student learning center on campus to prepare.

If you didn't place at the required level, you may have to take transitional courses initially. These won't provide you with credit toward your degree--and they're not free. This is why you should take placement tests seriously and commit to studying so as to get as high a score as possible.

Placement tests are used to determine the academic skills of entering students. Based on the test results, the students will be placed in the classes that best match their current skills. Low test scores may mean taking developmental courses to improve your academic skills.

For students who are unable to come to campus for placement testing, The College Board ACCUPLACER's approved virtual proctoring third-party vendor, Examity, is available to students interested in placement testing from home.

Classic Accuplacer Test:

Passing score for Arithmetic is 77. Passing score for Algebra is 76. Passing score for English Basic Skills (EBS) is 250 total of the three English tests.

You cannot fail a placement test.

If you give yourself time to brush up on some of the skills on the test, you increase your chances of doing well on the test and starting in a higher-level class than you would otherwise.

These are not pass or fail tests — instead, they show the measure or your academic skills. The level of difficulty may be different for each person based on the responses to the questions which are given. It is an untimed test, so you can take all the time you need to consider your answers before submitting them.

Each university determines the minimum scores you need to make in order to bypass remediation classes and start earning college credit. Having said that, we recommend that you aim to score a 263 or above.

Although placement tests do not award a letter grade, the results can affect your college experience. Underperforming may result in your taking a math or English class that doesn't align with your abilities. Other negative outcomes may include earning a poor GPA, failing a class, or dropping out of college.

What happens if you score low on a college placement test? ›

A student with a low placement test score will have to take developmental education, and this will slow down progress through college.

Reading, Writing, and Math Tests

ACCUPLACER Reading, Writing, Quantitative Reasoning and Statistics, and Advanced Algebra and Functions tests each have a score range of 200–300.

Is a placement test hard? Placement tests aren't necessarily hard. These exams primarily cover the Algebra that you learned in high school, so whether or not they are hard depends on how well you did in Algebra.

To prepare for a college placement test, make sure your review goes far beyond the typical study guide by including comprehensive instruction, guided practice, and interactive tests. Diagnostic quizzes, background lessons, and grade reports are also very helpful tools.

The length of the college placement test is 90 minutes. However, the length of time necessary to take the college placement test depends upon a student's specific testing ability. The college placement test is not timed and a student can take all the time they need to complete the test.

Focusing on reading, writing, and vocabulary. Saving your math tests and notes so you can refresh your knowledge closer to the test. Getting familiar with resources, such as CollegeBoard, ACT, test prep apps, simulation tests, and group and private tutoring in your area.