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Placement Assessment

Do I need to take the placement assessment?

What is ACCUPLACER?

What is on the placement assessment?

When and where can I take the placement assessment?

When can I get the results?

Can I retake any or all parts of the assessment?

What if I have more questions???

Do I need to take the placement assessment
before registering for classes?

Yes: No:
If you plan to take your first college composition or mathematics course at Allegany College of Maryland. If you have successfully completed a college level composition or algebra course at an accredited college or university, you do not need the Sentence Skills or Mathematics sections .
If you plan to enroll as a full-time degree-seeking student at Allegany College of Maryland. If you have successfully completed more than 12 college-level credits of general education courses, you do not need to take the Reading Comprehension sections.
If you plan to be a part-time student or an early college student and wish to take a non-mathematics or non-science course, you must take the Reading Comprehension and Sentence Skills sections. If you scored 550 or higher on the SAT(21 or higher on the ACT) on the Verbal(English and Reading) or Math.
If you plan to be a part-time student or an early college student and wish to take a mathematics or science course, you must take the Reading Comprehension, Sentence Skills, and Mathematics sections. If you scored between 500 and 549 on the SAT or between 18 and 20 on the ACT Verbal (English and Reading) or Math, consult the Director of Developmental Education, the Chair of the Mathematics Department, or the Student Success Center.

 

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What is Accuplacer?

Accuplacer, a comprehensive, computerized, adaptive assessment system from College Board, places students in appropriate courses. Students are assessed to determine their areas of strength and areas needing improvement in any of the basic skills areas. These areas include tests for proficiency in English, reading, and mathematics. Assessment results suggest appropriate placement in developmental courses: English 90 or 93; Reading 90 or 93; math 83, 90, 91, 93, or 96. Any combination of these courses is possible depending on the strengths or improvement needs of the individual student.

 

Accuplacer is different from other tests because it is adaptive. If you answer easy questions correctly, it will give you harder ones. The answers you give determines the number of questions. Since there is no time limit, you can complete the test at your own pace, and your test will be different from your classmates. The length of time that it will take to complete the entire exam will of course vary, but for most people, it will take about 1.5 to two hours.

 

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What is on the placement assessment?

Accuplacer assesses sentence skills, reading comprehension, elementary algebra, and arithmetic or college level mathematics skills for the purpose of placing you in the appropriate college courses. The assessment has three sections presented in the following order: English, Reading, and Mathematics.

ENGLISH (WRITING SKILLS)

In an ACCUPLACER placement test, there are 20 Sentence Skills questions of two types.

  • The first type is sentence correction questions that require an understanding of sentence structure. These questions ask you to choose the most appropriate word or phrase to substitute for the underlined portion of the sentence.
  • The second type is construction shift questions. These questions ask that a sentence be rewritten according to the criteria shown while maintaining essentially the same meaning as the original sentence. Within these two primary categories, the questions are also classified according to the skills being tested. Some questions deal with the logic of the sentence; others deal with whether or not the answer is a complete sentence, and still others with the relationship between coordination and subordination.
  • Depending upon the Sentence Skill score, some students are required to write an essay using WritePlacer. WritePlacer measures your ability to write effectively, which is critical to academic success. Your writing sample will be scored on the basis of how effectively it communicates a whole message to the readers for the stated purpose. Your score will be based on your ability to express, organize, and support your opinions and ideas, not the position you take on the essay topic.
  • Paper and pencil will not be necessary.

 

MATH

The mathematics section of Accuplacer is composed of three parts, Elementary Algebra, Arithmetic, and College Mathematics.  The number of sections administered depends upon the student’s mathematics proficiency.  All students begin with Elementary Algebra.

 

Elementary Algebra

A total of 12 questions of three types are administered in this test.  

  • The first type involves operations with integers and rational numbers, including computation with integers and negative rationals, the use of absolute values, and ordering.
  • A second type involves operations with algebraic expressions using evaluation of simple formulas and expressions and adding and subtracting monomials and polynomials. Questions involve multiplying and dividing monomials and polynomials, the evaluation of positive rational roots and exponents, simplifying algebraic fractions, and factoring.
  • The third type of question involves solutions of equations, inequalities, word problems, solving linear equations and inequalities, the solution of quadratic equations by factoring, solving verbal problems presented in an algebraic context, focusing on geometric reasoning and graphing, and the translation of written phrases into algebraic expressions.

Arithmetic

This test measures your ability to perform basic arithmetic operations and to solve problems that involve fundamental arithmetic concepts. There are 17 questions on the Arithmetic tests divided into three types.

·         Operations with whole numbers and fractions: topics included in this category are addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, recognizing equivalent fractions and mixed numbers, and estimating. Operations with decimals and percents: topics include addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division with decimals. Percent problems, recognition of decimals, fraction and percent equivalencies, and problems involving estimation are also given.  

·         Applications and problem solving: topics include rate, percent, measurement problems, simple geometry problems, and distribution of a quantity into its fractional parts.

 

College Mathematics

There are 20 questions on the College-Level Mathematics. The College-Level Mathematics test assesses from intermediate algebra through precalculus.

  • Algebraic operations includes simplifying rational algebraic expressions, factoring, expanding polynomials, and manipulating roots and exponents
  • Solutions of equations and inequalities include the solution of linear and quadratic equations and inequalities, equation systems, and other algebraic equations.
  • Coordinate geometry includes plane geometry, the coordinate plane, straight lines, conics, sets of points in the plane, and graphs of algebraic functions.
  • Applications and other algebra topics tests on about complex numbers, series and sequences, determinants, permutations and combinations, fractions, and word problems.
  • The functions and trigonometry category presents questions about polynomials, algebraic, exponential, logarithmic and trigonometric functions.
  • Calculators are not permitted.  The test will provide a pop-up calculator, when needed.
  • You may not skip any questions, and you cannot go back and change an answer.


READING

 

In an ACCUPLACER placement test, there are 20 questions of two primary types in the Reading Comprehension.

  • The first type consists of a reading passage followed by a question based on the text. Both short and long passages are provided. The reading passages can also be classified according to the kind of information processing required, including explicit statements related to the main idea, explicit statements related to a secondary idea, application, and inference.
  • The second type of question, sentence relationships, presents two sentences followed by a question about the relationship between these two sentences. The question may ask, for example, if the statement in the second sentence supports that in the first, if it contradicts it, or if it repeats the same information.
  • Paper and pencil is not needed.

 

To learn more about Accuplacer visit

http://cpts.accuplacer.com/docs/StudentGuide.html#_Toc19497951

 


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When and where can I take the placement assessment?

  • Placement Assessments can be taken in the Testing Centers at 9 am and 1 pm on most days that the college is open. Call the nearest campus to schedule an appointment.
  • During the fall and spring semesters, special weekend and evening testing times are scheduled.
  • Contact a Pennsylvania Campus for their testing times.

NOTE: Students who require special assistance are requested to notify testing lab personnel before arriving for the session.

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When can I get my placement assessment results?

  • Placement results for the computerized assessment (COMPASS) are available immediately.
  • Results for the paper/pencil assessment (ASSET) are available within 5 working days from the assessment.


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Can I retaked on any or all parts of the assessment?

  • Yes, if you are not satisfied with your placement scores and believe that you can do better, you may retake any or all sections. Call or e-mail the nearest testing lab to schedule.
  • You can only retest a section one time.

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More questions????


If you have more questions, please call the Testing Lab:

Cumberland Campus (301) 784 - 5554
Bedford Campus (814) 652 - 9528
Somerset Campus (814) 445 - 9848


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This site is maintained by Allegany College of Maryland's Student Success Center

Send your questions or comments to
Bill Devlin, Director of Student Success Center
bdevlin@allegany.edu

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