Accuplacer Placement Test
ACCUPLACER is a placement test created by the College Board which tests skills in English, reading, and math, which allows academic counselors and advisors to determine appropriate courses for their students. Advisors use the test results, in addition to a student’s previous academic performance and individual goals, to determine the best pathway for the student’s academic success. ACCUPLACER is a computer-based exam which utilizes adaptive testing, meaning each question is chosen for the student based on his or her previous answers. Rather than providing a “pass” or “fail” score, the exam creates a score report upon completion of the test which is given to the student’s school in order to determine the student’s strengths and weaknesses and choose appropriate class placement.
All test questions are in a multiple choice format, except the essay portion which requires that the student write about a given topic. Because of the exam’s adaptive nature, every question in the multiple choice section must be answered. Answers may be changed before proceeding to the next question, but students may not leave a question unanswered or return to it later. The multiple choice portions are untimed to allow ample time for the student to consider the questions.
The multiple choice portion includes twenty Sentence Skills questions. These questions test the student’s understanding of sentence structure and construction. There are twenty Reading Comprehension questions, which require that the student answer inquiries related to a provided passage, as well as inquiries about sentence-to-sentence relationships.
The test also contains seventeen Arithmetic questions which test operations with whole numbers, fractions, decimals and percentages, as well as problem-solving and applications. Additionally, there are twelve Elementary Algebra questions and twenty College Level Mathematics questions, the latter of which test skills from intermediate algebra through precalculus.
The writing section of ACCUPLACER test may be timed or untimed, and it is scored based on how well the student’s essay communicates and organizes its message. The essay’s focus, organization, support, sentence structure, and mechanical errors are taken into consideration when deciding the student’s score.
There is also an ACCUPLACER ESL which tests the English skills of students who have learned English as a non-native language. It is divided into five sections testing reading skills, language usage, sentence meanings, writing skills, and listening.
Students should schedule appointments to take the ACCUPLACER by contacting their school's advising or counseling office. On the day of the exam, students should bring a form of photo identification, as well as any specific materials required or allowed by the individual college. Students should check with their schools to verify the site regulations concerning supplies such as calculators, textbooks, and other materials. Colleges will disregard scores if a test’s validity is questioned due to the use of prohibited materials. Students with disabilities who require special accommodations should contact their specific testing center.