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8. Placement Tests

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You Know You Are Ready for College When You:

10
Know How You Learn Best
9
 Know, Disclose, Document Disability
8
 Have Take College Placement Tests
7
 Know About College Disability Services
6
 Organize Yourself for College
5
 Know Your Rights and Responsibilities
4
 Understand Academic Adjustments
3
 Use Technology to Support Learning
2
 Develop a Disability Support Plan
1
 Manage your Learning Supports
?
 Are Your Ready?

You live in a time of testing. Chances are good that you have taken one or more high-stakes tests to graduate from high school. If you are going to a 4-year college, you probably took the PSAT and the SAT or the Plan and the ACT. You take tests for all of your classes. Well, guess what? There are more tests to come. Number 8 on the Checklist is all about taking your college placement test. If you think you have good knowledge of your college placement tests, scan the headings for new ideas or simply click this link to jump to summary for Checkpoint 8 then go on to Checkpoint 7.

What are the Placement Tests?

Placement tests are designed to make sure you have the skills to handle the classes in which you are about to enroll. These tests measure the skills or knowledge you bring to college. Advisors use them to decide which classes you can take. Let us say you are hoping to major in French Literature, the college is going to want to know just how well you speak and read French. Therefore, they give you a test. The same is true with the more basic skills like reading, writing and mathematics. In many community colleges, you will be asked to take placement tests to determine these skills. Four-year colleges have core requirements in the areas of English, mathematics, and foreign languages. They too require placement tests.

Beyond getting you in the right classes, your score on a placement test may affect you financially. Federal financial aid covers only so many quarters of college work. If you receive a low score on these tests, you may need to take developmental courses before starting college classes. That could result in running out of financial aid before you have actually finished college. The bottom line is, take placement tests seriously and prepare for them.

Placement Tests

Find out which test your college requires and learn about it. The links below take you to a brief explanation and more links on the test publishers' Web sites.

Once you know the test you must take, spend time preparing by:

  • Using the sample questions found on the publishers' Web pages to understand the type of questions to expect.
  • Reviewing subject areas that you have not had recently or those where you feel you need more practice.
  • Considering the publishers' tips for test takers.

Test Accommodations

You may have used test accommodations in high school. If your disability prevents you from demonstrating what you can do on the test, you may be eligible for accommodations in placement testing. This might be a change in the format of the test, where you take the test, how much time you have to take the test, or how you respond to the test items. To be considered for accommodations, you must make a formal request. Procedures may be dictated by the test publisher and in some cases vary from college to college.

If you choose to request placement test accommodations:

  • Visit the publishers' Web site to learn about their accommodation guidelines.
  • Contact the testing office of your college (for ASSET™, Compass®/ESL, and Accuplacer™) to find out about their policies and procedures.
  • Apply for accommodations if appropriate.

Summary

  1. Find out which placement test your college requires by calling the college admissions office. Ask if it is possible to take the tests more than once.
  2. Research that test by using the publisher's Web site.
  3. Take a practice test if available.
  4. Apply for accommodations if appropriate.
  5. Take the test well before your college registration appointment.