All new college students seeking a degree or certificate who have not taken an ACT or SAT within the past three years are required to take an English, reading, and math assessment prior to enrollment. Other students wishing to take their first college English or math course must also be assessed. The college currently uses the COMPASS.
The COMPASS is a computer adaptive test designed to assess a student's math, English and reading skills. The test is used to determine what a student remembers and maybe has forgotten. The test is not a pass or fail kind of test, but an assessment to determine the best class for a student. This test is given to students who have not taken the ACT or SAT, and may also be given to those students who have taken the ACT or SAT but are dissatisfied with their scores. The first time the test is taken, there is no charge. A student may opt to take the test again after two weeks, and at that time the test will cost $1.00 per test section. The test is administered in the Testing Center in the Ben Alexander Student Learning Center, and it is given all day long. It will take approximately 1 to 2 hours to complete, but it is not a timed exam.
English – The English portion of this exam requires the students to read a short essay and find grammatical and English usage errors. To prepare for this portion of the exam, students should review basic English grammar.
Math – this portion of the exam begins with basic arithmetic and continues through three levels of algebra and trigonometry. As the student answers the problems correctly, the test progresses to a higher level. To review for this portion of the exam, students should review whatever math they have had, starting with basic arithmetic and progressing through algebra and trigonometry.
Reading – The reading section of the COMPASS is simply a reading comprehension exam. Students are asked to read a 200-250 word essay and answer questions about the essay. Students should re-read the essay before they answer questions.
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