PlacementTesting

FEE

There will be a $20 Assessment Fee charged at registration.

OTHER PERTINENT INFORMATION

Application Your application to the college must have been processed by the Admissions Office prior to taking the placement test.

Testing Schedule No appointments are needed. Visit the Testing Center website: www.sunywcc.edu/testingcenter, or call for the recorded schedule: 914-606-6969.

Photo ID You must present photo ID. If you do not have photo ID, you will not be permitted to take the exam.

Sign-in You must arrive at least 20 minutes before the session begins to allow time to sign in. Seating is limited. Plan accordingly.

Location Testing and Assessment Center Library and Learning Resource Center, Ground Floor

Parking Park in Lot #1 and walk past the Administration Building to the Library. Use the rear entrance.

Bus Information Call BEE-Line 914-813-7777

Counseling Appointment After you have completed the placement exam, visit the Counseling webpage to find out how to schedule an appointment with a counselor. www.sunywcc.edu/counseling.

Modifications?If you have a documented disability, and as a result require testing modifications, contact Services for Students with Disabilities: 914-606-6287. There is a separate schedule for students needing testing accommodations.

www.sunywcc.edu/testingcenter

WHAT DO THE SUBTESTS MEASURE?

The Writing Sample assesses a student’s ability to write a well-organized and well-developed essay. Correct grammar, spelling, and sentence structure are also important.

AccuplacerReading Comprehension measures one’s ability to find specific information in the text and to make logical inferences that extend beyond the text information.

Sentence Skills measures one’s ability to understand appropriate usage of grammar, punctuation, sentence structure, writing strategy, and writing style.

Arithmetic measures skills in basic math operations using whole numbers and fractions, decimals and percents, and applications and problem solving.

Elementary Algebra measures skills often taught in a first-year high school algebra class including signed numbers and rationals, algebraic expressions, equations, inequalities, and word problems.

TIME

The placement testing session takes from 2-1/2 to 3-1/2 hours depending on the number of subtests a student needs to take. Please plan accordingly and make sure that you allow sufficient time to stay for the entire ses-sion. The session starts promptly. If you arrive late, you will not be seated and will be asked to come back another time.

FORMAT

An essay and a computerized exam are administered. The time allotted for the essay is 50 minutes. The computerized subtests are not timed. Students are permitted to take up to 2-1/2 hours to complete the 4 subtests. Computer generated calculators are provided for selected items in the math subtests. Only students with a documented disability are permitted to use a calculator for all math items.

SCORING

Computerized exam: scored immediately, while you wait.

Essay: scored within one week.

What is the Placement Exam?

When are the results available?

Who must take the tests?

WHAT IS THE PLACEMENT EXAM?

The placement exam is a series of short placement tests used to assess your knowledge of reading, writing, and mathematics skills. The exams administered are a writing sample and the Accuplacer™, a computerized placement test.

HOW ARE PLACEMENT SCORES USED?

The placement exam provides an opportunity for you to demonstrate that you have the necessary skills to suc-ceed in college.  The courses available to you are based on the exam results.  It is very important that you review and do your very best in order to have an accurate mea-sure of your academic skills.  Based on your results you will be taking regular, honors or developmental (basic skills) courses. Developmental courses help build a strong foundation and prepare you for the challenges of college-level work.  You do not earn college credit for these courses.

WHAT IS WCC’S PREREQUISITE POLICY?

Students registering for certain college courses (ENG 101, select math courses, and a variety of others) need to achieve appropriate scores on the placement exam. If these scores are not met, prerequisite courses will need to be taken to improve skills in these areas.

WHO MUST TAKE THE TESTS?• All matriculated students

• Non-matriculated students registering for English, mathematics or other selected classes.

• Before being admitted to the College, students who have not graduated from high school or earned a GED must take the placement exam.

WHO IS WAIVED FROM TAKING THE PLACEMENT EXAM?

Transfer StudentsA student is waived from taking the placement exam if s/he has received a grade of “C” or better in a college-lev-el math or writing course from a regionally accredited college or university. Send an official transcript to the Admissions Office for review.

6/14

Arithmetic Solve the following problems.

5. Which of the following is closest to 27.8 x 9.6?

A. 280

B. 300

C. 2,800

D. 3,000

6. 2.75 + 0.003 + 0.158 =

A. 4.36

B. 2.911

C. 0.436

D. 2.938

Elementary AlgebraSolve the following problems.

7. (3x – 2y)2 =

A. 9x2 –4y2

B. 9x2 + 4y2

C. 9x2 + 4y2 –6xy

D. 9x2 + 4y2 –12xy

8. What is the value of the expression 2x2 +3xy – 4y2 when x = 2 and y = – 4?

A. –80

B. 80

C. –32

D. 32

STUDY GUIDES ARE AVAILABLE ONLINEVisit the Testing Center website: www.sunywcc.edu/testingcenter

1: B, 2: D, 3: B, 4: A, 5: A, 6: B, 7: D, 8: A ANSWERS

SAMPLE SUBTESTS

Essay - Writing SampleYou should express your thoughts clearly and organize your ideas in paragraphs so that they will make sense to a reader. Your essay should be well developed with many specific details and at least two pages (four sides) in length. Correct grammar and sentence structure are important.

A. What was the most important decision you made this year? Describe the effects of this decision on yourself and on another person affected by the decision.

B. Many serious problems threaten people in today’s world. Choose the one you consider the most dangerous and explain what you think should be done to solve this problem.

Reading Comprehension

1. The Midwest is experiencing its worst drought in fifteen years. Corn and soybean prices are expected to be very high this year.

What does the second sentence do? A. It restates the idea found in the first. C. It gives an example. B. It states an effect. D. It analyzes the statement made in the first sentence.

2. With varying success, many women around the world today struggle for equal rights. Historically, women have achieved greater equality with men during periods of social adversity. The following factors initiated the greatest number of improvements for women: violent revolution, world war, and the rigors of pioneering in an undeveloped land. In all three cases, the essential element that improved the status of women was a shortage of men, which required women to perform many of society’s vital tasks.

We can conclude from the information in this passage that A. women today are highly successful in winning equal rights. B. only pioneer women have been considered equal to men. C. historically, women have only achieved equality through force. D. historically, the principle of equality alone has not been enough to secure women equal rights.

Sentence Skills

3. To walk, biking, and driving are Pat’s favorite ways of getting around.

Select the best version of the underlined part of the sentence above. A. To walk, biking, and driving C. To walk, biking, and to drive B. Walking, biking, and driving D. To walk, to bike, and also driving

4. The band began to play, and then the real party started.

Rewrite, beginning with “The real party started...” The next words will be A. after the band began C. although the band began B. and the band began D. the band beginning

SAMPLE SUBTESTS