What kinds of questions are on  Accuplacer Placement Testing?

Reading Comprehension
This test is designed to measure how well you understand what you read.  It contains 20 questions.  Some involve sentence relationships and require you to choose how the sentences are related.  Other questions refer to reading passages of varying lengths.

Sentence Skills
Two kinds of questions are given in this test.  Sentence correction questions ask you to choose a word or phrase to substitute for an underlined portion of a sentence.  Construction shift questions ask that a sentence be rewritten in a specific way without changing the meaning.  A broad variety of topics are included.  You will be presented a total of 20 questions.

Writeplacer
Writeplacer is a timed measure of student writing skills. Examinees are asked to provide a writing sample in response to a specific prompt. Students will have 45 minutes to complete their essay. This assessment measures writing skill at the level expected of an entry level college student. This test will only be given to students who score in an entry level range on the sentences skills test. Not every student will be required to take this assessment.

Arithmetic
The arithmetic test measures your skills in three primary categories.  The first is operations with whole numbers and fractions.  This includes addition, subtraction, multiplication, division and recognizing equivalent fractions and mixed numbers.  The second category involves operations with decimals and percents.  This category also includes addition, subtraction, multiplication, division as well as percent problems, decimal recognition, fraction and percent equivalencies, and estimation problems.  The last category tests applications and problem solving.  Questions include rate, percent, measurement problems, geometry problems, and distribution of quantity into its fractional parts.  A total of 16 questions are asked.

Elementary Algebra ( Required for only certain majors)
There are also three categories in the Elementary Algebra Test.  The first category, operations with integers and rational numbers, includes computation with integers and negative rationals, the use of absolute values and ordering.  The second category is operations with algebraic expressions.  It tests your skills in evaluating simple formulas and expressions, and in adding and subtracting monomials and polynomials.  Both of these categories include questions about multiplying and dividing monomials and polynomials, evaluating positive rational roots and exponents, simplifying algebraic fractions, and factoring.  The third category tests skills in solving equations, inequalities, and word problems.  Questions range from solving systems of linear equations, solving quadratic equations by factoring, verbal problems presented in algebraic context, geometric reasoning, the translation of written phrases into algebraic expressions and graphing.  Twelve questions are presented.

College-Level Mathematics ( Required only for certain degrees)
The College-Level Mathematics test assesses proficiency from intermediate algebra through precalculus.  Six categories are covered.  The first category, algebraic operations, includes simplifying rational algebraic expression, factoring, expanding polynomials, and manipulating roots and exponents. Another category, solutions of equations and inequalities, includes the solution of linear and quadratic equations and inequalities, equation systems, and other algebraic equations.  Coordinate geometry asks questions about plane geometry, the coordinate plan, straight lines, conics, sets of points in the plane and graphics of algebraic functions.  Applications and other algebra topics ask about complex numbers, series and sequences, determinants, permutations and combinations, fractions and word problems.  The last category, functions and trigonometry, presents questions about polynomial, algebraic, exponential, logarithmic and trigonometric functions.  Twenty questions are asked.

Accuplacer ESL Reading Test
This test is given to students who indicate that English is not the first language they learned. The Reading Skills test measures comprehension of short passages on various topics. This test contains brief passages of 50 words or less and moderate length passages of 50 to 90 words. There will be one to two questions which measure comprehension for each passage.

Accuplacer ESL Language Usage Test
This test is given to students who indicate that English is not the first language they learned. The Language Usage test has questions on grammar, usage, and vocabulary. This section contains questions in two formats: completing a sentence by filling in a blank with the word or phrase from the choices given, and choosing a sentence that bests combines two sentences that are given.

Accuplacer ESL Listening Test
This test is given to students who indicate that English is not the first language they learned. The Listening test measures a student’s ability to listen to, and understand one or more people speaking English. The conversations take place in a variety of settings, for example a computer lab, the library, shopping, in a restaurant, reading the newspaper, and performing tasks at work.

First, the student will listen to the conversation and the question that follows, while looking at pictures of the speakers. Below this are four answers from which to choose, written on the screen or with a drawing next to each choice. The student will choose the best answer to the question that was asked.

<Back to Top>

Tips for Accuplacer Testing

1. Relax! Accuplacer was designed to help you succeed in school.  Your score helps you and your counselor determine which courses are most appropriate for your current level of knowledge and skills.  Once you identify your academic strengths and needs, you can get the help you need to improve underdeveloped skills before they can interfere with your learning.

2. You will be able to concentrate better on the test if you get plenty of rest and eat properly prior to the test.  You should also arrive a few minutes early so you can find the testing area, bathrooms, etc., and gather your thoughts before the test begins.

3. Pay careful attention to directions and be sure you understand the directions before you begin each test.

4. You should understand that this is an adaptive test.  Questions are chosen for you on the basis of your answers to previous questions.  Because the test works this way, you must answer every question when it is first given.  You cannot omit any question or come back to change an answer.  You may change your answer on a particular question, but you must do so before continuing on to the next question.  If you do not, the answer is accepted and you cannot return to the question.

5. If you do not know the answer to a question, try to eliminate one or more of the choices.  Then pick one of the remaining choices.

6. Textbooks, notebooks, dictionaries, calculators, or other paper of any kind (except scratch paper provided by the Test Administrator for use with the mathematics tests) are not allowed in the testing room.  Further, anyone who gives or receives help during the test, or uses notes or books of any kind, will not be allowed to continue the test.  Following the test period, no test materials or notes may be removed from the room.

7. Remember to bring your social security number and a picture ID (identification). On the day you are scheduled to take the assessment, you will be required to show a picture ID before you can test.

8. Now that you have an idea of what the test covers, try taking a look at some of the sample questions.

<Back to Top>

Sample Questions

• For a number of sample test questions, access the Accuplacer Sample Questions (PDF)

<Back to Top>

Contact HTC at 952-995-1300 or info@hennepintech.edu

Copyright © 2008 by Hennepin Technical College