Transcript Created by Sarah Chow 5/28/10 S.C. Table of Contents Introduction Overview of the Accuplacer Community Colleges that Administer the Accuplacer The Essay Reading Comprehension Sentence Skills Arithmetic 5/28/10 Elementary Algebra College-Level Math Placement Test Scoring Accuplacer Course.

Created by
Sarah Chow
5/28/10
S.C.
Table of Contents
Introduction
Overview of the Accuplacer
Community Colleges that
Administer the Accuplacer
The Essay
Reading Comprehension
Sentence Skills
Arithmetic
5/28/10
Elementary Algebra
College-Level Math
Placement Test Scoring
Accuplacer Course Placement
Strategies/Tips for Students
Video Tutorials
Bibliography
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This PowerPoint Project is about a computerized college
placement test called the Accuplacer. This test is given to incoming
students going to study at community colleges or four-year
colleges.
The purpose of this test is to measure students’ current
academic abilities and help determine what classes are suitable
for the students.
The slides in this PowerPoint presentation provide information on
what exactly is the Accuplacer. They also present information
about the six parts of the placement exam and the type of
questions students will encounter.
Finally, the slides will provide strategies and tips for students
before they take the exam.
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A computer-based assessment
Measures a student’s current level of
academic skills
The results of the assessment are used
by academic advisors and counselors to
determine a student’s course selection.
This is not a “pass” or “fail” placement
test.
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There are six parts of the placement test:
the essay, reading comprehension,
sentence skills, math, algebra, and
college level math.
An adaptive test (The questions are
chosen on the basis of the student’s
answers to previous questions.)
All parts of the placement exam (except
for the essay) are multiple choice tests.
The multiple choice tests are untimed.
The essay portion is timed.
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Passaic County
Community
College
Some of the
Community
Colleges that
Administer the
Accuplacer
Bergen
Community
College
County
College of
Morris
Hudson County
College
Mercer County
Community
College
Middlesex
County
College
Camden
County
College
Ocean County
College
Cumberland
County
College
Atlantic Cape
Community
College
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Accuplacer Test
25
Reading
Comprehension
Sentence Skills
20
# of Items
Administered
Arithmetic
15
Elementary
Algebra
10
5
College Level
Math
0
Test Sections
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The Essay
45 minutes to
plan and write
essay
Given two
topics:
Choose only one.
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Essay is
typed on the
computer
The Six Parts of the Accuplacer
Test
Essay
Accuplacer
Test
Elementary
Algebra
Reading
Comprehension
Sentence
Skills
College Level
Math
Arithmetic
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The Essay
 This test measures a student’s ability to write
effectively, which is critical to academic
success.
 The writing sample is scored on the basis of
how effectively it communicates a whole
message to the readers for the stated
purpose.
 The writing score is based on a student’s
ability to express, organize, and support her
or his opinions and ideas, not the position
taken on the essay topic.
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The Essay
 The following five characteristics of writing will be
considered:
 Focus — The clarity with which you maintain your
main idea or point of view
 Organization — The clarity with which you structure
your response and present a logical sequence of
ideas
 Development and Support — The extent to which
you elaborate on your ideas and the extent to which
you present supporting details
 Sentence Structure — The effectiveness of your
sentence structure
 Mechanical Conventions — The extent to which
your writing is free of errors in usage and mechanics
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Reading Comprehension
This portion of the assessment consists of 20
questions from the following five content areas:
o Identifying Main Ideas
o Direct Statements and Secondary Ideas
o Inferences
o Applications
o Sentence Relationships
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Reading Comprehension
Types of Questions
Approximate
Percentage (%) of Test
Identifying Main Ideas
12-25
Direct
Statements/Secondary
Ideas
12-40
Inferences
12-25
Applications
Sentence Relationships
12-25
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24-29
Reading Comprehension
There are two primary types of questions:
This first type consists of a reading
passage followed by a question based
on the text.
The second type of question, sentence
relationships, presents two sentences
followed by a question about the
relationship between these two
sentences.
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Sentence Skills
This portion of the assessment consists of 20
questions from the following three content
areas:
 Recognizing Complete Sentences
 Coordination and Subordination
 Clear Sentence Logic
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Sentence Skills
Types of Questions
Recognizing Complete
Sentences
Coordination/Subordination
Approximate
Percentage (%) of
Test
30-40
30-40
Clear Sentence Logic
30-40
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Sentence Skills
There are questions of two types:
The first type is sentence correction questions that require
an understanding of sentence structure.
- These questions ask you to choose the most
appropriate word or phrase to substitute for the
underlined portion of the sentence.
The second type is construction shift questions.
- These questions ask that a sentence be rewritten
according to the criteria shown while maintaining
essentially the same meaning as the original sentence.
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Arithmetic
 This test measures your ability to perform basic
arithmetic operations and to solve problems that involve
fundamental arithmetic concepts. There are 17
questions on the Arithmetic tests divided into three
types.
 Operations with whole numbers and fractions:
topics included in this category are addition, subtraction,
multiplication, division, recognizing equivalent fractions
and mixed numbers, and estimating.
 Operations with decimals and percents: topics
include addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division
with decimals. Percent problems, recognition of
decimals, fraction and percent equivalencies, and
problems involving estimation are also given.
 Applications and problem solving: topics include
rate, percent, and measurement problems, simple
geometry problems, and distribution of a quantity into its
fractional parts.
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Arithmetic
Approximate
Percentage
(%) of Test
Types of
Questions
Whole Numbers and
Fractions
31-44
Decimals and
Percents
31-38
Applications and
Problem Solving
25-31
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Elementary Algebra
 A total of 12 questions are administered in this test.
 The first type involves operations with integers and rational
numbers, and includes computation with integers and
negative rationals, the use of absolute values, and ordering.
 A second type involves operations with algebraic
expressions using evaluation of simple formulas and
expressions, and adding and subtracting monomials and
polynomials. Questions involve multiplying and dividing
monomials and polynomials, the evaluation of positive
rational roots and exponents, simplifying algebraic fractions,
and factoring.
 The third type of question involves the solution of equations,
inequalities, word problems, solving linear equations and
inequalities, the solution of quadratic equations by factoring,
solving verbal problems presented in an algebraic context,
including geometric reasoning and graphing, and the
translation of written phrases into algebraic expressions.
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Elementary Algebra
Approximate
Percentage (%)
of Test
Types of
Questions
Signed Numbers and
Rationals
Algebraic Expressions
Equations,
Inequalities, and Word
Problems
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8-17
42-67
17-50
College-Level Math
There are 20 questions on the College-Level Mathematics.
The College-Level Mathematics test assesses from
intermediate algebra through precalculus.
Algebraic operations includes simplifying rational
algebraic expressions, factoring, expanding polynomials,
and manipulating roots and exponents.
Solutions of equations and inequalities includes the
solution of linear and quadratic equations and inequalities,
equation systems and other algebraic equations.
Coordinate geometry includes plane geometry, the
coordinate plane, straight lines, conics, sets of points in the
plane, and graphs 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 polynomials, algebraic, exponential,
logarithmic and trigonometric functions.
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College-Level Math
Approximate
Percentage (%)
of Test
Types of
Questions
Algebraic Operations
20
Solutions of Equations
and Inequalities
15
Coordinate Geometry
15
Functions
20
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Placement Test Scoring
 Essay is scored by two trained readers.
Each reader can give a score from 1 to
8. The highest total of the two scores is a 16.
 Each of the following sections are out of 120
points:
 Reading Comprehension
 Sentence Skills
 Arithmetic
 Elementary Algebra
 College-Level Math
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Placement Test Scoring
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Accuplacer Course Placements
Reading
•RD 001
•RD 004
•No reading
course
required
Writing
•EN 001
•EN 004
•En 101
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Math
•Math 001
•Math 004
•Math 006
•Math 005
•Math 101
For Students
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Strategies/Tips for Taking Accuplacer
1. Relax! ACCUPLACER was designed to help
you succeed in college.
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.
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Strategies/Tips for Taking Accuplacer
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; you may change the answer on a
particular question before you have moved
ahead to another question.
5. If you do not know the answer to a question, try
to eliminate one or more of the choices.
6. Remember to bring a picture I.D.
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Helpful Hints about Writing
Your Essay
Keep the topic in mind. Writing about another topic is not
acceptable.
Make sure the 3 main parts of an essay are included.
These are the introduction, the body, which supports
your ideas and provides details and lastly, your
conclusion which ties it all together.
Be aware of your spelling, grammar, and punctuation. It
is not acceptable to use abbreviations such as: B4, &, 4u
or cuz. Good writers avoid using slang such as aint for
isn’t, nuff for enough or thru for through.
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Helpful Hints about Writing
Your Essay
Ideas should be clearly stated and your points
understandable.
Write 4 or more well though out paragraphs. A
longer essay helps to provide a more accurate
picture of your writing ability.
Do not be redundant. Repeating the same idea
over and over again for the sake of length, does
not make for a better essay.
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When working in the
“Mathematics” section
of the test, students
will see a blue
calculator icon on the
bottom left hand
corner similar to the
one shown here.
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Students may click on the calculator
icon and use the calculator to help solve
that particular math problem.
No other calculators, computer
generated, handheld or otherwise are
allowed.
A proctor will provide the student with
scrap paper to work out their solutions.
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QuickTime™ and a
decompressor
are needed to see this picture.
QuickTime™ and a
decompressor
are needed to see this picture.
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Source 1: http://collegeboard.com/accuplacer Information: Slide 3, 7, 10-22, 28, 29
Source 2: http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/templates Clipart and Photos: Slides1, 2 & 4; Table: Slides 13, 16,
19, 21, & 23; Clipart: 21, 22; Template: Slide 26
Source 3: http://www.pccc.edu – Chart: Slide 25
Source 4: http://www.rutgers.edu/nj-counties-new.gif Image: Slide 6
Source 5: http://youtube.com – Videos: Slide 34
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