Purpose of the Assessment
The Basic Skills Assessment (Accuplacer) was developed by the College Board to provide information about your skill level in English, reading, and mathematics. By assessing your levels in these areas, the BSA will help to determine the reading, writing, and math courses that are most appropriate for you at this time. These results will be used in the course selection and advising process.
Who Must Take theTest
MxCC requires skill assessments in English and mathematics before students enroll in math, reading, or writing courses, and in order to enroll in an academic program. Test exemptions are:
- Students who have an associate degree or higher
- Students who have completed college level mathematics and English
- Part-time and non-degree students who have not accumulated 12 credit hours, unless they wish to take an English or math class, or a course that requires a math or English prerequisite
- English SAT scores: A student, who has scored 450 or more on either the Critical Reading or Writing parts of the SAT test, if taken within the past two years, will be automatically placed into English 101 (College Level Writing).
- Math SAT scores: A student who has scored between 500 and 549 on the math portion will automatically be placed into Math 137 (Intermediate Algebra), and a score of 550 or greater will automatically place the student into Math 168 (Statistics), or Math 173 (College Algebra). However, we strongly encourage students to take the math portion of the test as they may place into a higher level math course.
If you believe that you are exempt from the placement test, please contact the Admissions Office at 860.343.5719, or the College Learning Center at 860.343.5770.
The Procedure
Once your application to the College has been processed, the student will receive an acceptance letter from the Admissions office with your student identification, called the Banner ID. This ID is required in order to take the placement test.
After receiving your Banner ID, please call the College Learning Center at 860.343.5770 to set up an appointment, or stop into the Learning Center located in Chapman Hall, Room 711. The tests will be administered in Chapman Hall at the Middletown campus. If you live in the Meriden - Wallingford area, you may prefer to take the test at our Meriden Center. To schedule a test in Meriden, please call 203.238.6202.
Test Administration
The placement test (called Accuplacer) is comprised of computerized, multiple-choice questions. The test is administered on a personal computer. You will read the instructions on the computer monitor, and select your answer using either the mouse or keyboard. The test is untimed, and usually takes one to one and one-half hours to complete. However, you may take as much time as you wish. No calculators are allowed on the math portion of the test. Please remember to bring your Banner ID with you. Your test results will be provided immediately upon completion of the test, and will be used in the course registration process.
Adaptive Testing
The test is designed using adaptive testing. This means that the computer automatically determines which questions are presented to you based on your responses to prior questions. This technique automatically generates just the right questions to ask you without being too easy or too difficult for your skill level. The greater your demonstrated skill level, the more challenging will be the questions presented to you.
Guessing
Because this is an adaptive test, you must answer every question when it is first given. You cannot omit any question, or come back later to change an answer. If you want to change your answer to a particular question, there is an opportunity to do so before continuing on to the next question. If you do not know the answer to a question, try to eliminate one or more of the choices, and then pick one of the remaining choices.
Test Preparation
Since the Basic Skills Assessment measures your skill level, you will want to do your best.
- Make sure to follow all instructions carefully
- Concentrate on your work
- Answer each question to the best of your ability
- The test is untimed, so please take your time
The following web sites may be helpful to you.
Confidentiality
Your test scores and the information you provide when taking the tests will be used by the college for counseling and placement purposes. It may also be used by the college and the College Board or Educational Testing Service for research purposes. Your test information will not be used for any other reason without your permission.
Special arrangements for Students with Disabilities
Accommodations for individuals with special needs may be arranged through
Office of Disability Support Services
860.343.5879
Founders Hall, Room 121
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