The Accuplacer is the college placement test for new students entering college for the students who do not meet the qualifications of enrollment purposes. The test is untimed and assesses abilities in English, reading, and mathematics. With this information, students and their advisors will be able increase chances for success by selecting appropriate classes.
It is recommended that students take all three parts at the same time. Since the Accuplacer is not timed, it generally takes 1½ to 2 hours to complete all three segments. Scores will be received the same day unless the writing section must be hand scored.
If you have ACT Scores in English with a score of 18 or higher and mathematics 20 or higher, you may be exempt from taking this part of the exam. You must bring a copy to the testing center when taking the test to be exempt from the exam.
ACCUPLACER scores are valid for 3 years. After the third year without taking the course you placed in, you must test again.
Retest Policy
A student who wishes to challenge placement results may retest once per calendar year provided
there is evidence the student has completed test preparation activities. Additional preparation
includes, but is not limited to, academic boot camps, online pre-tests, and placement test
applications. There will be a $10 fee for retesting per session.
A. English Placement Policy The English Placement Policy is displayed in the table below. Entering students are required to address writing deficiencies during their first semester of enrollment at CACC.
ACCUPLACER WritePlacer ACCUPLACER Placement Score Chart Placement
ENR 098 0-3
ENG 101 with ENG 099 or ENG131 4
ENG 101 5-8
B. New English Placement Policy
Placement in an initial English course will be determined using a three-step screening process dependent on ACT English score, high school GPA, English IV grade received in high school, and or results from the WritePlacer portion of the ACCUPLACER. The ultimate goal of this new placement policy is to place students in the highest course in which they can be successful. The table below illustrates the results needed to qualify for each level of English placement.
English Placement Criteria Needed
ENG 101 ACT English subscore of 18 or above, OR
ENG 101 & ENG 099 or ENG 131 ACT English subscore of 17, OR
ENR 098 WritePlacer (Accuplacer) score of 3 or below
• High School GPA 2.75 or higher AND A or B grade in English IV, OR
• WritePlacer (Accuplacer) score of 5
• High School GPA of 2.75 or higher AND C grade in English IV, OR
• WritePlacer (Accuplacer) score of 4
C. Mathematics Placement Policy Placement in an initial math course will be determined using a three-step screening process dependent on ACT Mathematics score, high school GPA, Algebra II grade received in high school, and or results from the ACCUPLACER Elementary Algebra exam. The ultimate goal of this new placement policy is to place students in the highest course in which they can be successful. Based on placement, a student may be required to register for math courses which are paired with an additional 1-hour support course designed to increase students’ likelihood to do well in the course. These support courses are denoted with coreq-course. The table below illustrates the results needed to qualify for each level of math placement.
Math Placement ACCUPLACER Placement Score Chart Placement
Higher Math Courses Students with an ACT Math sub score of 20 or higher may place into higher math courses depending on the highest math course completed in high school. See the chart below for details.
MTH125 Advanced Algebra and Functions (AAF) 271-300
MTH 113 OR MTH120 AAF 256-270
MTH 110 or MTH 112, MTH 231, MTH 232, MTH 265 Quantitative Reasoning, Algebra, and Statistics (QAS) 266-300 OR AAF 236-255
MTH 100 QAS 253-266 or AAF 200-235
MTH 100 with MTH 099 QAS 243-252
MTH 098, MTH 116 QAS 200-242
Math placement Guidelines for ACT Math Sub scores of 20 or higher
Students with an ACT math sub score of 20 or higher will be placed using the chart below. Placement will depend on a review of the student’s high school transcript to determine the highest level of math successfully completed (“C” or higher).
Highest Math Course (any year) Course Placement
Algebra I MTH 100 Intermediate College Algebra
Algebra II MTH 110 Finite Math or
MTH 112 Pre-Calculus Algebra or MTH 231 Math for Elem Ed Teacher I or MTH232 Math for Elem Ed Teacher II or MTH 265 Elementary Statistics
Pre-Calculus MTH 113 Pre-Calculus Trigonometry or MTH 120 Calculus and Its Applications or MTH 125 Calculus I
Calculus MTH 125 Calculus I
Students must consult the current College Catalog and Student Handbook in order to determine the appropriate math level in the degree programs. Students who successfully complete the starting math level may progress to the next math course as required by their major. Students who earn a “D” or “F” grade in their math course are required to retake that class before progressing to the next course in the sequence.
D. Exemptions
Any student scoring 510 or higher on the SAT Evidence Based Reading and Writing section or a 25 or higher test score on the SAT Writing and Language or 18 or above on the ACT English within five years of enrollment is exempt from the English assessment requirement.
Any student scoring a 510 or higher on the SAT Math or 25.5 test score or higher on the SAT Math or 20 or above on the ACT Math within five years of enrollment is exempt from the math assessment requirement.