Accuplacer

Student Guide to Accuplacer

A Student Guide has been added to the College Board website. The guide provides useful information about the content of the ACCUPLACER tests and sample questions for the Reading comprehension, Sentence Skill,
Arithmetic, and Elementary Algebra tests. Use the link below to access the Student Guide.  (STCC does not use Sentence Skills or Writeplacer.)

Accuplacer Generated Testing Documentation:

Testing Regulations

Textbooks, notebooks, dictionaries, calculators, or other papers of any kind 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. Your college may cancel any test score if there is reason to question its validity. Before canceling a score, the college may offer you the opportunity to take the test again.

Computer Delivered Testing

You will take the tests using a computer. You will communicate with the computer by using either the keyboard or the mouse to enter your answers to the tests and to supply other information. The instructions are easy to understand. Entering information also is very easy. A Test Administrator will always be present should you have any questions or problems.

Answering the Questions

Because you take the CPTs on a computer, you don't have to answer as many questions as on traditional paper-and-pencil tests. The number of questions on the eight tests ranges from 12 to20. The questions will appear one at a time on the computer screen. Most questions are multiple-choice and all you will need to do is use the space bar or mouse to select your answer. When you have completed the question and verified your answer, a new screen will appear with your next question.

Adaptive Testing

Each test is designed using adaptive techniques. This means that the computer automatically determines which questions are presented to you based on your responses to prior questions. This technique "zeroes-in" on just the right questions to ask you without being too easy or too difficult. The greater your demonstrated skill level, the more challenging will be the questions presented to you.

Each test is untimed so that you can give each question as much thought as you wish. However, once you have verified your answer, you cannot return to that question.

Guessing

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 later 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. Once you go on to the next question, the answer is accepted and you cannot return to the question.

If you do not know an answer to a question, but can eliminate one or more of the choices, guessing from among the remaining choices.

Descriptions of the Tests

Reading Comprehension

This test is designed to measure how well you understand what you read. It contains 20 questions. Some ask you to decide how two sentences are related. Other questions ask you about reading passages of various lengths. You will be asked to interpret and draw conclusions from what you have read.

Sample Questions for Reading Comprehension

Narrative Question:

Read the statement or passage and then choose the best answer to the question. Answer the question on the basis of what is stated or implied in the statement or passage.

There are two types of pottery that I do. There is production pottery—mugs, tableware, the kinds of things that sell easily. These pay for my time to do the other work, which is more creative and satisfies my needs as an artist.

The author of this passage implies that:

(A) artists have a tendency to waste valuable time
(B) creativity and mass-production are incompatible
(C) most people do not appreciate good art
(D) pottery is not produced by creative artists

Sentence Relationships Question:

Two underlined sentences are followed by a question or statement about them. Read each pair of sentences and then choose the best answer to the question or the best completion of the statement.

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.
(B) It states an effect.
(C) It gives an example.
(D) It analyzes the statement made in the first.

Arithmetic

The Arithmetic test measures your skills in three primary categories.  A total of 16 questions is asked.

1) Operations with whole numbers and fractions:

  • addition, subtraction, multiplication, division
  • recognizing equivalent fractions and mixed numbers

2) Operations with decimals and percents:

  • addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division
  • percent problems, decimal recognition, fraction
  • percent equivalencies, and estimation problems

3) Applications and problem solving include:

  • rate, percent, and measurement problems
  • geometry problems
  • distribution of a quantity into its fractional parts.

Sample Questions for Arithmetic

Solve the following problems and choose your answer from the alternatives given. You may use the paper you have been given for scratch work.

All of the following are ways to write 20 percent of N EXCEPT

(A) 0.20N
(B)
(C)
(D) 20N

Which of the following is closest to

(A) 3
(B) 4
(C) 5
(D) 8

Three people who work full time are to work together on a project, but their total time on the project is to be equivalent to that of only one person working full time. If one of the people is budgeted for 1/2 of his time to the project and a second person for 1/3 of her time, what part of the third worker's time should be budgeted to this project?

(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)

Elementary Algebra

There are also three categories in the Elementary Algebra test.  The test contains a total of 12 questions.

1) Operations with integers and rational numbers:

  • computation with integers and negative rationals
  • the use of absolute values, and ordering

2) Operations with algebraic expressions:

  • evaluation of simple formulas
  • expressions, and adding, subtracting monomials and polynomials
  • the evaluation of positive rational roots and exponents
  • simplifying algebraic fractions, and factoring

3) equation solving, inequalities, and word problems including

  • solving verbal problems presented in algebraic context
  • geometric reasoning
  • the translation of written phrases into algebraic expressions
  • graphing

Sample Questions for Elementary Algebra

If a number is divided by 4, and then 3 is subtracted, the result is 0. What is the number?

(A) 12
(B) 4
(C) 3
(D) 2

16X - 8

(A) 8x
(B) 8 (2x-x)
(C) 8 (2x-1)
(D) 8 (2x-8)

If X2 - X- 6 = 0 then X is:

(A) -2 or 3
(B) -1 or 6
(C) 1 or -6
(D) 2 or -3

College-Level Mathematics

The College-Level mathematics test assesses proficiency from intermediate algebra through precalculus. Twenty questions are asked.  The categories covered include:

1) Algebraic operations:

  • simplifying rational algebraic expressions
  • factoring and expanding polynomials
  • manipulating roots and exponents

2) Solutions of equations and inequalities includes:

  • the solution of linear and quadratic equations by factoring
  • expanding polynomials
  • manipulating roots and exponents

3) Coordinate geometry asks questions about:

  • plane geometry
  • the coordinate plane, straight lines
  • conics, sets of points in a plane
  • graphs of algebraic functions

4) Applications and other algebra topics asks about:

  • complex numbers
  • series and sequences
  • determinants, permutations
  • combinations, fractions
  • word problems

5) functions and trigonometry presents questions about:

  • polynomial, algebraic, exponential
  • logarithmic
  • trigonometric functions

Sample Questions for College-Level mathematics

If f (x) = X4- X +2, then f (-x) =

(A) x4-x
(B) x4+x
(C) x4-x+2
(D) x4+x+2

 

The equation x2+2ix-4=0 has as its roots

(A) - 1, - - 1
(B) - i, + i
(C) - i, - + i
(D) - i, + i
(E) - i, -- i

Answers to the Sample Questions
Reading Comprehension Arithmetic Elementary Algebra College-Level mathematics
1. B
2. B		 1. D
2. A
3. C		 1. A
2. C
3. A