|
|
Placement
Testing Information
|
|
WHY
DO YOU NEED PLACEMENT TESTING?
Piedmont’s
assessment program helps new students entering
the college succeed in their educational
goals. The results will help with your
placement into appropriate courses so that you
will be successful in the course work you
choose to take at PTC. You will learn about
your skills and how they compare with the
skills you will need as you pursue your chosen
major courses.
Placement
instruments are not used for admission to the
college, although they may be used to
determine certain pre-requisites
required for certain programs.
Return
to Top
PLACEMENT
TEST EXEMPTIONS
Students
in the following categories may not need to
take the placement test:
-
Some
non-degree and non-diploma seeking
applicants.
-
Applicants
who have completed college level English
composition and math with a grade of
"C" or higher. Portions
of the test may be waived according to
courses taken.
-
Applicants
who hold an associate's or bachelor's
degree or higher.
-
Applicants
who have completed the college placement
test within the past five years.
-
Applicants who have earned a composite
SAT score of at least 960 with a minimum
of 480 on Verbal (or Critical Reading
after Mar. 2005) and 480 on Math, or a
composite ACT score of at least 20.
-
Some
applicants for Career Development status
(non-degree seekers who take individual
courses for personal or career
enrichment.)
-
Applicants
for transient status (students at other
colleges who have approval from the home
institution to take a course at Piedmont
Technical College for credit toward
degrees at the home institution.)
Return
to Top
PLACEMENT
TESTING TIPS
-
Have
a positive attitude!
-
Placement
tests are not Pass/Fail.
-
Review
before testing will improve your scores.
-
Try
to do your best so that you will be
properly placed.
-
You
can take courses to brush up on areas
where you need help.
Return
to Top
PLACEMENT
TEST CHOICES
Piedmont
offers two choices for placement testing,
either ASSET or COMPASS, depending on both
your schedule and the assessment
schedule.
ASSET
is a traditional
timed paper and pencil placement test
measuring skills in reading, English and mathematics.
For ASSET, each of the four parts is 25
minutes.
COMPASS
is a
computer-adaptive placement test measuring
skills in reading, English and mathematics.
This test is not timed. The computer
selects questions for you on the basis of
your answers to previous questions. COMPASS
is “user friendly,” requiring no
experience with computers.
Return
to Top
TO
SCHEDULE A TEST
Testing
or exemption from testing is required prior
to advisement and registration for classes.
Plan to complete testing requirements in
advance of registration to avoid any delay
in your enrollment.
ASSET and COMPASS are scheduled regularly at
all campuses.
Greenwood
To schedule an appointment for a placement
test on the Greenwood Campus contact the
Enrollment Center at Admissions Office at
(864) 941-8369.
County
Centers
To schedule a placement test at a County
Center, call your County
Center to learn about appointment times.
Students Needing Special Assistance
If you need special assistance because of a
physical limitation or a disability, please
contact the Student Disability Services
Coordinator in the Student Success Center at (864)
941-8614.
Click
here for information about PTC's Student
Disability Services.
Return
to Top
ARE
CALCULATORS PERMITTED?
You
may use a calculator on upper-level math
tests (elementary algebra and intermediate
algebra) of the ASSET but NOT on the basic
numerical skills test. You may use a
calculator on all of the COMPASS mathematics
tests. Calculator use is not required; all
problems on the upper-level math tests can
be solved without using a calculator.
Calculators are not provided; you must bring
your own and may not share.
The following types
of calculators are allowed, but only if they
are used as noted:
The
following types of calculators are not
allowed:
Return
to Top
CAN
YOU STUDY FOR THE TEST?
You
should not try to learn new skills before
taking the test, but if you have been out of
school for a year or more, a review of the
subjects may prove to be helpful. You may
find materials to help you in public
libraries and local bookstores.
The writing portion consists of choosing
whether a passage is written correctly or
should be rewritten according to an
alternative paragraph or sentence. The
reading portion consists of passages to read
and questions to answer about the content.
The math portion includes addition,
subtraction, division, multiplication of
fractions, decimals, whole numbers and
integers, word problems and basic algebra.
You may choose to review on your own by
working the sample exercises at the links
below:
See
What's New...
Sample
Questions for ASSET
& COMPASS!
Return
to Top
WHEN
DO YOU RECEIVE THE RESULTS?
After
taking COMPASS, your results will be
discussed with you immediately. ASSET
results will also be given immediately at
the Greenwood Campus; however, if you take
ASSET at a county center, the results will
be available in three or four days. You will
receive an advising report that summarizes
the information of the Educational Planning
Form and recommends courses for you.
Return
to Top
NEED
TO KNOW INFORMATION
-
Testing
or exemption from testing is required
prior to advisement and registration for
classes. Plan to complete testing
requirements in advance of registration to
avoid any delay in your enrollment. For
details, please call the Admissions Office
at the Greenwood Campus at (864) 941-8369
or one of the County Centers.
Greenwood
To schedule an appointment for a placement
test on the Greenwood Campus contact the
Enrollment Center at Admissions Office at
(864) 941-8369.
County
Centers
To schedule a placement test at a County
Center, call your
County
Center to learn about appointment times.
Return
to Top
|
|
|