College Assessment Testing
For Middle College applicants
Reminders
You must bring your student identification number (G#), and a photo ID to testing; otherwise you will not be admitted that day. Pictures on your phone of your photo ID are not acceptable. Check in for testing at the Welcome Desk at the bottom of Building 9, near Admissions and Records. The test begins promptly at the start time, so arrive ten minutes early to check in.
The tests are taken on the computer and are self-paced. Testing usually takes between 1.5 and 3 hours. There is an English section and a math section.
Afterwards, the testing center will communicate scores directly to Middle College; the Middle College advisors will review the scores the following work day. Applicants should complete any remaining steps they need to finish in the application process.
Please call the Assessment Center at 650-306-3452 to make an appointment. Provide your G# and identify yourself as a Middle College applicant.
Tips
Review before you take the exam. There is no practice test, but you can practice.
English Assessment:
http://accuplacerpracticetest.com/
https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/section/1/
Math Assessment:
http://www.aleks.com/free_trial/
http://www.wtamu.edu/academic/anns/mps/math/mathlab/
Complete all of the problems. You cannot skip questions. The problems must be done in order. The “I don’t know” answer should only be used if you have never seen that particular type of problem. Do not use the forward and backward arrows on your browser. They will not work. You will not receive a score unless you complete the exam and your pie chart and percentage are given.
Make sure you have 2-3 hours to dedicate to testing and try to complete the test in one sitting.
For the math assessment, follow all directions in ALEKS. This includes solving all problems without assistance and using only the calculator provided by ALEKS. It is important that your current knowledge is reflected in your test score, so try your best; otherwise, you may be placed in a math level that you've already completed and will essentially be repeating a class.
The questions are roughly ordered from elementary to advanced. The expectation is that less prepared students will answer fewer questions correctly than more prepared students. The test consists entirely of multiple choice questions, each with five choices. The test is scored as the number of correct answers, with no penalty for guessing. Each item has only one acceptable answer. The Mathematics Placement Test is designed as a test of skill and not speed. Ample time is allowed for most students to answer all questions.
Have plenty of paper available to completely work out every problem. You are more prone to make mistakes if you do not write out your work completely, clearly, and legibly.
Before you click “Next”, check your work often. Check every answer on your scratch paper, and check to make sure that you typed your answer into ALEKS correctly, as it appears on your paper.
Math Sections
Add, subtract, multiply and divide rational numbers (includes integers, fractions, and decimals).
Use the order of operations correctly to simplify expressions.
Be familiar with introductory algebra skills, such as distributing and combining like terms. Factor algebraic expressions, including quadratic expressions.
Simplify algebraic expressions.
Be able to use exponent rules. Note that exponents may not be integers. For instance, it is possible to have a rational number or an algebraic expression as an exponent.
Solve linear equations.
Solve literal equations for a given variable.
Know geometry definitions such as the definition for an equilateral triangle and the radius of a circle. Solve introductory geometry problems, such as finding the surface area of a three-dimensional figure or finding the area of a rectangle. Also, be able to solve more complex problems using geometry definitions.
Find the perimeter, area, and volume of geometric figures.
Algebra Section
Add, subtract, multiply and divide polynomials.
Solve quadratic and rational equations.
Solve and graph equations with inequalities.
Graph linear equations. Solve systems of linear equations.
Solve and graph equations with an absolute value.
Simplify radical expressions and solve radical equations.
Know the definition, notation, and interpretation of functions.
Be able to use the algebra of functions to solve problems. For instance, be able to use the fact that ( f g)(x) = f (g(x)) .
Understand and be able to solve problems with both rational and inverse functions. Understand and be able to solve problems with exponential and logarithmic functions. Also, be able to solve application problems with algebra, such as using logarithms to help determine the loudness of a sound.
Solve problems with complex numbers.
Solve problems related to the Theory of Equations, such as finding roots of polynomials and calculating the discriminant.
Know and be able to apply right triangle relationships, such the Pythagorean Theorem. Know and be able to use the distance formula.
Solve problems that involve parallel and perpendicular lines. An example of this would be using the parallel postulate to determine angle measurements. Solve problems that involve similar figures, such as using proportions to determine the lengths of the sides in two similar figures.
Solve problems involving circles and other conics, such as finding the area of a circle. Other conics include hyperbolas, ellipses, and parabolas.
Trigonometry Section
Know and be able to use basic trigonometry definitions and identities.
Use trigonometry to solve problems with triangles, such as finding the length of a side of a triangle using the sine function.
Know the graphs of trigonometric functions.
Understand the relationship between trigonometry and circles, including topics such as the unit circle and arc length.
Be able to solve more complex problems involving parallel and perpendicular lines.
Re-testing
Students may take the assessment exam only twice; your Middle College advisor will let you know if you should re-test.
All students who want to retest in Math must put in 5 hours of practice time before retesting. To access the test preparation AFTER you have tested for the first time, please go to https://www.aleks.com/ and type in the log in name and password you created during the initial testing session.
For English there is no remediation required, though reviewing and practicing is advised.