Who takes placement tests?

• All degree seeking students, unless exempt by one of the criteria below.
•  All students planning to take English or math classes.
•  Any student planning to enroll in classes with English and math pre- or co-requisites.
•  All students seeking admission to clinical nursing or allied health programs must take the English placement exam regardless of previous college-level English coursework. The only exception made is for those students who have earned a Baccalaureate degree from a United States accredited institution.
•  All credit students must take placement exams by the time they have accumulated 12 credits, regardless of academic goals.

When are students exempt from taking placement tests?

Students are exempt from taking placement tests under the following circumstances:

English (Reading and Sentence Skills) Placement Test Exemptions:

• Students who have submitted transcripts to the Office of Admissions and Advising showing completion of 3 credits of college-level English from an accredited postsecondary institution.
• Students with scores over 550 on the verbal portion of the SAT prior to March 2005.
• Students with scores over 550 on the SAT critical reading exam taken after March 2005.
• Students with a score of 21 or higher on the reading portion of the ACT are exempt from the reading comprehension exam.
• Students with a score of 21 or higher on the English portion of the ACT are exempt from the sentence skills exam.
• Students who completed the placement examination at a Maryland community college within two years.
• Students who completed the highest developmental level of reading or writing at another state of Maryland community college.

Math Placement Test Exemptions:

• Students transferring in college-level math courses from accredited postsecondary institutions.
• Students with an SAT math score over 550, unless seeking placement higher than MATH131 (College Algebra) or its equivalents.
• Students with an ACT math score of 21 or higher, unless seeking placement higher than MATH131 College Algebra or its equivalents.
• Students who completed the placement examination at a state of Maryland community college within two years.
• Students who completed the highest developmental level of mathematics or writing at another State of Maryland community college.
• Placement above College Algebra requires a college level math test regardless of SAT or ACT score.

When do students take placement tests?

Placement tests are administered after the student has applied for admission to the college. Plscement testesting is conducted on a walk-in basis. Call the Test Center at 410-772-4853 with any questions regarding the test.

Walk in Placement Testing

Monday 9:00 am - 7:00 pm

Tuesday 1:00 pm -  7:00 pm

Wednesday 9:00 am - 7:00 pm

Thursday 9:00 am - 7:00 pm

Friday 9:00 am - 1:00 pm

What tests are given?

The college administers ACCUPLACER English and math placement tests to assess students' skills in these areas. English placement testing includes a reading test which evaluates comprehension skills, and a sentence skills test which evaluates writing skills.  The math test is designed to evaluate skills in relation to those required for college math courses. The ACCUPLACER exams are computer based tests (CBT) developed by College Board. 

Students may be asked to write a paper and pencil based essay, if their ACCUPLACER sentence skills section is below a certain score. The essay exam is the only timed portion and students are allotted 45 minutes to write their essays.

All of these tests are placement tests - students do not "pass or fail" them and they do not affect admission to the college. They are used to place students in the appropriate college-level or college preparatory courses, based upon their skills.

How are the tests administered?

Computerized tests are administered on personal computers. Prior computer or typing experience is unnecessary for taking the tests. Easy to understand instructions appear on the computer screen. Almost all questions are multiple choice and answers are easily marked using the computer keyboard or mouse. A few questions will involve entering a simple response - for example, students enter name and social security number (i.e. student identification number).

Reading comprehension, sentence skills and math are untimed. While each test generally takes 15 - 30 minutes to complete, some students will take considerably longer.

The advantage of ACCUPLACER is that it is "adaptive". This means that the computer determines which questions are presented to each student based on their responses to previous questions. This results in a more accurate assessment of each student's skills by ensuring that the majority of questions they are asked are not too easy or too difficult. Therefore, students must select a response for EVERY question so that the computer can properly determine their range of skills.

Is it possible to prepare for placement tests?

Please see ACCUPLACER preparation page.

How long does placement testing take?

All the exams, with the exception of the essay, are untimed. Students taking the full battery of ACCUPLACER tests should plan to spend at least 2 hours at the Test Center.

How are test results obtained?

Students will receive a score report immediately following ACCUPLACER administration. Resulting course placement is available via a placement report within 2-3 days, or from an Advisor using the score report given to the student. Advisors and placement reports are available in RCF-245.

Students With Special Needs:

In accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), students who require testing accommodations are asked to contact the Student Support Services Office in RCF-302 or via telephone at 410-772-4629. The TDD# is 410-772-4023.

What is the retesting policy?

The reading comprehension, sentence skills, or math test may be retaken one time within a two year period, prior to enrollment in an English or math class.