Overview of the Computerized Placement Tests™ (CPTs)™

The CPTs are not timed (take as long as you need to complete them). Most students take between 30 and 40 minutes to complete each test.

You may leave your testing session at any time (for example, for illness or a scheduled appointment). You can return to complete the testing any time within five workdays. When you recommence, you will begin at the exact point at which you left.

Questions on the CPTs are randomly selected and no two students will have the same questions. Therefore, if you retake the same test, you will be presented with a different set of questions. For this reason, retesting is allowed. However, evidence shows that, without significant intervention (that is, study, coursework, or the like) between testing sessions, the scores will vary only slightly. It should be pointed out that, barring extraordinary circumstances or intervention, retest scores tend to be slightly lower than the original scores.

Reading Comprehension

• 20 questions of two types:
• A reading passage followed by a question based on the text that relates to the main or a secondary idea presented, the application of the information contained in the text, or an inference based on the text.
• Two sentences followed by a question about the relationship between them (for example, if the second sentence supports the first, contradicts it, or repeats the same information).
• Scores range on a scale of 20 to 120.

Sentence Skills

• 20 questions of two types:
• Sentence-correction questions in which you are asked to choose the most appropriate word or phrase to substitute for the underlined portion of the sentence.
• Construction-shift questions in which you are asked to rewrite a sentence according to given criteria while maintaining essentially the same meaning as the original.
• Some test questions deal with the logic of the sentence presented, others with whether or not the answer is a complete sentence, and still others with the relationship between coordination and subordination.
• Scores range on a scale of 20 to 120.

Multiple Measures and Skill Labs

Test scores are only one way to measure skills. In order to achieve a clearer picture of your abilities and potentials, you should review your scores, past academic achievements, and nontraditional (job/life) experiences with an SCC counselor or a member of the faculty in the department in which you intend to enroll. If you believe you should be allowed to enroll in a higher-level writing class than recommended because your writing skills are better than your test scores indicate, please study the booklet “English Department Entry Skills Guide” (available at the Counseling Center) before seeing a counselor to discuss this concern.

If you feel under-prepared or “rusty” in a skill area (reading, writing, mathematics), it could be very useful to enroll in an English Skills Lab prior to taking regular academic courses. Labs provide you with one-on-one, customized help, and operate on a variable-unit/drop-in basis to meet your scheduling needs.

Sample CPT™ Questions

The following are samples of the types of questions found in both the Reading Comprehension and in the Sentence Skills components of the CPTs. You will answer 20 questions in each test. The questions are drawn randomly from question pools. They begin at a moderate level of difficulty and vary up or down based on the correctness of your answers. The questions are also balanced on the basis of content categories, including the social sciences, natural and physical sciences, human relations and practical affairs, and the arts.

As with any testing, be sure you read and understand the question and all available responses before you select the most appropriate one. You will be asked to validate your answer before going on to the next question. You may change your answer anytime before you validate it. However, once you have validated your answer, moving you to the next question, you will not be able to return to make any changes in prior questions.