Accuplacer Placement Tests

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Accuplacer Placement Test

Northwestern uses the Accuplacer for placement prior to enrollment.  Students who have an ACT subtest score of 18 or lower in English, science, math, or reading must take the Accuplacer in the corresponding area.  The test determines placement in the appropriate courses; the complete placement policy is given in the Undergraduate Catalog.

Test Information:

  • The Accuplacer is given on the computer.
  • There are four separate tests:  Reading Comprehension, Sentence Skills, Arithmetic, and Elementary Algebra.
  • Tests are not timed.  They contain from 12 to 20 questions each and can take 20 minutes or more to complete.
  • Placement testing is done through the Recruitment Office.  Before taking the placement test, students must fill out an application for admission, pay the application fee, and take the ACT.

Test Descriptions:

  • The Reading Comprehension Test includes two types of questions.  The first type involves identifying main and supporting ideas and drawing inferences from a reading passage.  The second type involves answering questions about the relationship between two sentences, whether they support, repeat, or contradict each other.
  • The Sentence Skills Test includes two types of questions.  The first type consists of correction questions, in which the student selects an appropriate word or phrase to substitute for a portion of a given sentence.  The second type, construction shift questions, requires a sentence to be rewritten according to specified criteria.
  • The Arithmetic Test includes three different types of questions. The first involves operations with numbers and fractions, the second type involves operations with decimals and percents, and the third type involves applications and problem solving.
  • The Elementary Algebra Test includes three different types of questions. The first involves operations with integers and rational numbers, the second type involves operations with algebraic expressions, and the third type involves the solutions of equations, inequalities, and word problems.