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ACT Compass is a computer-adaptive college placement test that lets educators (a) evaluate incoming students' skill levels in Reading, Writing Skills, Writing Essay, Math, and English as a Second Language; (b) place students in appropriate courses, and (c) connect students to the resources they need to achieve academic success.  

The Reading, Writing Skills, and Math tests all utilize multiple choice items in quantities that vary by test.  Each of these tests contain both placement and diagnostic tests.

The Math Placement Test is a multiple-choice test that evaluates students' ability levels in terms of basic skills such as performing a sequence of basic operations, application skills such as applying sequences of basic operations to novel settings or in complex ways, and analysis skills such as demonstrating conceptual understanding of principles and relationships for mathematical operations.  The Math Placement Test offers up to five subject areas: pre-algebra, algebra, college algebra, geometry, and trigonometry.  This math test evaluates students' skill levels in 15 subareas in Pre-Algebra and Algebra: integers; decimals; exponents, square roots, and scientific notation; fractions; percentages; ratios and proportions; averages (means, medians, and modes); substituting values; setting up equations; factoring polynomials; exponents and radicals; basic operations/polynomials; linear equations/one variable; linear equations/two variables; and rational expressions.

Writing Skills Placement Test is a multiple-choice test that requires students to find and correct errors in essays in the areas of usage and mechanics, including basic grammar, punctuation and sentence structure, and rhetorical skills, including strategy, organization and style.  The Writing Skills Diagnostics Tests evaluate students' skill levels in eight content domains: punctuation, spelling, capitalization, usage, verb formation/agreement, relationships of clauses, shifts in construction, and organization.  

The Reading Placement Test is a multiple-choice test that helps determine if students have the reading skills they need to succeed in standard entry-level college courses.  Five types of reading comprehension passages are included: practical reading, prose fiction, humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences.  The Reading Diagnostics Tests enable evaluation of students' specific skills in the areas of: reading comprehension, vocabulary, and reader profile.

The link provides access to Compass test purchase, documentation, sample questions, and other resources.

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