ACCUPLACER Test Guide

ACCUPLACER is a set of placement tests from College Board. Colleges, and some high schools, use your scores, often along with your high school record, to decide which reading, writing and math courses you’re ready for. Placing higher can let you skip noncredit developmental courses, which saves time and money, so it’s worth preparing.

The tests

Your college decides which tests you take. Each test is multiple choice and computer-adaptive: each question is chosen based on how you answered the ones before.

Test	Questions	What it covers
Arithmetic	20	Whole numbers, fractions, decimals and percents
Quantitative Reasoning, Algebra, and Statistics (QAS)	20	Rational numbers, ratios, linear equations, basic geometry and statistics
Advanced Algebra and Functions (AAF)	20	Linear, quadratic, polynomial and exponential functions, and trigonometry
Reading	20	Understanding and analyzing passages
Writing	25	Revising and editing: grammar, usage and organization

In most cases there’s no time limit, but your school or test center will confirm.

Is there a passing score?

No one passes or fails ACCUPLACER. Each test is scored from 200 to 300, and each college sets the scores it uses to place students into courses. Ask your school which scores you need for the courses you want.

Calculators

Only some math questions allow a calculator. Those questions show a calculator icon and give you an on-screen calculator. You can’t bring your own unless it’s an approved accommodation, so practise without one.

Signing up and retakes

You take ACCUPLACER through the college or test center that asks for it. Fees, scheduling and retest rules are set by each school, so check with yours.

How hard is ACCUPLACER?

Because the test is adaptive, it gets harder as you answer correctly, so almost everyone finds some questions difficult. That’s by design and doesn’t mean you’re doing badly. Arithmetic covers middle-school math, QAS covers roughly Algebra I, and AAF goes up through Algebra II and some precalculus, so the right test depends on the course you’re aiming for.

How to study

If you have two weeks: take a practice test in each subject your college requires, then spend most of your time on the weakest one. For math, review fractions, percents and solving equations without a calculator. For Writing, review sentence boundaries, verb agreement and punctuation.

If you have four weeks: add a second week of math practice, and retake practice tests at the end to make sure your accuracy has improved. Take your time on the real test: since it usually isn’t timed, rushing only costs you.

Start with free practice: try the ACCUPLACER practice tests on the home page.