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Study Guide for the ACCUPLACER (CPT) Test
We suggest four test-taking strategies:
1. Take your time. The test is not
timed. Relax and choose your answers carefully without worrying
about the clock ticking. However, you should not skip answers and plan to return to them later. Try to give the best answer that you can before you continue with the next question.
2. Read Carefully. Be sure to understand
exactly what each question requires.
3. Think Carefully. The test requires one
to complete or substitute information for parts of given sentences.
Response should reflect clear language use.
4. Write before choosing an answer. Use
scratch paper to experiment with answers. Be sure to understand the
given options before answering.
Descriptions of the Tests
The following sample questions are similar to the format and content of questions
on the Accuplacer test. Reviewing these samples will give you a good idea of
how the test works and just what skills you may wish to review before taking
the test itself.
1. Reading Comprehension
This test is designed to measure how well you understand what
you read. It contains 20 questions. Some ask you to decide how two sentences
are related. Other questions ask you questions about reading passages of various
lengths. You will be asked to interpret and draw conclusions from what you
have read.
2. Sentence Skills
Two kinds of questions are given in this test. You will be asked to correct
a sentence by choosing a word or phrase to substitute for an underlined portion
of a sentence. In the other type of question, you will be asked to rewrite
a sentence is a specific way without changing the meaning. You will be presented
with a total of 20 questions.
3. Arithmetic
The Arithmetic test measures your skills in three primary categories:
- Operations with whole numbers and fractions.
Includes addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, recognizing equivalent
fractions and mixed numbers.
- Operations with decimals and percents
Includes addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division percent problems,
decimal recognition, fraction percent equivalencies, and estimation problems.
- Applications and problem solving
Includes rate, percent, and measurement problems, geometry problems, distribution
of a quantity into its fractional parts.
You will be presented with 17 questions.
4. Elementary Algebra
There are also three categories in the Elementary Algebra Test:
- Operations with integers and rational numbers
Includes computation with integers and negative rationals, the use of absolute
values, and ordering.
- Operations with algebraic expressions
Includes evaluations of simple formulas, expressions, and adding, subtracting
monomials and polynomials, the evaluation of positive rational roots and exponents,
simplifying algebraic fractions, and factoring.
- Equation solving, inequalities, and word problems
Includes solving verbal problems presented in algebraic context, geometric
reasoning, the translation of written phrases into algebraic expressions,
graphing
You will be presented with a total of 12 questions.
5. College-Level Mathematics
The College-Level mathematics test assesses proficiency from intermediate
algebra through precalculus. The categories covered include the following subject areas:
- Algebraic operations
Includes simplifying rational algebraic expressions, factoring and expanding
polynomials, manipulating roots and exponents.
- Solutions of equations and inequalities
Includes the solution of linear and quadratic equations by factoring, expanding
polynomials, manipulating roots and exponents.
- Coordinate geometry
Includes plane geometry, the coordinate plane, straight lines, conics, sets
of points in a plane, graphs of algebraic functions.
- Application and other algebra topics
Includes complex numbers, series and sequences, determinants, permutations, combinations, fractions, word problems.
- Functions and trigonometry
Includes polynomial, algebraic, exponential, logarithmic,
trigonometric functions.
Twenty questions are asked.
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