Studying for the Accuplacer Placement Exam - Study Tips and Exam Info
The ACCUPLACER is a computerized Placement test, also called CPT, which determines which English, Math, and Reading courses are the best for you.
CPTs are a computerized adaptive test, so the questions that you get depend on your answers to previous questions. The questions will not be too easy or too difficult for you, and the more knowledge of the subject that you demonstrate in your answers, the more difficult the questions will become.
Questions will be presented one at a time and there is no time limit for answering. Questions are multiple choice and you must answer each question. You can only change your answers up to the time that you move to the next question. After that you cannot change your answer.
The Accuplacer has 5 basic components, reading comprehension, sentence skills, arithmetic, elementary algebra and college level math.Answering Multiple choice questions
First and most important, read the instructions carefully. The instructions may be, "choose the most correct answer" or "mark the one best answer," or "mark all correct answers."
Next read the multiple choice question carefully. Make sure you understand what is being asked. Read all of the choices (called alternatives) before making a choice.
If you know the answer, then select the right answer. Think about it for a moment to make sure it is the correct answer and move on to the next.
Here are some general tips for multiple choice questions :
- "All of the above" and "none of the above." can be tricky. Look at all of the alternatives carefully and make sure that all or none apply. Even if one of the alternatives applies (or doesn't apply), then "all of the above" or "none of the above" cannot be the correct answer and it can be eliminated.
- Watch negatives in the question like "none", "not", "never", or "neither." This indicates the correct alternative must be a fact. The other alternatives may be true, but that doesn't mean they are the correct answer.
- Watch superlatives like "every", "all", "none", "always", and "only." These indicate the answer much be absolutely true in all cases.
The test also has a reading comprehension section. The secret of answering reading comprehension is focusing. First read through the entire passage and the questions. Many students try reading the questions first, and then looking for answers in the passage thinking that this approach is more efficient. What these students do not realize is that it is often hard to navigate in unfamiliar territory. If you do not familiarize yourself with the passage first, looking for answers become not only time-consuming but also dangerous because you might miss the context of the answer you are looking for.
Familiarize yourself with the different types of reading comprehension questions. If you are familiar with the common types of questions, you are able to take note of important parts of the passage, saving you the time you might consume looking for answers. There are six major kinds of reading comprehension questions.
Here are some of the main types:
- Main Idea- Questions that ask for the central thought or significance of the passage.
- Specific Details- Questions that asks for explicitly stated ideas.
- Drawing Inferences- Questions that asks for a statement’s intended meaning.
- Tone or Attitude- Questions that test your ability to sense the emotional state of the author.
- Context Meaning- Questions that ask for the meaning of a word depending on the context.
- Technique- Questions that ask for the method of organization or the writing style of the author.
Read. Read. Read. The best preparation for reading comprehension tests is always to read, read and read. If you are not used to reading lengthy passages, you are sure to lose concentration. Increase your attention span by making a habit out of reading.
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