Placement

Your success as a college student depends, to a large degree, on enrolling in courses that match your abilities and skills. Assessment includes testing, as well as other measures, and is intended to assist students in determining the best fit between your skills and class requirements. In order to ensure proper Math and English course selections, students applying through CCCApply are assigned Milestone/Skill levels that will assist with choosing the right course. If you have graduated more than 5 years ago from High School you may take a Placement Assistance test at the college Assessment Center. New students to college should attend orientation. A qualifying score from the College Board Advanced Placement English or Math Exam may be taken directly to the college Counseling office for consideration. Please refer to the College Catalog for AP exam score requirements.

ASSESSMENT TESTS

Placement Assist Test are offered at City, Mesa and Miramar colleges.

• Placement Assistant
  While most students will be assessed at the time of college application, some students may need to take the Placement Assistant.  The Placement Assistant determines your English and Math skill level based upon your performance in high school.  Students who are already assessed through CCCApply cannot re-assess through Placement Assistant, those student may go through the challenge process.
  
  
• English Placement Test for Non-Native English Speakers (English Language Acquisition - ELAC)
  The ELAC Program is designed to prepare students to read, write, speak and listen at a level that enables them to succeed in college courses. If you are interested in taking ELAC classes, please take our self-guided assessment tool: ELAC Go at https://bit.ly/sdelacgo. This test is appropriate if English is not your primary language, you are not very comfortable with English, or if you speak, read, and write your native language most of the time. The program consists of four levels and the student is assigned a level based on the results of his or her placement test.

 

UNDERSTANDING THE RESULTS OF THE PLACEMENT TESTS

Depending on the tests you take, you will receive a Milestone/Skill level ranging from 30 to 50 in one or more of the following areas:

• Reading (R)
• Writing (W)
• ELAC (L)
• Math (M)

Use the following resources to determine what classes you are eligible to take based on your skill level: