Greenfield Community College

Types of placement tests

Five tests are available in The Computerized Placement Testing program. We will help you to determine which of these tests you should take. These tests include reading, sentence skills, arithmetic, elementary algebra, and college-level mathematics. In mathematics, all new students begin with the arithmetic test. Students then go on to the elementary algebra test and or to the college-level mathematics test, depending upon performance.

What kinds of questions are on the placement tests?

Reading Comprehension
This test is designed to measure how well you understand what you read. It contains 20 questions. Some are of the sentence relationship type in which you must choose how sentences are related. Other questions evaluate your comprehension of reading passages of varying lengths.

English Sentence Skills Test
The English Test covers standard written English. This test measures your understanding of sentence structure - how sentences are put together and what makes a sentence complete and clear.

Arithmetic
This test measures your ability to perform basic arithmetic operations and to solve problems that involve fundamental arithmetic concepts. There are addition, subtraction, multiplication and division problems as well as problems involving fractions, decimals and percentages.

Algebra
There are three categories of questions on the Algebra Test:

• Operations with integers and rational numbers:
  • computation with integers and negative rational numbers
    
  • the use of absolute values, and ordering
• Operations with algebraic expressions:
  
  • evaluation 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:
  • solving verbal problems presented in algebraic context
  • geometric reasoning
  • the translation of written phrases into algebraic expressions
  • graphing

College-level mathematics
This 20-question test assesses proficiency from intermediate algebra through pre-calculus. The categories include:

• Algebraic operations:
  
  • simplifying rational algebraic expressions
    
  • factoring and expanding polynomials
    
  • manipulating roots and exponents
• Solutions of equations and inequalities:
  
  • the solution of linear and quadratic equations by factoring
    
  • expanding polynomials
    
  • manipulating roots and exponents
• Coordinate geometry:
  • plane geometry
    
  • the coordinate plane, straight lines, conics, sets of points in a plane
    
  • graphs of algebraic functions
• Applications of other algebra topics:
  
  • complex numbers
    
  • series and sequences
    
  • determinants, permutations, combinations, fractions, word problems
• Functions and trigonometry:
  
  • polynomial, algebraic, exponential, logarithmic
    
  • trigonometric functions