Writing Placement Assessment
Good writing skills are essential no matter what you're studying in college. The Writing Placement Assessment will gauge your writing ability to determine if you require remediation. It will ensure that you are placed in the correct classes during your first semester at Columbus State.
Practice is The Best Preparation
Before you test, be sure to review. Proper placement is important to your success in college. Your scores will determine if you will be required to take remedial writing course(s) or if you start with a college-level course.
It's important to understand that, while remedial writing courses are critical for some students, they do not count toward your degree. Scoring 5 or higher on your Writing Placement Assessment will allow you to begin your first semester in college-level courses that apply toward your major, saving you time and money!
Practice Tests
Click the links below to take practice tests. This is an important step because it will help you get an idea of what the test is like, and what your score might be if you took the test today. It also reviews material that will be on the test to help you achieve your best score.
- Resources for Students - Accuplacer Assessments
- Accuplacer Writing Sample Questions
- WritePlacer Essay Study Guide
- WritePlacer Essay Guide
- English Study Guide - Mesa Community College
Taking the Test
Test Format
For the Writing Placement Assessment, you will be asked to:
- Read a short passage that ends with a writing prompt.
- Develop an opinion with supporting reasons, explanations, and examples.
- Write a 300-600 word formal academic essay (on a computer) in standard, edited English.
Timing, Cost, and Testing Rules
- There is no charge to take the Writing Placement Assessment. You are eligible to retake the assessment one time in two years.
- Most students take the Writing and Reading Placement Assessments at the same time. Neither assessment is timed, and most students take 45 - 60 minutes for each part. Plan to spend two or more hours in the testing location.
- You must complete the Writing Assessment in one sitting. If you run out of time, the Reading portion can be completed on a separate day.
Assessment Scores
Score |
Course |
|
Scores of 0-3 |
Basic Composition - ENGL 0155 |
Remedial Course |
Score of 4 |
Fundamentals of College Writing - ENGL 0199 AND Composition 1W: Composition Workshop - ENGL 1101 |
College Level Course with Support Course - Courses are corequisites and are taken concurrently |
Scores of 5-8 |
Composition I - ENGL 1100 |
College Level Course |
Retrieving Your Scores
Accuplacer Score Reports can be accessed by going to Accuplacer.org. Click on Student Portal and enter your information. Accuplacer will email your results to the email address you entered when you took the assessment. If you need your report and cannot access it through the portal, please email us from your Columbus State student email account to request a copy.