What Are College Placement Exams and Who Takes Them?

College placement exams for undergraduate students are used by Peirce College to assess the math and English skills of admitted students and to place them in the appropriate level courses. Students who apply to Peirce without transfer credit (or a grade of C or below) in English 101 and/or college-level math are required to take these placement exams. A link to take the English placement test will be provided to you by your Enrollment representative and graded by Peirce faculty. The math placement test (called ACCUPLACER) is a proctored exam and is taken virtually.  Special accommodations are available for students with disability.

If you have taken the SAT or ACT standardized tests, speak to your Admissions Advisor about possibly using those scores instead of taking our college placement exams.

How Do I Prepare?

The math placement exam covers arithmetic and beginning algebra topics. The English exam consists of writing an essay.

ACCUPLACER study material: Arithmetic and Writeplacer (English)

What Happens After I Take the Placement Exams?

After your college placement exams have been scored, you will be guided by your Admissions Advisor to select your courses. Students who score below the cut-off for college-level courses are required to take the 14-week version of English 101 and/or Math 101 (with supplemental instruction). Retesting is permitted after 14 days from the date you took the test. If you qualify to retest, your Admission Advisor will guide you through the process as applicable (retesting is an option, not mandatory). Students who test into the 7-week version of English 101 or Math 101 may opt into the 14-week version of the course if they choose.

English Placement Levels and Courses:

ENGLISH WRITING SCORECOLLEGE PLACEMENT
10 or abovePlacement into ENG101-English Composition (7 week format)
6-9.5Placement into ENG010-Introduction to College Reading and Composition (14 week format w/supplemental instruction) 
Below 5.5Students will be referred to their Admissions Advisors for remedial options.

Math Placement Levels and Courses:

ACCUPLACER MATH SCORECOLLEGE PLACEMENT
250 or higherPlacement into MAT 101 (7 week format)
249 and belowPlacement into MAT 101 (14 Week format w/supplemental instruction)

Students who readmit to the College without transfer credit or who have not successfully completed English 101 and/or college-level math must adhere to this policy.

Information for Students with Disabilities

In our commitment to ensuring that no otherwise qualified student with a disability is subjected to unlawful discrimination in the context of his/her educational experience, Peirce College makes certain that students with disabilities are provided equal access to educational and career development programs and/or student activities. Consequently, the College will make, on behalf of qualified students with learning and physical disabilities of which the College is aware, reasonable accommodations that do not impose undue hardships on the College.

If a student believes he/she requires a reasonable accommodation or has a question regarding educational services, activities, programs or facilities that are accessible to or usable by students with disabilities, please contact the Facilitator, Perkins Grant & Student Disability Services Coordinator in the Mary W. Walker '33 Center for Academic Excellence, 2nd Floor Alumni Hall (215-670-9251). All information associated with a disclosure of this nature is confidential, and the College will communicate this information to others only on a need-to-know basis.

Have More Questions About Our College Placement Exams?

If you have more questions regarding placement exams, contact the Enrollment Office at 1.888.467.3472, ext. 9214 or email admissions@peirce.edu.


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