Garden City Community College

Testing Center: Course Placement

Through Your Success We Find Success

To assist with placement for enrollment, GCCC will accept your high school transcript, Accuplacer, ACT, SAT, GED, or Nelson-Denny Reading Test scores completed within the last three years. To enroll you, your advisor will utilize the best combination of any placement scores submitted.

If you are unable to provide prior testing results as noted above, you will be required to take the Accuplacer Test. All certificate and degree-seeking students need to complete reading, writing and math placement tests. Submitting an official college transcript showing successful completion (grade C or better) in English I and/or college algebra can exempt you from testing.

Review

Accuplacer is an untimed, internet-based placement test. GCCC utilizes three tests for course placement. Both the reading and math (Quantitative Reasoning, Algebra & Statistics) tests have 20 questions each. The writing test is comprised of 25 questions. All tests are multiple choice. These Accuplacer tests are also adaptive, which means your prior response to each question influences the next question you receive. Therefore, any given tests level of difficulty changes as you take it and the more correct responses you give, the higher your placement score will be. 

We encourage you to review prior to taking Accuplacer. You can download sample questions (PDF documents) at https://accuplacer.collegeboard.org/student/practice  and/or download the web-based app (https://accuplacerpractice.collegeboard.org/login). 

The web-based study app features practice tests in each test subject and is available through most internet-accessible devices. The app will help you become familiar with the content and format of Accuplacer test questions. The apps sample test questions also explain correct and incorrect responses. You can also save your work at any time and return to it when you want.

 For a more thorough review prior to utilizing the Accuplacer app, study content on the following websites: 

• MathTV - 10,000+ math tutorial videos from basic mathematics through calculus
• Khan Academy -  Grammar and a comprehensive range of math topics, both supported by video lessons.
• ESLAmerica - The English language website where everything has sound!  

Tips for Testing

Most people naturally experience some degree of anxiety when approaching a testing situation. Arrive a few minutes early, relax, gather your thoughts and keep in mind the following advice: 

• Accuplacer is untimed; however, most students comfortably complete testing within 90 minutes to 2 hours.
• The test is not pass/fail. The purpose of assessment is to determine your current skill level and to enroll you in courses that will foster your academic success.
• Assessment affects the number of courses you are required to complete. Therefore, it is in your best interest to take your time and to demonstrate your best academic performance. Read all directions and if you do not know an answer to a question, try to eliminate one or more choices. You can change your answer on a particular question, but you must do so before you continue to the next question.
• Taking the test when you are tired, hungry or not feeling well, may produce results that do not reflect your true abilities. We recommend you complete Accuplacer later. Take the test at a time when you feel most alert.
• Notify staff if you prefer to test away from other students due to being easily distracted or you experience frequent test anxiety.
• Accuplacer has an accessibility wizard that can be used at any time by clicking on the icon located on the top right of every page of the test. This feature will allow you to adjust the font type and size, color scheme and line spacing. 
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Testing Times

To schedule an appointment to test, call 620-276-9654 or send an email to gina.cavasos@gcccks.edu

Remote Testing

To arrange for Accuplacer testing at a community college or university near you, email the Testing Center at gina.cavasos@gcccks.edu to determine exactly which tests you need and/or to confirm a suitable alternative test. We can arrange remote Accuplacer testing for you, however, most institutions will charge you a proctoring fee to take the test in their testing center.

Students wishing to complete Accuplacer testing at GCCC for use at another college are responsible for contacting their schools testing center and having staff arrange for remote testing through the Accuplacer Remote Testing Network. A $25 fee (cash, check, charge) is due from you on the day of testing. 

Retest Policy

 GCCC allows students one free placement retest per enrollment period. 

Students seeking an addition, final retest are required to show proof of retest preparation/review. Students can demonstrate preparation by downloading and printing out their Accuplacer app history or similar data from a Khan Academy account. Students can also provide study prep documentation by working with the GCCC Tutoring Center located in the Saffell Library. We recommend at least 10 hours of remediation. 

There is a $15 fee for this final retest. 

Placement Test Score Release

Are you transferring and need to submit your placement scores to another institution? Visit the Testing Center or contact gina.cavasos@gcccks.edu to complete the Placement Test Score Release Form to authorize GCCC to issue your results to another college.  

GED (General Educational Development)    

The GED test is a high school equivalency exam developed by the GED Testing Service of the American Council on Education (ACE). The credential received for passing the test is widely recognized by colleges, training schools and employers as comparable to a high school diploma.

GCCC offers GED preparation classes and practice testing to help students get ready for official GED testing. Visit the Adult Learning Center in the lower level of the Student & Community Services Center or contact them at 620-276-0365. 

The Testing Center, through Pearson VUE (http://www.pearsonvue.com), administers the official GED. Create an account at https://www.ged.com to learn more about the GED, rules specific to Kansas and to register for the test. 

Nelson-Denny Reading Test 

The Nelson-Denny Reading Test is a standardized reading assessment that converts reading ability into a grade-level equivalent in 35 minutes. The Nelson-Denny includes two parts: Vocabulary and Comprehension. The first part of the test, Vocabulary, consists of 80 to 100 multiple-choice items, each with five response options. The time allowed for the Vocabulary section is 15 minutes. The second part, Comprehension, requires students to read 5 to 8 passages and to respond to 36 to 38 multiple-choice questions based on the content of those passages. The time allowed for the Comprehension section is 20 minutes. 

Retesting requires permission from the Nursing Department. 

Testing Times

Contact the Nursing Department to schedule an appointment. Call 620-276-9560 or send an email to mary.burillo@gcccks.edu