ABSTRACT
Placement testing of entering college freshmen is a common activity following admission into college; however, it may come as a surprise to the incoming student. Many 2-year and 4-year institutions require placement testing of incoming students to determine whether individual students have the knowledge and skills necessary to be successful in entry-level, credit-bearing courses or if remediation through some form of developmental education is required. While admissions standards may serve as a gateway to higher education at some institutions, many colleges, particularly community colleges, have adopted an open admissions model allowing access to higher education to a greater number of applicants than ever before. At these institutions the focus is placed more heavily on placement testing than on admissions testing. The question is not whether a student may attend college but in which class the student would be most appropriately enrolled in order to be successful during their college career. Frequently, incoming students have little knowledge, if any, of the need to take a placement test, the impact their performance on a placement test can have on their subsequent path of study, or how to prepare for the placement test.
