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Admission > Placement Testing

Placement Testing

Appropriate English and/or math placement is required for all English and math courses and for many other courses as well. Students who have not completed previous college courses in English and/or math should take the University of Hawaii Community College placement test. Computerized testing is available on a walk-in basis during most of the year. Test results are received immediately upon completion of the test.

Students may check with the testing center at Iliahi 127 or call 734.9144 for current information on testing dates and times. For disabled students who wish to take the tests, arrangements can be made through the Special Student Services Office at 734.9552.

Location and Hours

You cannot "fail" COMPASS. The tests in COMPASS are PLACEMENT tests, and their purpose is to place you into the math or English class that best suits you. When you take a COMPASS test, you should try to do as well as you can so that you will be placed as accurately as possible.

If you don't try your best, you might end up in a class that is below your actual level of skill. Then you might waste a semester taking a class that's too easy for you. On the other hand, taking a class too difficult for you might also be a waste of time and money. If a class is too difficult, you might not be able to benefit from it, and you might end up having to take another class that is more suited to your skill level: you end up losing time and spending more money to take another class that you should have taken in the first place.

What to Bring

BRING IDENTIFICATION WITH YOU. WE MUST BE ABLE TO CONFIRM YOUR IDENTITY, OR WE CANNOT ADMINISTER THE TEST.

You need an identification card with your picture on it. You will also need something to verify your social security number. If, for example, you have a Hawaii State Driver's License or Hawaii State ID, it will have both your picture and social security number on it. If you have an ID card with your picture on it but NO social security number, you will need ANOTHER ID that will allow us to verify your social security number.

If you are doing a writing sample, bring pens. You will need pencils and an eraser to do scratch work for the math test. Some of the tests may have a multiple-choice part that you must "bubble-in" answers on computer forms, so bring No. 2 pencils.

DO NOT BRING a calculator or scratch paper for the COMPASS math test. Paper for the writing samples and scratch paper for the math test will be provided

Retesting

Once you have taken the COMPASS test, you may not retake it for 120 days. During that time, you should try to improve your knowledge and skill in the subject area, as well as familiarize yourself with test-taking procedures and strategy. Simply retaking the test without further preparation usually does not improve the results.

You may NOT retake COMPASS tests more than twice in one semester.

The results of COMPASS placement are valid for two years.

Within that two-year period, you may NOT be retested if:

1. you have taken a MATH or ENGLISH course and received a grade (A through F) for the course or

2. you are currently enrolled in a MATH or ENGLISH course.

Placement test results over two years old are no longer valid, and you must be tested again UNLESS you have taken a MATH or ENGLISH course and received a grade (A through D) for the course. If you have taken a course and received a grade, the outcome of that course determines your placement.