Course Placement
Contact Us: Please fill out this form to receive more information about Course Placement. For further questions, email assessment@hcc.edu or call 413.552.2015. On the day of the assessment, you will need to provide a valid photo ID. The Assessment Center is located in the Campus Center in room 164.
After you've been admitted to HCC, the next step is to determine if you are ready to take college-level Math or college-level English courses. Many students do this by taking our course assessment, but there are other ways to prove college readiness through multiple measures.
Check if you need to take the Course Placement (Test)
Taking the Course Placement
Please fill out this form to receive more information about course placement.
It's important to put your best foot forward and prepare for your assessment! This assessment will determine which course you should start in so you can be the most successful.
If you have a disability and require accommodations, please contact the Office for Students with Disabilities and Deaf Services and request course placement accommodations. To fill out the request form you will need to log in using your HCC email address. Use this guide for help setting up your HCC email address.
PREPARING FOR THE Course Placement
The assessment is computerized and is untimed except for one section.
English Section
- Reading (untimed)
- 20 multiple choice questions
- To study, create an account for the ACCUPLACER study app by clicking here (Make sure to select the ACCUPLACER Reading option)
- Essay Portion (timed)
- You will be given 60 minutes to write a response to a prompt
- The essay is not based on factual knowledge, but rather your ability to write a composed and organized essay
- You are expected to write 3-5 paragraphs with a thesis statement, supporting arguments, introduction, and conclusion
To prepare for the essay, click here
Math Section (untimed)
For math assessment, you will take up to four assessments, each section has 10 questions:
- Arithmetic
- Introductory Algebra
- Intermediate Algebra
- Advanced functions
You can prepare for this assessment by using HCC's free Math Prep Programs. Register online with HCC's Math Center to get started! To fill out the request form you will need to log in using your HCC email address. Use this guide for help setting up your HCC email address.
MATH SELF-PLACEMENT
There is an optional math self-placement assessment for students who are looking to be placed into math classes up to Statistics (MTH 142) and Math 013. Practice through MyOpenMath.com Course ID 71658 and the Enrollment key of YouGotThis! Step-by-step directions for enrolling in MyOpenMath. A link for the self-placement assessment will be provided when you complete the practice in MyOpenMath.
You can only take this self-placement assessment option once and your first attempt will be used for placement. Once completed, you will receive your recommended math placement through your HCC email and you can contact the ACT Center to go over your scores.
*Please note that this self-placement is not for students who wish to be placed into College Algebra or higher.
