Placement Test "COMPASS"
Placement Test "COMPASS" Computer Adaptive Placement Assessment and Support System
Western New Mexico University considers appropriate course placement to be essential to success in all academic areas. In order to assist students and advisors in selecting the best courses, the ACT-COMPASS assessment has been implemented.
COMPASS is administered on a computer using a standard keyboard. The test is designed to determine skill levels in one or more basic academic areas: Reading, Writing/English, and/or Mathematics.
There is no charge to take the COMPASS test.
The test can be taken Monday through Friday at 9:00 am or 2:00 pm. Usually new students take the COMPASS test when they attend new student orientation.
COMPASS Test Taking Tips
Bring your driver's license or another form of picture I.D.
If you wear glasses or contacts, be sure to have them with you.
DO YOUR BEST. Test scores will be used to place you in the appropriate classes.
Calculators are not allowed, but you will be able to use scratch paper.
Be well rested before the test. Most students complete the test under two hours.
Your test results will be available immediately following your test. Keep your test results as you might need them at a later date.
Once you finish your test you will receive instructions to help you with course selection and the registration process.
TRANSFER students should contact the Academic Support Center at (575) 538-6503 to determine if previous coursework will exempt them from taking the COMPASS test.
The Purpose of the Tests: ACT COMPASS is composed of three tests in the following subject areas: writing, reading, and mathematics. By assessing ability levels in these areas, the COMPASS will help to determine appropriate writing, mathematics, and reading courses.
Reading Placement Test: The Reading Test focuses on reading comprehension. This section contains two basic types of questions: multiple choice and text highlighting. For these items, the examinee determines the correct alternative. Two to four passages may be presented from the following areas: humanities, prose fiction, natural sciences, and/or social sciences. The reading skills assessed are referring and reasoning. Referring items ask about information that is explicitly stated in the passage. Reasoning items measure skills in critical understanding, determining specific meanings, and inferences. In some instance, students are given a set of items that are used to measure prior knowledge of a passage topic. The purpose of the Prior knowledge section is to determine the level of "common" knowledge a student initially had about the general topic of the passage. The Reading Test determines whether the student has the reading skills necessary to succeed in college level courses or whether skill building courses are required.
Writing Skills Placement Test: The Writing Skills Test determines whether a student has the skills and knowledge to succeed in a college-level composition course. This test evaluates editing skills that are used for checking passages for errors. Students are required to identify an error and then to correctly select an appropriate revision. The passage errors assess sentence structure, grammar and usage, and punctuation. A final set of questions measures a student's organizational and rhetorical skills. The test determines placement into a developmental English course or an English Composition I course.
Mathematics Placement Test: The mathematics test assesses students' knowledge in three levels of math skill: pre-algebra/numerical skills, algebra and college algebra. Pre-algebra/numerical items range from basic math concepts an skill (integers, fractions, and decimals) to the knowledge and skill that are required in the entry-level algebra course (absolute values, percentages and exponents). The algebra items are essentially questions from elementary and intermediate algebra (equation, polynomials, formula manipulations, and algebraic expressions). The college algebra test items measure three general levels of performance: basic skills, applications, and analysis. Basic skills require the operations in complex settings. Analysis items require demonstrating a conceptual understanding of the essential principles and relationships that are relevant to each of those math skills.