Placement Testing

The Admissions Office is the first step. Students who need a placement test or think they need a placement test should visit or email Admissions (admissions@gtcc.edu).

If the Admissions Office determines that a placement test is necessary, they will send the assessment center a testing referral. The assessment center will then reach out to the student via their GTCC email to set up any required testing. Please do not try to set up a placement test without speaking to admissions first.

Frequently Asked Questions

Placement testing is required only for:

  • International students
  • Students who hold an Adult High School Diploma

All other students will be placed based on their high school GPA.

Optional Testing

You may choose to take a placement test if you feel your GPA-based placement doesn’t reflect your current skill level. Example: If you graduated high school 20 years ago with a 2.8 GPA and are placed into college-level math, but haven’t taken a math class since, you might benefit from a refresher course first.

Tip: Speak with an admissions advisor to determine whether taking a placement test is the right choice for you.

Ways to Receive Credit Without Placement Testing

You may receive English/math credit if you meet any of the following criteria:

Option Requirements
ACT or SAT Scores Must be less than 10 years old and meet required score threshold
College-Level Coursework English or math courses completed at another institution may be accepted here
Degree Completion Earned an associate or bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited institution
Other Placement Scores Taken within the past 10 years and aligned with our placement crosswalk

Validity of Placement Scores

Scores up to 10 years old may be accepted if they are available in your student record or in paper format

The assessment center will communicate this information to students through their GTCC email accounts only if we receive a testing referral from the Admissions Office.

GTCC administers placement tests via Edready.

English

There is one English placement test. Students must earn a score of 70 or higher to place into ENG 111. If the student scores below a 70, they will be placed into ENG 025.

Students may take the English placement test a maximum of two times – one original and one retest (retesting is allowed only if the student scores between a 60 and 69).

Math

There are two math placement tests. Students will be required to take both tests, regardless of their chosen program.

The first math placement test is the MAT 025 test. If students pass this test with a score of 70 or higher, they will be eligible to take MAT 143 or MAT 152.

The second math placement test is the MAT 035 test. If students pass this test with a score of 70 or higher, they will be eligible to take any gateway math (MAT 143, MAT 152, MAT 121, MAT 171).

Students who do not score a 70 or higher will be placed in either MAT 025 or MAY 035, depending on their program of study. This decision should be made with the help of an academic advisor or student success coach. 

Students may take each math placement test a maximum of two times – one original and one retest (retesting is allowed only if the student scores between a 60 and 69).

Each placement test takes about 60 minutes to complete. Some students finish quicker, and some take longer to complete the tests. Placement tests are not timed and do not have to be completed in a single session.

To prepare for your placement test, please view the following documents. Please note that current placement testing only has one English test and two math tests, but the content is similar to what you will encounter when testing.