Placement Testing

NPC is dedicated to student success.

To ensure that students select courses appropriate for their skill level, many students are required to participate in the course placement process. The following conditions define who must take part in the placement process:

• Students enrolling in courses with placement prerequisites who have not previously taken a placement test.
• Courses that require placement testing include all mathematics, English, and general education courses, as well as some program-specific courses, such as ATO courses, NAT 101 and EMT 132
  or EMT 244.
• Students pursuing an NPC associate degree of any type, a Certificate of Applied Science of any type, or the Arizona General Education Curriculum (AGEC).
• Speak with an NPC Academic Adviser to see if you need to take a placement test. Please allow about two hours to complete the tests. Call an adviser ahead of time to make an apointment for testing.

COST

• There is a $10 fee allowing you to take the basic test and, if needed, two retests in that  academic year. Students may not take the placement test more than three times per academic year.

Students may be exempt from the placement process if they meet one of the following criteria:

• Students providing proof of an accredited associates degree or higher, unless the degree includes no college-level mathematics.
• Students providing ASSET or COMPASS placement scores less than two years old from another institution.
• Students providing official transcripts listing a grade of “C” or better for College Composition I (reading/writing requirement) and/or college-level mathematics (mathematics requirement).
• Students providing ACT or SAT scores that meet NPC placement minimum standards. (SAT composite verbal and math score of 930; ACT composite score of 22)
• Students taking courses for “Audit” grade only. The Audit grade exemption applies only to courses with a placement prerequisite. Courses with prerequisites may not be waived by this exemption.
• Students with documented disabilities that require a waiver of placement requirements. Please contact the Disability Resources and Access Coordinator for more information.

General guidelines for the placement process are as follows:

1. Students should contact the campus/center academic adviser
        to begin the placement process. NPC uses the COMPASS computer-
        based placement test as its primary placement tool. If technical
        difficulties prevent the use of the COMPASS test, students may be
        given the ASSET placement instrument.
2. A complete set of COMPASS assessments typically takes two
        hours. Depending upon the COMPASS results, some students may
        need additional placement testing in one or more areas.
3. At the conclusion of the COMPASS test, the academic adviser will
        meet with the student to discuss the placement results.
4. Students needing placement testing pay a $10 annual fee. This fee
        allows for the basic text and, if needed, two retests within the academic year.
5. Placement test scores, whether from NPC or another institution, are
        effective for a maximum of two years. If more than two years have
        elapsed since the testing date, the student must re-test before
        enrolling in a class.
6. Placement results will be used to make initial placement for students
         in mathematics and English courses.
7. Depending upon their placement results, some students may need to
        enroll in The Learning Cornerstone (TLC) courses to develop the
        skills needed to succeed in college-level courses. 
8.  Certain program-specific courses, such as NAT 101 and EMT 132 or
         244, also have required placement minimums.