Importance of ACCUPLACER English test

Nearly half of the test question paper comprises questions on English and hence, preparing well for the English test in ACCUPLACER is absolutely essential, if you want to fare well in the test. The first step towards proper preparation for the test is to gather information about it.

Before you begin preparing for the test you must know the topics covered in the English section of the ACCUPLACER. This will help you decide what you need to study for the test. The following section of this article will help you understand the exact nature of the English section of the examination and the type of questions that you have to answer.

What is ACCUPLACER English and its Importance?

The English test in ACCUPLACER comprises of 2 parts, each divided into a number of sub-segments. Since English is the medium of instruction in all colleges of the USA, expertise in the language is essential, if you want to complete your college career successfully. The following list will help you understand the nuances of the test:

    • Reading Comprehension: This sub-segment of the test comprises of 20 small passages each followed by a question. The questions will test your ability to identify the conclusions that the passages are trying to draw, by studying the limited information given. This sub-part is important, because along with your knowledge of English, the score you receive in Reading Comprehension will indicate your critical and analytical capacity.
    • Sentence Skills: This sub-section also consists of 20 questions that will require you to identify the structural errors in the statements. Some of the questions may even ask to recognize the relationship between two or more statements. Knowledge of English grammar and sentence structure is essential, in order to prove your expertise in the language.
    • WritePlacer (Written Essay): Being able to write coherently, where you are able to logically prove your arguments, are an essential abilities that all college students must have. The Write Placer sub-section aims to analyze these abilities through the essay/ essays that you have to write, based on the prompt/prompts given.

The above-mentioned list outlines the topics covered under the English section of the ACCUPLACER.

If your mother tongue is not English; then you have to take English as a Second Language (ESL) along with ACCUPLACER English. Good scores in the ESL test will convince the college admission authorities about your expertise in the language. The various sub-sections of the test are as follows:

    • ESL-Language Use: This sub-segment of the examination comprises 20 questions which will evaluate your knowledge of English grammar. Good scores in this sub-section will convince the college admissions authorities of your proficiency in English.
    • ESL-Listening: This sub-section of the test also consists of 20 questions. This sub-section will analyze your capacity to follow instructions and ability to understand English in the spoken form. ESL Listening aims to do so by having you listen to conversations amongst students, classroom lectures, commonplace tête-à-tête etc and then answering questions based on them.
    • ESL- Reading Skills: In order to answer the 20 questions in this section you will have to read comprehension passages. These passages are can cover topics like socio-economic issues, political matters, excerpts from novels or newspaper articles etc. Scoring well in this section will convince the authorities of your capacity to understand English in the written form.
  • ESL- Sentence Skills: This sub-section comprises 20 questions that will assess your knowledge of sentence structure and grammar. You will have to identify the errors in the statements and then choose the correct answer.

This test is a computer adaptive examination, which means the difficulty level of the questions will progressively increase based on the answers that you give. Except the WritePlacer sub-segment, all other sub-sections of the test comprise multiple-choice questions and hence, all you have to do is choose the correct answer. If you need more information about this section of the test then click on the following link: http://accuplacer.collegeboard.org/students/accuplacer-tests.