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Placement / Proficiency Test Requirements

English Placement Test (EPT)

Entry Level Mathematics Test (ELM)

Mathematics Placement Test (MPT)

Advanced Placement (AP) Tests

Graduation Writing Proficiency Exam (GWPE)

The California State University (CSU) requires that each entering undergraduate, except those who qualify for an exemption, take the CSU Entry Level Mathematics (ELM) exam and the CSU English Placement Test (EPT) prior to enrollment.

These placement tests are not a condition for admission to the CSU, but they are a condition of enrollment. They are designed to identify entering students who may need additional support in acquiring college entry-level English and mathematics skills necessary to succeed in CSU baccalaureate-level courses.

Undergraduate students who do not demonstrate college-level skills both in English and in mathematics will be placed in appropriate remedial programs and activities during the first term of their enrollment. Students placed in remedial programs in either English or mathematics must complete all remediation in their first year of enrollment. Failure to complete remediation by the end of the first year may result in denial of enrollment for future terms.

Information on testing times and places is mailed upon admission (or may be obtained from the Office of Admissions or the Testing Center). Students should make every effort to take these exams at the CSU campus closest to home on a test date early enough for scores to be received at Humboldt prior to registration.

English Placement Test (EPT)
The EPT assesses the level of reading and writing skills of entering undergraduates so that they can be placed in appropriate baccalaureate-level courses. Students must take the EPT or be exempt in order to enroll in any classes. All entering undergraduates must complete the EPT except those who present proof* of one of the following:

• a score of “Exempt” on the augmented English CST, i.e. the CSU Early Assessment Program (EAP), taken in grade 11 as part of the California Standards Test.;

• a score of 550 or above on the verbal section of a College Board SAT taken April 1995 or later;

• a score of 24 or higher on the enhanced ACT English Test, taken October 1989 or later;

• a score of 680 or higher on the recentered and adjusted College Board SAT II: Writing Test taken May 1998 or later;

• a score of 3, 4, or 5 on either the Language and Composition or the Composition and Literature examination of the College Board Advanced Placement program;

• completion and transfer of a course satisfying the GE/Breadth or Intersegmental GE Transfer Curriculum written communication requirement, provided the course was completed with a grade of C or better.

Entry Level Mathematics Test (ELM)
The Entry Level Mathematics (ELM) exam assesses the skill levels of entering CSU students in areas of mathematics typically covered in three years of rigorous college preparatory courses in high school (algebra I, algebra II, and geometry). All entering undergraduates must complete the ELM except those who present proof* of one of the following:

• a score of “Exempt” on the augmented mathematics California Standards Test, i.e., the CSU Early Assessment Program (EAP), taken in grade 11;

• a score of “conditionally exempt” on the augmented CST, i.e. the CSU Early Assessment Program (EAP) plus successful completion of a Senior-Year Mathematics Experience (SYME).

• a score of 550 or above on the mathematics section of the College Board SAT or on the College Board SAT Subject Tests-Mathematics Tests Level I, IC (Calculator), II, or IIC (Calculator).

• a score of 23 or higher on the ACT mathematics test;

• a score of 3 or higher on the College Board Advanced Placement calculus exam­i­nation (AB or BC) or statistics examination;

• completion and transfer of a course satisfying the GE/Breadth or Intersegmental GE Transfer Curriculum quantitative reasoning requirement, provided the course was completed with a grade of C or better.

Mathematics Placement Test (MPT)
Part 3 of the Mathematics Placement Test is offered at Humboldt’s Testing Center (House 71) for a fee of $5 per test. Passing part 3 of the MPT permits students to enroll in one of the first-semester calculus courses (Math 105 or 109). Further details and sample tests can be viewed on the Math Department web page by clicking on the Mathematics Placement Tests.

Transfer students who have completed (with a grade of C- or higher) a college-level calculus course that has been articulated (deemed an appropriate replacement through a formal college-to-college agreement) with a Humboldt calculus course will have their math code adjusted to allow registration in any course for which calculus is a prerequisite. If the calculus course has not been articulated, a student may petition to substitute the course for Humboldt’s calculus. The petition must be approved by the Mathematics Department Chair.

* Exemptions based on test scores cannot be granted unless official scores have been sent to Humboldt. Exemptions based on course work must be verified via transcript or grade report.

Advanced Placement (AP) Tests

Humboldt grants credit toward its undergraduate degrees for successful completion of examinations of the Advanced Placement Program of the College Board. Students who present scores of three or better will be granted up to six semester units (nine quarter units) of college credit. The number of units (and how they meet specific academic requirements) are provided in the following chart. If the content covered by an examination duplicates other credit awarded, the units will be adjusted from the amount indicated.

Graduation Writing Proficiency Exam (GWPE)

All students must also demonstrate competency in writing skills as a requirement for graduation. The Graduation Writing Proficiency Examination is an evaluation of writing skills used to determine whether students have attained a level of proficiency necessary to obtain a bachelor’s degree. All students should take the GWPE before their last semester and must pass this test to graduate.

Students may take the GWPE after completing 60 semester units (junior standing) in addition to English 100 (or an equivalent college composition course with a C or better). The GWPE is offered once in the fall semester and twice in the spring. Contact the Testing Center for information (Hs 71, room 101).

Office of the Registrar,
1 Harpst Street, Arcata, CA 95521 • 707.826.4101
Last Updated March 12, 2008