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Academic Standards
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Students: To help you review for the

NEW STUDENT ASSESSMENT (a.k.a. COMPASS test)

Written Materials to help you review:
  • Chart Your Success on the COMPASS: by Callahan, Commander, and Cotter is available for purchase in the bookstore for $49.95 plus tax. This is an excellent COMPASS study guide text that includes Reading, Writing and Math review sections, practice exams and answer keys.
    If you do not wish to purchase the book, there are copies available on the First Floor of the New Library in the Reserve Section. They have at least 3 copies: one can be checked out for 2 hours, one for 24 hours, and one for 48 hours. There are a couple of copies in the Math/Peer Tutoring Lab (LA 201) which may be borrowed while you are in the lab studying. Tutors are on hand to help with math, reading or writing questions.
  • A COMPASS Writing Test Review Packet may be purchased at the UVU Copy Center in the Student Center (next to the Bookstore.) Cost $2.80 plus tax. This packet has English review handouts, practice tests, and answer keys to help you prepare for the exam.
  • Degrees of Reading Power exam is used to measure reading levels instead of the COMPASS Reading test. A DRP Study Packet is available in the Copy Center for $.48 plus tax.

ONLINE COMPASS STUDY GUIDES FOR SALE

If you do an online search, you will find a number of independent COMPASS study prep modules or guides available for purchase. These modules are paid for online with a credit card and downloaded onto your computer. I cannot endorse these programs as I have not tried them, but some students have had success with them.
  • Compass Study Guide: "Covers all sections of COMPASS test used by hundreds of universities." $23.50 www.compass-test.com
  • COMPASS Test Study Guide: "Guaranteed to raise you COMPASS test scores in a few hours of study." $39.95 www.mo-media.com/compass
  • Achieve COMPASS Success: "Learn how to pass your COMPASS test with guarenteed methods!" $19.95 www.apexprep.com/compass
Just remember to use caution when purchasing anything on the Web. Read the website carefully and keep a hard copy of your transactions.

OTHER ONLINE RESOURCES: (free)

UVU online Material
Sample Tests: These links have sample COMPASS test questions for you to practice and answer keys.
There are other sites available that have a wealth of information. You can google COMPASS Test and see what you find.

About the COMPASS TEST

The COMPASS program is a series of basic skills assessments completed on a computer. Developed by American College Testing (ACT), COMPASS stands for Computer-adapted Placement Assessment and Support Services.

COMPASS is designed to measure current skills in reading, writing, and mathematics. This assessment allows you and the university staff to work together to help you succeed in your courses. COMPASS scores indicate areas where you may need help and which courses should be a starting point for your educational career. These scores are used to determine students’ eligibilty to enroll in UVU classes, including college prep classes (classes below 1000).

Tips for Taking the COMPASS TEST

(from ACT Website)
  1. Relax! The COMPASS tests are designed to help you succeed in school. Your scores help you and your institution determine which courses are most appropriate for your current level of knowledge and skills. Once you identify your academic strengths and weaknesses, you can get the help you need to improve underdeveloped skills before they interfere with your learning.
  2. You will be able to concentrate better on the test if you get plenty of rest and eat properly before the test. You should also arrive a few minutes early so you can find the testing area, bathrooms, etc., and have time to gather your thoughts before the test begins.
  3. Be sure you understand the directions for each test before that test session begins. Ask questions if you need to.
  4. Read each question carefully until you understand what the question is asking. If answering an item requires several steps, be sure you consider them all.
  5. Be sure to answer every item. You are not penalized for guessing. Your score will provide more useful placement information if you answer every item, even if you guess.
  6. Don't be afraid to change an answer if you believe that your first choice was wrong.
  7. If you have a problem or question during the test, raise your hand and the test administrator or proctor will help you. Although they cannot answer test questions for you, they can help you with other types of problems.
  8. When studying for the COMPASS math, be sure to study the basics of fractions, decimals, and percents. You need to pass these concepts before you can get to the Algebra parts of the COMPASS math.

Tips for Taking the Writing Portion of the COMPASS Test

  1. Stay calm and in control. There is no time limit. Take plenty of time to finish. You will likely have four essays to do, so allow time to do the job. Take a least one hour and fifteen minutes on the test. Quicker means you were not a careful editor.
  2. Read the entire passage first, then scroll back to the start and begin making changes. Realize that some of the passages are correct as written. Just pretend that this is your essay and you are proofing before you hand it in. This may help you relax.
  3. Highlight and check every sentence or part even if it looks okay. Being able to select from a group of choices often will help you see an error you overlooked.
  4. Don’t accidentally move to the next essay. Once you do, you cannot go back, and you lose the ability to make needed corrections. Do not accidentally click on "Complete Essay Editing." That will move you to the next essay.
  5. Look for a variety of errors. Read the essay quietly aloud; use your ear to detect error in grammar, reason, logic, or in common sense. Watch for errors in sentence structure (sentence fragments, run-ons), pronouns, punctuation, word choice, subject-verb agreement, and tense. Again, watch for errors in logic and coherence of the passage. Watch for sentence elements, which introduce unrelated topics, phrases placed far from other phrases to which they refer, statements that do not follow logically from the preceding material in the essay. Sometimes phrases can give to much emphasis to a lesser important idea in the essay.

COMPASS Testing FAQ’s

What does computer adapted mean? On computer-adapted tests, questions are ranked in order of difficulty and the test automatically adjusts the level of question you receive based on each of your answers. For instance, if you get a question correct, you are given a harder question; if you get a question wrong, you are given an easier one. This process continues until you are consistently answering the same number of questions correctly or incorrectly at a given level. This level translates into your placement score.

But I have no computer experience! COMPASS is user-friendly and was designed for individuals with little or no computer experience. Testing Center staff will help you get started. COMPASS is self-directed.

What will I be tested on? COMPASS mathematics covers a variety of items from pre-algebra to advanced mathematics, and you will be asked to select a correct answer from a list of choices. COMPASS reading allows the student to highlight (using a computer key) the main idea of the passage, thereby measuring reading for comprehension and prior knowledge. The COMPASS writing passage allows the student to edit text that has a variety of errors. Writing skills include grammar, punctuation, sentence structure, as well as strategy, organization and style in effective writing.

How long is the test? Most student take between two and three hours to complete the entire test (math, reading and writing). You may take as little or as long as you wish on the test within testing center hours. The tests are not timed. Retakes on individual sections of the test (reading, writing, or math) take between 40-70 minutes on average.

Do I have to take the COMPASS all in one sitting? No. You may take 1, 2 or all 3 sections in one sitting.

What should I do to prepare for testing? No special preparation is necessary as the tests are designed to measure skills acquired through high school, work experience or previous college work. However, if your skills are rusty in any area, you will want to refer to the review materials outlined in this handout.

What do the scores mean? You will receive a score for each of the three sections of the test: reading, writing, and math. COMPASS is not a pass-fail test; however, there are cut-off scores for enrolling in courses at UVU. If you are a new student taking the COMPASS exam for the first time and you do not score above certain minimums in any or all of the exam sections, you must wait at least one week and then you may elect to retake any or all of the exam sections to try and improve your scores(s) in order to be eligible to enroll in classes. If you do worse on a retake the higher score remains, so you will not be penalized. After your initial take and retake, you may only retake the exam(s) again once a semester, whether or not you are enrolled at the school. The initial cost is free. Any retake is $10 per section.

How can I reach the Center regarding testing hours and fees? 1.801.863.8269. The testing center is at 1165 W. 800 S., Orem, UT 84058. Information about the testing center can be found at http://www.uvu.edu/testingservices/

Math COMPASS TEST REVIEW
  1. Percents
    1. What is 25% of 40?
    2. A shirt cost $11.70 after a 35% discount. What was the original price of the shirt?
    3. 6.6% of food at a restaurant is wasted in a day. 16 pounds of food is wasted. How much total food is served in a day?
  2. Ratio Problems
    1. Solve
    2. A recipe takes 2 cups of sugar for 10 cups of flour. How much sugar should you use if you only have 8 cups of flour?
  3. Lines
    1. Find the slope of the line through (2,3) and (5,7).
    2. Find the equation of a line with slope of ½, though the point (6,2).
    3. If the slope of a line is 2/3, what is the slope of the parallel line? What is the slope of the perpendicular line?
  4. Polynomials
    1. Simplify
    2. Simplify
    3. Divide
  5. Distance and Midpoint
    1. Find the distance between (5,2) and (-4,5).
    2. Find the distance between (5,0) and (0, ).
    3. Find the midpoint of (5,3) and (-4, 7).
  6. Functions Find
  7. Complex numbers
    1. Simplify
  8. Exponents
    1. Simplify
    2. Simplify
  9. Moving graphs: Know what equations move a graph up, down, left, and right.
  10. Story Problems
    1. Ben reads x pages a day. Jane reads 10 more pages a day than Ben. It takes Jane 10 days and Ben 12 days to read a book. How many pages a day does Ben read?
    2. A square has sides length x and a rectangle has length x and width a-x. The square and rectangle have the same area. Find x.
    3. The length of a rectangle is 7 units longer than the width. The length is x units. Find a formula for the area of the rectangle.
    4. A tank can be filled from pipe A in 3 hours. It can be filled from pipe B in 6 hours. Find an equation for how long it will take the tank to fill the tank from both pipes in x hours.
    5. When , . Find x when
  11. Scientific notation
    1. Write .000239 in scientific notation.
    2. Write in decimal notation.

Answers:
1a. 10
1b. $18
1c. 242.4 lbs.
2a. y=50/3
2b. 1.6 or 8/5
3a. 4/3
3b.
3c.
4a. 2x+1
4b.
4c. 2x-1
5a.
5b.
5c. (1/2,5)
6. 4/5
7a. -5
7b. 14-8i
8a. 1/8
8b. 1/16
10a. 50 pages
10b. x=a/2
10c.
10d.
10e. x=10
11a.
11b. 345,000

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