USD Testing Center

The South Dakota Board of Regents has developed a placement process to ensure entering students are placed into the math and English courses most appropriate to their ability and educational background. Entering students who have scores older than five years or who have not taken the ACT, SAT or Smarter Balanced tests are placed in courses by use of the College Board ACCUPLACER exam. In addition, for math placement, students who do not have a current high school GPA are also placed by their ACCUPLACER score.

Currently, the ACCUPLACER is administered in the Testing Center on the USD campus, in certified testing centers off campus and remotely using Examity. A computer with a webcam and stable internet service is required to take this exam remotely.

Please contact your admissions counselor if you need to take a placement exam or if you need additional information prior to your registration. If you need more information about ACCUPLACER please email [email protected].

Math Placement Guidelines: South Dakota Board of Regents Academic Affairs Guideline 2.2.1.1.A.

English Placement Guidelines: South Dakota Board of Regents Academic Affairs Guideline 2.2.1.1.B.

Placement tests are computer-based adaptive assessment programs using modules that allow students to work at their own speed and comfort level. A tutorial program acquaints students with navigation and response patterns. The placement test does not have a time limit, the scores do not affect admission to USD and there is no pass or fail score.

Go to Your ACCUPLACER Score Report and enter in the required personal data to retrieve a copy of your report.

English Placement Policy

The South Dakota Board of Regents established a standardized placement process to ensure that entering students are placed into the English course most appropriate for their ability and background.

English placement is first determined using the ACT English or the 11th grade English Language Arts/Literacy Smarter Balanced scores that are no more than 5 years old. If you do not have current ACT or Smarter Balanced scores, your placement is in pregeneral education courses. The pregeneral education English courses are at the self-support tuition rate and do not meet SGR Goal No. 1 (written communication) requirements.

Furthermore, the Board of Regents requires that students who do not meet the college readiness benchmark score of 18 on the ACT English subtest or 2583 or greater on the Smarter Balance exam to take pregeneral education courses in English to be adequately prepared for English 101.

Placement in pregeneral education courses may be challenged by taking the ACCUPLACER Next GEN examination. There is a $23.50 charge ($20.00 SDSU fee plus $3.50 RegisterBlast fee) to register for the challenge exam. Study resources (writing sample questions) are available on the Accuplacer website.

Students interested in obtaining prior learning credit for English 101 may consider the College-Level Examination Program College (CLEP) Composition Modular Exam.

English Placement for International Students

International non-native English-speaking undergraduate students entering SDSU have the opportunity to take the ACCUPLACER Exam for placement into the appropriate English writing courses designed for the non-native English speaker, emphasizing skills needed for success in ENGL 101.

Reading Placement Policy

Reading ability is essential for college success. Placement is first determined using ACT Reading, SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing, or 11th Grade Smarter Balanced English Language Arts/Literacy scores that have been taken in the last five years. Placement can be challenged by taking the ACCUPLACER examination and obtaining the cutoff score below. This placement may be challenged twice and there is an $20 charge plus $3.50 RegisterBlast fee for each challenge.

Math Placement Policy

The South Dakota Board of Regents has developed a standardized placement process for placement into math courses.

Entering students without a current high school GPA (less than 5 years old) will be placed into math courses based upon their College Board ACCUPLACER score. For these students, there is no charge to take the ACCUPLACER the first time.

Students may challenge their placement by taking the ACCUPLACER up to two times. It should be noted that the South Dakota BOR branching packages may be different than other states, so it is in your best interest to wait until you can take the exam at the USD Testing Center or use a voucher issued from USD to ensure you are taking the appropriate SDBOR branching packages required.

• MI, or Math Index, is computed as (17 × Math ACT Score) plus (250 × High School GPA).
• CI, or Challenge Index, is computed as (Accuplacer AAF Score) plus (290 × High School GPA) plus 20. If a student does not reach the AAF domain in the Accuplacer exam, no challenge index is calculated (use previous placement).
• Students may choose the column which best fits their course goals.
• The "Accuplacer only" column only applies if the student does not have an eligible (5 years or newer) High School Grade Point Average.

CLEP Exams

If you have strong math skills, consider taking a CLEP exam to establish proficiency in any of these courses. Successful completion of the CLEP College Mathematics qualifies for MATH 103 credit, College Algebra examination qualifies for MATH 114 credit, the CLEP Pre-Calculus examination qualifies for MATH 115 credit and the CLEP Calculus I examination qualifies for MATH 123 credit. Make sure to confirm with your adviser that a CLEP exam is appropriate for your major before taking the exam.

Need MATH 123 - Calculus I?

To place into MATH 123, you must have a Math Index of 1300 or higher and score 16 or higher on the ACCUPLACER SD Calculus Readiness exam.

Placement for High School Dual Credit Enrollment

The USD Testing Center administers the placement exams for students wishing to participate in High School Dual Credit courses. There are a couple reasons why you may need to take a placement exam.

1. Eligibility to Participate in the High School Dual Credit Program - Some students need to take an additional placement exam to participate in the High School Dual Credit program. The placement exam is called the ACCUPLACER Next Gen. Students who are not eligible based upon their ACT score, class rank or GPA may take math and English placement exams to demonstrate that their high school course work this far has prepared them to have success in college level credit bearing courses. The USD Dual Credit Advisor can help facilitate this process and ensure that you are taking the correct test.
2. Placement in Math or English courses - Some students will need to take an ACCUPLACER to place into a specific math or English course even if they are eligible to participate in HSDE based upon their ACT score, class rank or GPA.

Where can you take the ACCUPLACER?

You can take the ACCUPLACER at the Testing Center on the USD Vermillion Campus. Alternatively, you can test at any Certified ACCUPLACER Testing Center; this option requires you to register for a voucher.

High School Dual Credit students may take the ACCUPLACER once per semester for a $23.50 charge ($20 USD fee + $3.50 RegisterBlast fee).

High School Dual Credit Advisor

Claire Rizzio

I D Weeks Library, ULB 101K

605/658-6132

[email protected]

ACCUPLACER Test Preparation Sites:

• ACCUPLACER Study App
• ACCUPLACER Sample Questions

The Praxis exam measures a teacher candidate’s knowledge and subject-specific content knowledge needed for teaching.  Information regarding test dates, the tests and other frequently asked questions can be found here: Praxis Exam Information.

Having the right tools to prepare for your Praxis test can help you achieve your professional goals.

Please visit What to Bring on Test Day to see the list of things you need to bring to the USD Testing Center on the day of your Praxis exam.

** Note: The USD Testing Center is open earlier than our posted hours in order to serve our Praxis candidates.

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