College Credit Placement Testing FAQ
EFSC relies on approved common placement exams to better gauge a student's readiness for college-level rigor.
Common placement tests include the SAT and ACT, plus the Postsecondary Education Readiness Test (PERT) and ACCUPLACER's Next Generation exam, with the PERT and ACCUPLACER available at Eastern Florida State College Assessment Centers.
To preserve the validity of the common placement test, EFSC alternates use of the two test forms.
PERT is:
- Customized by Florida faculty to align with the Florida Common Core College and Career Readiness Standards.
- Used as EFSC's primary placement exam.
ACCUPLACER Next Generation:
- Allows for placement in upper level mathematics coursework.
- Is used more frequently as EFSC's secondary placement exam.
Placements in entry-level courses are based on performance on one or more of the approved common placement tests: the PERT, ACCUPLACER Next Generation (NG), SAT, or ACT. To be eligible to register for EFSC classes, degree-seeking students are required to present test scores from a common placement test or meet placement testing exemption status.
You do not have to submit qualifying placement test scores if you qualify for an exemption from placement testing under Florida Statute 1008.30, which removes the placement testing requirement for:
- Students who entered 9th grade in a Florida public school in the 2003-2004 school year or later AND graduated from a Florida public high school with a standard high school diploma
- Those who serve as an active duty member of any branch of the United States Armed Services.
For a qualifying Florida public high school graduate, the placement test exemption will be automatically processed by EFSC once an official Florida public high school transcript is received with the correct criteria. In-progress transcripts cannot be used to waive the placement test requirement. The transcript must confirm the equivalence of a standard high school diploma and have a graduation date.
Active duty members of any branch of the United States Armed Services can contact the Military & Veteran Services Center to process the testing waiver.
EFSC will automatically process a placement test exemption once an official Florida public high school transcript is received with the correct, qualifying criteria or the student has met the placement testing requirement by submitting official placement testing scores to EFSC that are no more than two year old at the time of enrollment. No further action is required from the student.
Active duty members of any branch of the United States Armed Services can contact the Military & Veteran Services Center to process the testing waiver.
No. See more about Dual Enrollment and placement testing in the Dual Enrollment section.
No, unless additional circumstances come into play. See more information about placement testing exemptions and who qualifies and how.
The answer can be yes or no.
Yes, veterans who meet the exemption criteria in s. 1008.30(4)(a), F.S., are exempted from common placement testing and developmental education.
No, veterans who do not meet the exemption criteria in s. 1008.30(4)(a), F.S., are not exempted from common placement testing and developmental education, if necessary.
Check with an advisor in EFSC's Military and Veterans Service Center if you need additional information.
State law related to developmental education reform provides for exempt students to opt out of placement testing and does not require enrollment into developmental education coursework.
However, all degree-seeking students will be encouraged to take a placement test to determine college readiness. After assessment, they can meet with an Academic Advisor who will evaluate the previous high school and college academic record in order to align your education plan with your personal career goals. The advisor can then present you with academic options to best achieve academic success that meets your career goals.
Some restrictions apply to Veterans benefits and there may be an impact on financial aid based on the options you elect. An advisor and the financial aid staff can help with those issues.
Exemption status does not prohibit the exempt student from placement testing or enrollment in any developmental education option.
Yes, students have the option of deciding what is best for them when it comes to enrolling in developmental education courses. It is best to discuss this with an academic advisor. For students receiving financial assistance or Veterans benefits, they should check to make sure their funding is not impacted before electing to enroll in developmental education courses.
A student who earns a high school certificate of completion is eligible for admission to an associate degree program at a Florida College System institution under Florida law.
These students are NOT eligible for the placement testing exemption, however, and must take a common placement test prior to enrollment, and subsequently enroll in a developmental education option if indicated.
The placement test is administered by appointment only at Assessment Centers on each campus. Once students have submitted an application to EFSC and received their acceptance letter with an EFSC ID, they may self-register online using RegisterBlast. See more details on the tests and how to register.
High school students seeking to Dual Enroll may be tested initially without an application submission by entering the student's complete name, date of birth, and mailing address. High school students who have not yet submitted the application for admission, must provide their Social Security number at the time of test administration.
Dual Enrollment restesters and second semester seniors who are inelibible for Dual Enrollment must first submit an application to EFSC prior to initial placement testing or retesting.
There is no testing fee for first-time-in-college students who have not previously taken a placement test at EFSC. High School Dual Enrollment students may be tested with and on-campus placement test (PERT or ACCUPLACER) annually at no charge. Students who want to take the remote ACCUPLACER via Examity will be charged a $25 fee by Examity at the time of registration.
Students who are retaking all or part of the placement test must wait 30 days and will be assessed a $10 retest fee per sub-test.
Dual Enrollment High School students may exercise a subject retest option twice within a 12-month period of time for a $10 retest fee. View EFSC's retest policy.
Retest administrations will be done with alternating test forms, which are considered the same common placement test. A $35 Test fee will be assessed for non-EFSC students who are applying for admission to another College. Contact the Testing Center for more information.
Transfer students who have successfully completed a college English course are exempt from the reading and writing portion of the placement test. Likewise, students who have successfully completed a college mathematics course are exempt from the mathematics portion of the test.
Students who have successfully completed college developmental education courses at another Florida institution are exempt from the subject sub-tests. These students are placed in courses based on their transfer credit, not their test scores. They must work with Academic Advisors to determine placement until transfer credits are evaluated by the College-wide Records Office.
Non-exempt transfer students who have not successfully completed an English or math course with a grade of C or higher must take the placement test in the applicable subject(s).
EFSC offers special testing accommodations for students who have documented disabilities.
Documentation must be provided to the Student Access for Improved Learning (SAIL) office prior to testing and students must allow sufficient time for SAIL to determine the appropriate accommodation(s). Testing accommodations are made on an individual basis. Students with temporary disabilities must also be pre-approved through SAIL. Documentation submitted on the day of testing will not be honored.
On test day, you will need your photo-bearing government or state-issued ID, as well as your student ID number, provided by Admissions. High School students without a government issued photo ID or High school ID may be admitted with an executed, photo bearing Student Identification Letter from your high school, such as those prepared for SAT or ACT test identification purposes. For a template, click here.
Although most test publishers do not consider a student ID as government issued, we will accept your EFSC student ID card as a Primary ID when testing at an EFSC testing site. Some tests have special ID requirements and EFSC will always adhere to the test publishers requirements. High School students seeking to Dual Enroll may test prior to submission of an application when they provide certain demographic information.
In some cases if your EFSC application has not been fully processed you may need to be prepared to provide your Social Security Number in order to test.
The placement test is administered on a computer. Paper and pencil will be provided for the math portion so you can work out your answers.
Any personal belongings will have to be stored in an EFSC Test Center locker before you're admitted to the testing area.
For Dual Enrollment purposes, High school students may take the placement test once during a 12 month period of time at no charge. First time in college (FTIC), degree-seeking students may also take the placement test after high school graduation at no additional charge. A retest fee of $10 per sub-test is assessed. All retesting with either placement test (or accepting of test scores from external sources) with be in accordance with the EFSC Retest policy. In some instances, documentation of successful subject review is required prior to retesting.
To be seated for test administration you must sign in, present your photo ID (Options for minors who do not have a government issued ID include an executed Alternate ID (using a template like this) for verification and receive oral testing instructions before beginning the placement test.
Failure to follow testing directions or regulations may invalidate your test scores.
The purpose of a common placement test (PERT and ACCUPLACER NG) is to adequately assess your academic skills in mathematics, reading, and writing in order to place you in the most appropriate classes for academic success.
PERT and ACCUPLACER assessments are computer-adaptive, which means the questions are chosen based on your answers to previous questions. You will not be permitted to change your answer once you have moved on to the next question nor can you leave a question unanswered. However, all of the computer assessments are untimed so you have as much time as you need to consider each question before submitting your answer.
If you do not know the answer to a question, you are encouraged to select an answer by eliminating one or more of the answer options and then select from the remaining choices.
You will not be allowed to bring a calculator with you; however, for certain questions, a pop-up calculator will be available for your use.
Your scores on each assessment will be available immediately after you submit your test, and your test administrator will provide you with a copy of the results.
You cannot fail the placement test – it is only used to determine which courses are best for you. Since retesting has conditional constraints, we encourage you to take the PERT seriously so that your course placement is accurate. Use the PERT Study Guide or the ACCUPLACER Study App to get a better understanding of how the test is laid out and the types of questions you may be asked. Additional, more in-depth subject review options, fee-based and free, may be located via an Internet search.
Computers with internet access are available to current students on all EFSC campuses in the Academic Success Centers. There are also open computer labs in locations such as campus libraries and other places that you can practice your computer skills before the test.
You will use a computer to take the PERT and ACCUPLACER and a mouse to enter your answers. Paper and pencil will be provided for the math portion of the test. There is no essay writing. A test proctor will always be present should you have any questions or problems. Test proctors can resolve any difficulties you may experience during testing so please notify them if needed.
You will be prompted to locate the test proctor when you finish the exam. The test proctor will print your test scores, and will provide you a personal copy. Check your Message Center after logging into your myEFSC to clear any registration holds on your account. Test scores will be entered into the BANNER system where EFSC student records are stored so that Academic Advisors can assist you with your course registration.
You may ask questions about your placement when you meet with your Advisor. Placement into certain courses is based on your exemption status and options you choose to follow, test scores and state minimum score requirements.
No. Students who have taken math prep courses with the prefix MATV must complete the MAT 1033 Intermediate Algebra prerequisite course prior to entering College Algebra.