Southeast Missouri State University

Tests Offered & Registration Information

Placement Testing

 

Placement Exams

Placement exams are offered in the subject areas of English and math. The exams are required for entering students who do not meet the ACT subscore requirements for placement. Placement exams are not transferable to or from another institution.

Information for English Placement

Southeast Missouri State University uses the ACT English subscore to determine a student's placement in the appropriate English course. This measurement is an indicator of the student's language skills and helps to identify the appropriate beginning English course to maximize the student's chance to be successful.

 ACT English Subscore  English Course Placement
 22 or greater  Student places into EN100 - English Composition
 21 or below  Student places into EN099 - Writing Skills Workshop 

Students entering without ACT scores will be required to take the English Placement exam. English placement information is available at the Center for Writing Excellence. Visit the Writing Assessment Program for more information on English placement exam. 

Cape Girardeau campus students will complete the English placement exam during First Step orientation. Please refer to New Student Programs - First Step Orientation for orientation dates and placement exam schedule. First Step Dates

Regional Campus placement exams are administered in Kennett, Malden, and Sikeston. Please refer to the Regional Campus Placement Exams listing for the English placement exam schedule. For additional information, please contact the campus directly.

Information for Math Placement

Southeast Missouri State University uses the ACT Math subscore to determine a student's placement in the appropriate math course. This measurement is an indicator of the student's math ability and helps to identify the appropriate beginning math course to maximize the student's chance to be successful.

The following are the ACT score ranges used for course placement:

 ACT Math Subscore  Math Course Placement 
 21 or greater  Student places into any Logical Systems course
 15 - 20  Student places into MA101 - Beginning Algebra
 0 - 14  Student places into MA050 - Basic Math Skills
 No ACT Math Subscore  Student places into MA050 - Basic Math Skills

Please visit the Department of Mathematics for information about MA101 - Beginning Algebra or MA050 - Basic Math Skills.

 

Optional Math Placement Exam

As a service to students, Southeast Missouri State University offers an optional math placement test for:

  • Students without ACT Math subscores who want to qualify for a math level course above MA050: Basic Math Skills

  • Students with ACT Math subscores that do not meet placement requirements

  • Students who want to demostrate the ability to qualify for a higher-level math course

Testing Services administers the ACT COMPASS exam as an option for determining math placement. Like the standard ACT Math subscore, the COMPASS Math score is an indicator of a student's math ability and can be used to identify the appropriate course placement. Immediately after testing, the student will receive a report containing the score and an explanation of the corresponding math course placement.

The COMPASS exam is an untimed computer-based test. It must be taken in person at a certified, proctored location as detailed below.

Pre-registration for the optional COMPASS math placement test is required for both on-campus and remote testing locations.

For the Cape Girardeau Campus registration information, please visit the COMPASS Math Placement listing. http://www.semo.edu/rl/TestSvc/compass.asp

For the Regional Campuses registration information, please visit the Regional Campus Placement Exams listing. http://www.semo.edu/rl/TestSvc/rcpe.asp

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