What is on the Accuplacer?:

1. Reading Test
The ACCUPLACER Reading Test is similar to many other reading tests you've probably taken throughout your life. Most of the test requires you to read a passage and then answer one or more comprehension questions. Additionally, a few questions give you a sentence with a word or short phrase missing, and you're asked to fill in the blank.
One passage is a work of fiction, and the rest are nonfiction. Each question presents you with four answers that test you on the following reading skills.

Information and ideas: Reading closely for factual details in the passage
Determining the central idea (or main idea) — the most important point that the writer is making
Summarizing — restating the information in the passage in a different way that conveys its meaning effectively
Understanding relationships among elements within the passage, and especially making inferences about what is not specifically stated but can be reasonably understood
Rhetoric: Word choice — why the writer most likely chose to use a specific word or phrase
Text structure — how the writer organizes the information that they are presenting
Point of view — what the writer believes or feels about what they are writing about
Purpose — why the writer chose to write this passage
Arguments — how the writer frames their case to persuade the reader
Synthesis: Given a pair of texts that discuss a common theme from two different perspectives, comparing and contrasting information or rhetoric in the passages
Vocabulary: Demonstrating comprehension of a specific word or phrase

2. Writing Test
The ACCUPLACER Writing Test presents you with essays that are in need of editing. Your job is to answer questions, each of which presents you with a choice of four possible ways to express an idea. The questions test your understanding of the following information.

Standard English conventions: Sentence structure — avoiding sentence fragments and run-on sentences, understanding coordination and subordination of clauses, making sentences readable with parallel structure, and avoiding inappropriate verb shifts
Usage — subject-verb agreement, pronoun-antecedent agreement, clarifying frequently confused words, and following the conventions of English expression
Punctuation — how and when to use the punctuation that students most often misuse, such as commas, semicolons, colons, and dashes
Expression of ideas: Development — expressing an idea clearly, adding supporting information, and maintaining focus
Organization — introducing ideas in a logical sequence, and helping the reader to understand your point through the use of introductions, conclusions, and transitions
Effective language use — choosing the precise word, keeping your language concise (avoiding extra words and redundancy), maintaining a consistent style and tone, and using standard English syntax

3. Three Math Tests
The three ACCUPLACER math tests break down as follows:

Arithmetic
Quantitative Reasoning, Algebra, and Statistics (QAS)
Advanced Algebra and Functions (AAF)

Types of math you can expect to find in each math section.

Arithmetic
The Arithmetic Test is the most basic of the three ACCUPLACER math sections. It tests your knowledge and ability in five areas.
Whole number operations: The four basic operations (addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division) applied to whole numbers
Estimation and rounding numbers
Applying the order of operations (PEMDAS)
Word problems that provide real-world context
Fraction operations: The four basic operations (addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division) applied to both fractions and mixed numbers
Word problems that provide real-world context
Decimal operations: The four basic operations (addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division) applied to decimals
Estimation and rounding numbers
Word problems that provide real-world context
Percents: Calculating the percent of a number
Setting up and solving equations that involve percents
Percent increase and decrease
Word problems that provide real-world context
Number comparisons and equivalents: Comparing values on the number line
Using inequality symbols (, , , and ) to compare values
Comparing values expressed as fractions, decimals, or percents

Quantitative Reasoning, Algebra, and Statistics
The Quantitative Reasoning, Algebra, and Statistics Test (QAS for short) is the second of the three ACCUPLACER math tests in terms of difficulty. Here's what the QAS covers.
Rational numbers: Calculating with rational numbers (fractions, decimals, and percents)
Word problems that provide real-world context
Ratio and proportional relationships: Calculating rates, ratios, and proportions
Word problems that provide real-world context (finding rates and using ratios to set up and solve proportional equations)
Exponents: Calculating exponents and radicals (roots)
Working with negative and fractional exponents
Working with scientific notation
Algebraic expressions: Evaluating algebraic expressions given values of the variable or variables
Simplifying algebraic expressions by combining like terms and distributing
GCF (Greatest Common Factor) factoring
Word problems that provide real-world context (rewriting a story as an algebraic expression in terms of a variable)
Linear equations: Creating and solving linear equations in one variable
Creating and solving systems of linear equations in two variables
Understanding and simplifying linear inequalities
Linear applications and graphs (): Understanding and identifying slope and y-intercept
Graphing basic linear equations
Working with parallel and perpendicular lines on the graph
Working with systems of equations on the graph
Understanding linear inequalities
Word problems that provide real-world context (rewriting a story as a linear equation)
Probability and sets: Defining a sample space and events within it
Understanding and calculating simple, compound, and conditional probability
Understanding basic set notation, including union and intersection
Descriptive statistics: Describing a data set using visual tools such as boxplots
Calculating mean and median as measures of center of a data set
Finding the shape (skew) and spread (range) of a data set
Geometry concepts for Pre-Algebra: Calculating the area and perimeter of squares and rectangles
Calculating the area and circumference of a circle
Finding the volume of a solid using a formula
Geometry concepts for Algebra 1: Expressing area, perimeter, and volume as algebraic expressions
Using the Pythagorean theorem ()
Using the distance formula to calculate length on the xy-graph
Working with basic geometric transformations (translations, reflections, and rotations)

Advanced Algebra and Functions
The Advanced Algebra and Functions Test (AAF for short) is the most difficult of the three ACCUPLACER math tests. Not every community college requires you to take this test, so be sure to check with your school before drilling down on the following topics.
Factoring: Quadratic factoring (reverse FOILing)
Factoring using the difference of squares and the sum and difference of cubes
Factoring cubic equations
Quadratics: Identifying and creating quadratic equations
Solving quadratics using factoring
Using the quadratic formula () to solve quadratics
Working with quadratic inequalities
Solving systems of equations that involve a quadratic equation
Functions: Understanding and working with function notation ()
Evaluating linear functions () and quadratic functions ()
Graphing the most common parent functions
Understanding basic function transformations
Word problems that provide real-world context
Radical and rational equations: Understanding radical and rational equations
Graphing radical and rational equations
Knowing how to find the domain and the range
Polynomial equations: Understanding polynomial equations (especially linear, quadratic, cubic, and quartic equations)
Graphing polynomial equations
Exponential and logarithmic equations: Understanding exponential and logarithmic equations
Graphing exponential and logarithmic equations
Geometry concepts for Algebra 2: Finding the volume of non-prism solids (especially spheres, pyramids, and cones)
Applying basic theorems for intersecting lines (especially vertical angles, supplementary angles, corresponding angles, and total angles in a triangle)
Working with congruent and similar triangles
Working with circles on the xy-graph
Trigonometry: Understanding the trigonometric ratios (especially sine, cosine, and tangent)
Working with the special right triangles ( and )
Understanding radian measure
Measuring arc length
Solving basic trig equations
Understanding basic trig identities
Applying the law of sines and the law of cosines