Frequently Asked Questions

Reading and Writing

Students are considered proficient in reading and writing if they can document any one of the following:

• SAT I verbal score of 480 or higher or critical reading score of 480 or higher
• ACT English score of 20 or higher
• N.Y. State English Regents score of 75 or higher
• CUNY Assessment Tests:
• Reading Test score of 70 or higher
• Writing Test score or 7 or higher.
  

Mathematics

Proficiency requirements in mathematics differ from college to college. Students may fulfill these requirements based on their SAT Math score (SATM), ACT Math score (ACTM), NYS Regents score on the Math A, B, Sequential II or III exam (NYS Regents), or the CUNY Assessment Test score in Mathematics (Math 1 and Math 2). Please consult the chart below for the math proficiency requirement for each college:

Proficiency Requirements in Mathematics

* NYS Regents: Math A, B, Seq. II or III ** Tested on 10/01/2008 or later

CUNY's Skills Assessment Tests (CAT)

Students who do not achieve the required scores on SAT I or Regents Exams can satisfy the skills proficiency requirements by passing the CUNY Assessment Tests in Reading, Writing and Mathematics. Detailed information about each of these tests is available below.

Mathematics Course Placement Testing

All new students - whether or not they are math proficient-are required to take the CUNY Assessment Test in Mathematics. Test results will be used to place students in the appropriate mathematics course at their college.

At this time transfer students who have met the math proficiency requirement at the college they will be attending are generally not scheduled for math placement testing. However, if they wish to register for a math course in their first semester, they should contact the Testing Office (see Campus Contacts).

Baccalaureate Programs

Candidates for freshman admission to a bachelor's degree program must show that they are proficient in reading, writing and math to be admitted. Candidates who are not proficient in one or more skills have several options:

• Enroll in an immersion program at the senior college;
• Enroll in the Prelude to Success Program;
• Enroll in the necessary remedial courses at a CUNY community college, or in an associates' program at a comprehensive college.

If you are not skills proficient, you should speak to an admissions counselor to get more information about the best choice for you.

Three groups of students may be admitted to a bachelor's program without first demonstrating skills proficiency:

1. applicants who already have a bachelor's degree or higher from an accredited program. (However, ESL students may be asked by their college to take a placement test in reading and writing to assess their English language skills);
2. applicants who meet the college's proficiency requirement in math, who meet the University's definition of ESL and who meet all other admissions requirements may be admitted. These students must pass the CUNY Assessment Tests in reading and writing within two years of initial enrollment;
3. applicants who qualify for the SEEK program. SEEK students must meet the University's proficiency requirement in reading and writing within one year of initial enrollment, and must meet the college's proficiency requirement in mathematics with two years of initial enrollment.

Associate Programs

Candidates for freshman admission to an associate program do not have to show they are skills proficient to be admitted. However, entering students who are not proficient based on the SAT, ACT or Regents tests must take the appropriate CUNY Assessment Tests. Once enrolled in an associate program, students will be required to take one or more remedial courses to build their skills in any areas in which they have not met the proficiency requirement. Students usually cannot begin a full program of college-level work in an associate program until they have achieved proficiency in reading, writing and math.

Transfer Students from outside CUNY

• Students with a 3 credit college-level English course with a grade of 'C' or better from an accredited college or university are considered proficient in reading and writing.
• Students with a 3 credit college-level math course with a grade of 'C' or better from an accredited college or university are considered proficient in math at all colleges.
• Transfer applicants to associate programs who are not proficient based on the SAT, ACT, NYS Regents exams, or prior English or math courses must take the appropriate CUNY Assessment Tests. These applicants do not have to demonstrate proficiency to be admitted.

Transfers from a CUNY college

• All students who wish to transfer from a CUNY associate program to a CUNY bachelor's program must meet the college's proficiency requirement in reading, writing, and mathematics to be admitted.

Reading: The CAT in Reading is an un-timed, multiple-choice, computer-based test of reading.

Writing: The CAT in Writing is a 60-minute paper and pencil essay test in which students are asked to respond to a question that they see for the first time when they sit for the test.

Mathematics: The CAT in Mathematics is an untimed, multiple-choice, computer-based test composed of four sections: numerical skills/pre-algebra, algebra, college algebra, and trigonometry.

Reading: a scaled score of 70 or more.

Writing: a total score of 7 or more.

Mathematics: the proficiency requirement differs from college to college (see detailed chart above).

The CAT in Reading measures reading comprehension. You will be given several readings that may be practical or drawn from prose fiction, the humanities, social sciences, or natural sciences. Questions about the readings will ask you to refer to what is explicitly stated and to determine the meaning of words through context. They will also ask you to reason to determine implicit meanings, to draw conclusions, and to make comparisons and generalizations. The readings are like those commonly assigned in first-year courses in college. For each passage you will be asked a set of multiple-choice questions.

The CAT in Writing assesses your writing skills based on a sample of your writing. Students are given a choice of two questions, and are asked to write an organized, focused essay. The essay questions are similar to one another in the following way: each one describes a choice that a person in a position of authority must make between two alternatives. The writer is asked to advise the authority on the best choice and explain why the group should agree with the writer's position. The writing sample is scored by two trained readers, using a six-point scale. A sample of the writing assignment (along with the scoring guide and sample papers for each score point) is included in the Practice Questions, along with some tips on taking the Writing Sample Test prepared by CUNY writing faculty.

The CAT in Mathematics is designed to measure students' knowledge of a number of topics in mathematics. The test is organized into four sections: numerical skills/pre-algebra, algebra, college algebra, and trigonometry. Numerical skills/pre-algebra questions range from basic math concepts and skills (integers, fractions, and decimals) to the knowledge and skills that are required in an entry-level algebra course (absolute values, percentages, and exponents). The algebra items are questions from elementary and intermediate algebra (equations, polynomials, formula manipulations, and algebraic expressions). The college algebra section includes questions that measure skills required to perform operations with functions, exponents, matrices, and factorials. The trigonometry section addresses topics such as trigonometric functions and identities, right-triangle trigonometry, and graphs of trigonometric functions.

Placement into CUNY's required basic math courses is based on results of the numerical skills/pre-algebra and algebra sections. The test covers progressively advanced topics with placement into more advanced mathematics or mathematics-related courses based on results of the last two sections of the test.

Exit from Remedial and ESL Course Sequences

All students registered in their college's top-level course in Reading, Writing, or ESL will take the test(s) at the end of the semester. Students who do not pass the test(s) will not be able to begin college composition (Freshman English) until they pass. Likewise, no student may be placed in a college-level mathematics course who has not passed or been exempted from the Mathematics Test.

Faculty at each college decide the requirements for passing each top-level remedial, developmental, or ESL course. Sometimes, passage of the skills test is required to pass the course; sometimes it is not. In any case, the University expects that students who pass the reading and writing tests will move directly to College Composition I at their next registration.

Retesting

Generally, students must receive at least 20 hours of instruction between retests. They may not be retested more than two times during a semester. Specific rules apply for workshops and summer and winter immersion.