Testing services provides exam help

By Jill Newell, Special to the On-Line Forty-Niner

Monday, January 25, 1999

WPE. ELM. EPT. Chemistry 111A.

SOS.

If you want to graduate, then be advised there are several critical exams. Testing and Evaluation Services at Cal State Long Beach provides students with information about testing and assessment services.

The department assesses a student's qualificiations for admission into the school, placement into a certain class or for graduation purposes, Test Coordinator Carl Fulbright said.

Outside the testing office is a rack full of information and registration materials for the various testing that is offered. Some of the tests that are offered on campus are the Chemistry 111A placement test, the English Placement Test and the Entry Level Mathematics Examination, Fulbright said.

"The English Placement Test and the Entry Level Math tests are assessment tests that are designed to ensure that a student is taking the correct level of English or math," Fulbright said.

The EPT and ELM tests are required for all freshmen before registering for a class, unless exempt by previous college-level courses, or by ACT or SAT scores, Fulbright said.

Testing is important for students to choose the correct level of course work so that they will be successful.

"We would hope that a student [does] not come into the University and get bogged down in classes that they would not be able to handle," Fulbright said. "That is one important aspect of testing."

The Writing Proficiency Exam, is a required test for all students to graduate. Students are required to take this test only after they have accumulated between 60 and 75 units. A registration hold is issued if the student has not completed the test by that time, Fulbright said.

The WPE will be held twice this semester, Feb. 27 and April 17. The deadlines to register for these tests are Feb. 12 and April 2 respectively. The essay portion of the test is $16.50, the objective portion of the test is $14.50 and the complete test is $25.

Help is available for students who need special assistance while taking a test, Fulbright said.

A web site will soon be available to provide information online about upcoming tests and registration requirements, Fulbright said.

The office is located in Brotman Hall, Room 216. Hours are Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information, one may call (562) 985-4007.