No, you do not need an appointment, but you do need to come in during testing hours. You are welcome to call to verify hours before coming in.

• Oregon City Campus: (503) 594-3283
• Harmony Campus: (503) 594-0636
• Wilsonville Campus: (503) 594-0944

If you have already taken a reading, writing, or math class at a community college, or if you have received advanced college credit for a reading, writing, or math class, you do not need to take a placement test in that area. If you took the class at a school other than CCC, just bring in an unofficial transcript when meeting with an advisor. If you took the class or got credit for one at CCC, it will already be on your record.

If you have taken the SAT or ACT, you may be able to use those scores to place into writing and math classes. To see if your scores would qualify, use our SAT/ACT placement conversion chart. Even if you have qualifying SAT or ACT scores, you are welcome to take a placement test to get an up-to-date placement.

The short answer is that CCC uses the COMPASS placement test, along with some other tests for special purposes. Here are the details:

Writing placement is done with the COMPASS computer-based multiple-choice test. It takes about 30 minutes on average, but it is not timed. Here are some links to sample questions and practice information:

Sample Writing Questions  

Grammar Practice  

Students who speak English as a second language and who are placed into ABE (Adult Basic Education) with the COMPASS test will be asked to try the CASAS Functional Writing Assessment. This is a 30 minute assessment where the student writes an essay based on a picture prompt. The CASAS FWA is offered through the ESL department: 503-594-3234

Reading placement is done with the COMPASS computer-based multiple-choice test. It takes about 30 minutes on average, but it is not timed. Here is a link to some sample reading questions.  

Math placement is done with the COMPASS computer-based test and we will provide you with an approved calculator. The test is adaptive. This means you will start with basic math and advance as far as you can. This means that there is no way to tell how long your test will take. Plan to take at least 45 minutes. You may finish faster, and you might take longer. Here are links to some sample questions, and a place to brush up on your math skills:

Sample COMPASS Math Questions  

Math Practice (www.math.com) Look at the column to the left of the page for study topics. Be sure to study basic math, pre-algebra, and algebra.

Computer Skill placement is done with an internally-developed computer-based test. This exam is used to determine placement into CS courses, and can also meet the computer literacy requirement for some programs (other prerequisites may apply). The assessment covers a wide variety of computer knowedge skills. Scores are available immediately after students finish the test. Students do not receive any credit for taking this exam, and it is not reflected on transcripts.

• Score of 10-44: Placement in CS 090
• Score of 45-71: Placement in CS 120
• Score of 72-80: Placement in CS 121

Applicants to the nursing program must earn a minimum score of 62 on this exam.

DISABILITY RESOURCES: If you have a disability that prevents you from being able to meet your full potential when taking the placement test on a computer or if you have limited computer skills, we are happy to provide the ASSET paper-based placement test for reading, writing, and math. Please call to make an appointment 503-594-3283.

Go to: http://www.act.org/compass/sites/index.html and type in your zip code.

The site will list schools in your area that can proctor our placement test. It also lists how much the fee is for that school to proctor the test. Once you have decided where you would like to take the test, send an email to testing@clackamas.edu including the following information:

• Your name
• Your SSN (or let us know if you don't want to use your social)
• Your DOB
• Your mailing address
• Your Email address
• Your phone number
• School where you want to take the test

We will set up your remote test, and you will receive an email with directions about how to go about testing. When your test is complete, your scores will automatically be uploaded to our database.