CCC Placement Tests

To ensure proper academic placement, first-time credit students and students without valid placement assessment results on file are required to complete a placement exam or obtain a placement test waiver, if eligible, prior to registration.

Since the results of Math and English placement assessments can determine course enrollment eligibility, students are encouraged to take the placement assessments as soon as possible.

Prior to taking the placement test(s) new students must apply for admission and receive: a student ID number, CCC username and password to log-in to https://my.ccc.edu – the CCC student portal. This information is sent to new students to the email address they indicated when completing the online application.

  • The Read-to-Write (RTW) English placement assessment must be taken in a proctored environment, in person, at a City Colleges of Chicago Testing Center.
  • The ALEKS Math placement assessment may be taken remotely, off-campus.
    • Depending on your student-type, it can be accessed through https://my.ccc.edu – the CCC student portal or through student self-registration on the ALEKS site. For more information on which method applied to you, please consult your City Colleges of Chicago Testing Center.
    • Students are welcome to complete the ALEKS Math assessment at a City Colleges of Chicago Testing Center.

How to Prepare

Prior to completing the placement assessments, students are strongly encouraged to review placement assessment preparation materials, accessible through the links to the right under ‘Other Resources’

Taking my placement assessments

To take the CCC placement exams, students may visit one of the seven City Colleges of Chicago locations:

Testing Resources Centers

Do I need any materials to take the placement assessment(s)?

In order to ensure that students are able to take the placement assessments comfortably and without interruption, students should keep these things handy: ink pens, pencils, paper, and their username and password for the student portal. Students will need to bring their student ID number and a photo ID to the campus Testing Center. Be prepared to follow all of the rules of the Testing Center. Be aware that use of smartphones or disrupting the testing environment during testing will not be permitted.

Do placement assessment scores expire?

English – Read-to-Write (RTW):

  • RTW scores are valid for 2 years.

  • Students who have not enrolled in English courses may elect to retake the RTW if 1 year has lapsed.

  • Students who participate in approved non-credit workshops or Level Up may be able to retake RTW sooner than one year’s time.

  • Early College students can take RTW once per City College semester – twice per year.

Math Assessment – ALEKS:

  • Aleks placement scores expire after 1 year if the student has not enrolled in a math course appropriate to their placement within that time. Once a student enrolls in a pre-requisite course, the student must complete math courses sequentially, unless enrolled in a special program or granted departmental consent to skip a pre-requisite course.

  • Students are limited to a single ALEKS math assessment per year. An ALEKS math assessment provides for up to 5 attempts with required time in the learning module between attempts.

Accommodations for Students with Disabilities

Test Accommodations for students with disabilities are given in a manner consistent with the applicable requirements of Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act. This includes offering and administering the test in a time, place, and manner that is accessible, including the provision of appropriate modifications and auxiliary aids and services.

Students who believe they have a need for disability accommodations are responsible for requesting such accommodation(s) and are responsible for providing all requisite documentation to verify eligibility to the ACCESS Center. The request for accommodations must be submitted to the ACCESS center before placement assessments are completed.

ACCESS Centers (www.ccc.edu/access) will provide reasonable accommodations for qualified students with disabilities as required by law.

To receive placement testing accommodations please contact the ACCESS Center at your college.

Access Center Offices

Do I have to take the placement assessment(s)?

In order to register for English or Math classes, or classes that require English or Math course eligibility as a prerequisite, students must have completed the respective placement exam or been granted a placement waiver.
Students may not be required to take the placement assessment if they are eligible for any of the following waiver options:

Transitional Math and/or English courses, TRANWV:

    • English – Placement measure valid for 3 years
    • Math – Placement measure valid for 18 months

City Colleges of Chicago and the Chicago Public Schools collaborate on Transitional coursework in Math and English. Students who pass these classes are able to go directly into college-level coursework in their pathway, without having to complete the placement assessment or verify scores.

SEMESTER 1 SEMESTER 2 Schools with one-semester, double-period courses 

A, B, C, or D

 A, B, or C One semester grade must be A, B or C

CPS Students must submit an official high school transcript verifying successful completion. Transitional Math and/or English final grade information may also be sent from CPS to CCC if the student agreed to the CPS Transcript Authorization via the CCC Admissions Application or through the CCC Student Portal.

Transfer Student Placement Test Waivers, TSTWV:
Placement measure does not expire

A transfer student who has earned a grade of “C” or better in college-level English and/or math

  • Students must submit an official transcript verifying successful completion.

-or-

A student has previously earned an Associate’s Degree or higher from an accredited college or university.

  • Students must submit an official transcript verifying successful completion.

Developmental Education, DEVWV:

English – Placement measure valid for 3 years

Math – Placement measure valid for 18 months

Students may not be required to take placement assessments if they have completed English and/or Math developmental coursework from approved accredited colleges and universities.

    • Students must submit an official transcript verifying successful completion.

High School GPA Placement, HS GPA PPL:

English – Placement measure valid for 3 years

Math – Placement measure valid for 18 months

  • Students may not be required to take placement assessments if they have a cumulative high school grade point average (GPA) of 3.00 or above from their completed 7th or final semester. Students must submit an official high school transcript verifying successful completion.
    • For CPS students, transcript GPA information may be sent from CPS to CCC if student agreed to the CPS Transcript Authorization via the CCC Admissions Application or through the CCC Student Portal.
      • GPA requirements are based on an unweighted 4.00 scale. If a GPA is submitted based on a different scale, it will be converted.

SAT, SAT 2:

Placement measure valid for 4 years. Expiration is from date of exam – Not date of SAT score receipt.

ACT, ACT:

Placement measure valid for 4 years. 

Expiration is from date of exam – Not date of ACT score receipt

CLEP | Advanced Placement Exam | International Baccalaureate, CLEP, AP and IB:

Placement measures do not expire

A student who has completed an Advanced Placement (AP), College-Level Examination (CLEP), or International Baccalaureate credit (IB) examination with results that would grant credit for college-level English and/or math may be waiver from taking CCC placement assessment(s).
Students must submit an official record of their test score.

GED, GED:

Placement measure valid for 1 year. Expiration is from date of exam

  • Score of 155+ Math
  • Score of 165+ English

HISET, HiSET:

Placement measure valid for 1 year. Expiration is from date of exam

    • Score of Writing (16+) 
    • Reading (16+) 
    • Essay (5+) 
    • Score of Math 11

For additional CCC Placement Assessment information, please review the CCC Academic and Student Policy manual.