Testing

PRCLC recognizes the value of offering a variety of test options. A comprehensive assessment of student ability may include several different measures, from standardized academic tests to self-evaluative surveys to work-certification batteries to essay exams to aptitude inventories. For the purposes of reporting to official or administrative sources (like colleges), standardized exams remain probably the most common.

PRCLC hosts, proctors, and prepares students for several formalized tests (online or offline).

Standardized assessments developed by government agencies and certified publishers are both norm-referenced and universal, intended to compare a person’s performance across a total learner population. As such they are NOT “pass/fail” in grade. They are used only once or twice a year and provide objective information about a student's progress in mastering school curriculum. A standardized test is one that is always applied in a consistent manner, with the same directions, same questions, and the same time limits.

GED (General Education Development) Test

Pine River Community Learning Center offers Official GED Practice Testing to eligible students. We work mainly with the GED Test Centers in Ignacio and Durango, which are independently operated by the Southern Ute Higher Education Center and Durango School District 9-R, respectively.

Terra Nova Test

Targeted for students grades K-12, the Terra Nova (CAT/6) is a set of multiple assessments that measure Reading/Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, and Social Studies.

ACCUPLACER College Placement Exam

Now used widely by U.S. colleges and school advisors to place students in classes appropriate to their academic level (at entry), this computerized, online test is a rigorous survey of Reading, English, and Math skills designed to evaluate one’s fitness for college-level learning. Depending on what’s needed, it may also include Writing and College Mathematics sections. The test is not timed but is adaptive to responses, so that questions are given based on the correctness of preceding answers.

Because of the test’s critical importance for initial college entry, PRCLC has created learner modules both for preparing and registering adults for the ACCUPLACER. Please see our Career and College Transitions Program for more details.

CASAS

The CASAS Life Skills series is a standardized test accepted by the Colorado Department of Education (CDE). It is used to help rate the basic proficiencies in reading, math, and listening that individuals need to function successfully in today's society.

TABE

Often used by community colleges and vocational programs, the TABE tests are a standardized assessment recognized by the Colorado Department of Education for basic reading, mathematics, and language skills. They also include optional spelling, vocabulary and language mechanics sections. For example, TABE scores reveal whether adults have mastered topics similar to those covered by the GED, or whether learners will need more instruction and practice.

ASVAB

SAT

The SAT Reasoning Test is a standardized, college entry test—that is, a test which must be completed by freshmen in advance and prior to admission, or as part of one’s college application. It’s comprised of three sections—Math, Critical Reading, and Writing--each of which can earn a maximum score of 800 and a minimum score of 200. It has a guessing penalty: wrong answers will subtract points. The final score is a total of the three tests together. SAT II refers to subject-area tests that may be specific to the college of choice, taken along with the main battery. The chief emphasis of this test is critical thinking and problem-solving abilities

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ACT

Initially an alternative to the SAT, most 4-year higher education institutions now require ACT test batteries either as a substitute entrance test or in combination with the SAT. It covers four areas of English, Math, Reading, and Science (Writing test optional), each ranging from 1 to 36 points, and all four averaged for a “composite” score. One’s “rank” amongst others who have taken the exam (as opposed to one’s total test accuracy) is often the reference point for college admissions. The focus of this test is content or subject-matter knowledge.

Pearson-Longman Test