All entering undergraduate students, including transfer students (with or without credit for freshmen composition) must pass the Writing Sample Placement Test (WSPT). Freshmen students are required to take the WSPT for placement purposes.
Transfer students will use WSPT scores for diagnostic purposes. Transfer students who do not pass the WSPT must meet with a writing center counselor to form a plan of action to correct writing deficiencies before registering for the second semester. Transfer students are required to pass the Writing Sample Placement test (WSPT) before the end of their second semester. This policy was developed to ensure that all students have the writing skills to successfully complete the Exit Exam, a graduation requirement.
Testing Session New for 2008-2009: All incoming undergraduates will complete the WSPT online via Blackboard (https://www.blackboard.odu.edu). Incoming freshmen and transfer students who plan to attend an on-campus orientation should make an Orientation/PREVIEW reservation at www.odu.edu/preview; your PREVIEW reservation will serve as your registration for online placement testing. Transfer students who do not plan to attend an on-campus orientation should go to the PREVIEW website and complete the online orientation to register for online placement testing. Visit the PREVIEW website (www.odu.edu/preview) or contact placementtesting@odu.edu for more information.
Please note: Once you make your PREVIEW reservation, your MIDAS account and student email address must be active in order to access online placement testing via Blackboard. You should allow 2 business days from the time you made your reservation or completed the online orientation before attempting to login to Blackboard so your access can be updated.
Completing the test via Blackboard is an option available only to new students registered for 2008 PREVIEW. Students NOT enrolled in a PREVIEW section should contact the Testing Center, (757) 683-3697, Room 138, Gornto, to register for one of the regular testing sessions given during the academic year.
Results Incoming freshmen (those without transfer credit for ENGL 110C) will receive their results from their advisors at Preview.
Students without credit for freshman composition will be placed in one of the following: English 110C, (freshman composition), General Studies 050 (basic writing), or ELC-ESL (a non-credit English as a second language course offered by the English Language Center).
Students with transfer credit for freshman composition will be notified of their results by mail; the results are generally returned within four weeks of the testing date. A letter will be sent to indicate that the student's writing abilities correspond to one of the following levels: Level 1 - writing abilities are superior to those of the average freshman student entering English 110C, Level 2 - writing abilities are equivalent to those of the average freshman student entering English 110C, Level 3 - writing abilities are weaker than those of the average freshman student entering English 110C, Level 4 - writing abilities are equivalent to those of a student entering General Studies 050, or Level 5 - writing abilities are equivalent to those of a student entering ELC-ESL classes offered by the English Language Center. Recommendations for writing workshops will be included for those students whose writing corresponds to Level 3, 4 or 5.
Retesting There is a 10-week waiting period before a student may retake the Writing Sample Placement Test. Students may not take this test more than three times unless they can provide evidence of having had writing instruction after the third unsuccessful attempt. The results of the exam are good for five years.
MATH PLACEMENT TEST (COMPASS)
All students wishing to register for math courses must satisfy prerequisite requirements. Prerequisite requirements may be met either with a qualifying score on the Math Placement Test (COMPASS) or with satisfactory completion of appropriate prerequisite math coursework. Students may register for the Math Placement Test (COMPASS) at the Experiential Learning and Testing Center at 138 Gornto Teletechnet Building, (757) 683-3697. Information sheets and testing schedules are available in the Experiential Learning and Testing Center. Institutional credit for Math 162M and Math 163 may be awarded with qualifying scores. You can visit this math help site http://www.purplemath.com prior to taking the COMPASS TEST.
Practice for the Math Placement Test
The Math Department has provided a practice test for students to use in preparation for the Math Placement Test.
All students who have studied a foreign language in high school for three or more years who wish to continue in that same language must take the Foreign Language Achievement Test. Students with fewer than 3 years of foreign language study in high school may take the test if they wish; otherwise, they must begin with the 101F course. Foreign Language courses below the 300 level are not open to native speakers. Students are advised to contact the Experiential Learning and Testing Center at (757) 683-3697 to schedule an appointment to take the test. There is a $20 fee (may be subject to change) for this test. The Experiential Learning and Testing Center is located in 138 Gornto Teletechnet Building.
EXIT EXAMINATION OF WRITING PROFICIENCY
All undergraduate students, including those students who are seeking a second baccalaureate degree, must register for, take and pass the University's Exit Examination of Writing Proficiency prior to the date of graduation. Students should take the exam as soon as they have accumulated 58 semester hours of credit and the credit hours appear on the official transcript, usually at the end of the semester in which the hours are completed. Students must have passed the WSPT and English 110C before taking the Exit Exam. The Exit Exam is usually given on the third Saturday of each month except December.
Registration and test dates are listed in each semester's Schedule of Classes, on the Writing Center's home page, and they are posted throughout the campus each month. For questions, call the Writing Center at 757-683-4112.
On-line registration is not recommended for first time Exit Exam takers; statistics show that students benefit from the registration/orientation sessions and that the pass rate is higher for those students who attend one of these sessions. On-line registration is encouraged for all those students who are taking the Exit Exam for the second (or more) time; there are resources at the registration address which students can use for information and review
