Placement Test Policy

Placement into College Gateway Courses

Associate degree, diploma, or certificate applicants to Carteret CC must provide evidence of academic readiness in reading, writing, and math to be placed into college-level courses. Academic readiness may be established through prior academic performance, testing or through completion of a placement test. Placement test results indicate the appropriate level of study for an applicant. Special credit, non-degree seeking applicants may be required to test or provide transcripts in order to satisfy prerequisite requirements for courses in which they wish to enroll. 

Direct Placement:

Student will take the subject-area State Board approved assessment(s) to determine placement.

Direct Placement into MAT 172, Precalculus Trigonometry

A student may place directly into MAT 172, Precalculus Trigonometry if the student has scored 70 or higher on the ACCUPLACER College-Level Math (CLM) test.

Direct Placement into MAT 271, Calculus I

A student may place directly into MAT 271, Calculus I if the student has met at least one (1) of the following criteria within the past five (5) years:

• A score of 2 or higher on the AP Calculus AB Exam;
• A grade of C or higher in an AP Calculus course and an unweighted high school GPA of 3.0 or higher;
• A score of 90 or higher on the ACCUPLACER College-Level Math (CLM) test;
• A score of 46 or higher on the trigonometry section of the ACT Compass Math Placement Test;
• A score of 580 or higher on the old (prior to March 2016) SAT Math and a grade of C or higher on the North Carolina Standard Course of Study Pre-Calculus course or an equivalent course from another state;
• A score of 600 or higher on the new (March 2016 and beyond) SAT Math and a grade of C or higher on the North Carolina Standard Course of Study Pre-Calculus course or an equivalent course from another state;
• A score of 27 or higher on the ACT Math and a grade of C or higher on the North Carolina

Standard Course of Study Pre-Calculus course or an equivalent course from another state; or • A score of 560 or higher on the SAT Subject Test in Mathematics Level 2.

Spanish Placement Testing

The purpose of Spanish placement testing at Carteret Community College is to determine the level at which a student is currently performing and to place that student in the course that matches the student’s performance. The goal is to maximize learning and success.

Students wishing to complete the Spanish placement test will schedule an appointment through MAPS where the placement test will be administered. Non-course (NC) credit will be awarded to determine appropriate placement based on student performance.

Guidelines for Spanish placement:

Any student may begin in SPA 111: Elementary Spanish I, if desired.

Students who have taken two (2) consecutive units of high school Spanish in the last two years and have earned a grade of C or better may automatically start in SPA 112: Elementary Spanish II. Students wanting to confirm they are prepared to take SPA 112: Elementary Spanish II may take the Spanish placement test.  A score of 370-450 places a student in SPA 112.  A score of 451-536 places a student in SPA 211.  A score of 537 or higher places a student in SPA 212.

Any student desiring to enroll in SPA 211: Intermediate Spanish I or SPA 212: Intermediate Spanish II without meeting the prerequisite courses must take the Spanish placement test to confirm readiness.

Native speakers, and others who are Spanish speaking, must take the placement test for proper placement.

Placement Testing

Students will be placed into courses based on unweighted high school GPA or CCRG scores, or will need to take a placement test. The College uses the NROC RISE placement test to determine placement in math and English. You can schedule your placement testing appointment through the MAPS Center by contacting MAPS@carteret.edu or calling 252-222-6236. The tests are computerized and timed. Placement testing is offered in scheduled group settings, and a photo ID is required. 

English Placement Guide
Course	Unweighted High     School GPA	ACT	SAT	GED	CCRG English Credit	Transition English Grade	DRE Course Credit	RISE Placement Test
Transition English	≤  2.799	ENG ≤ 15 or	ENG ≤ 479	<165	--	--	--	--
ENG-111	≥ 2.8	ENG ≥ 18 or READ ≥	ENG ≥ 480	≥165	Tier 2 Credit Score ≥ 80	P	DRE 098	RISEE2 ≥ 70

Math Placement Guide
Course	Unweighted High       School GPA			ACT		SAT		GED		CCRG Math Credit		Transition Math Grade		DMA Course Credit	RISE Placement Test
Transition Math	≤  2.799			Math ≤ 19		Math ≤ 529		<165		--		--		--	--
MAT-110 without a Co-requisite	≥ 2.8			Math ≥ 22		Math ≥ 530		≥ 165		Tier 1 Score ≥80		P1		DMA 010- 030	RISEM1 ≥ 70
MAT-143 without a Co-Requisite		≥ 2.8	Math ≥ 22		Math ≥ 530		≥  165		Tier 1 Score ≥80		P1		DMA  010-030		RISEM1≥ 70
MAT-152 without  a Co-Requisite		≥ 2.8	Math ≥ 22		Math ≥ 530		≥  165		Tier 2 Score ≥80		P2		DMA 010-050		RISEM2 ≥ 70
MAT-171 with a    Corequisite		2.2      -2.799	Math=2021		--		--		Tier 2 Score ≥80		P2		DMA 010-050		RISEM2 ≥ 70
MAT-171 without a CoRequisite		≥ 2.8	Math ≥ 22		Math ≥ 530		≥  165		Tier 3 Score ≥80		P3		DMA 010-080		RISEM3 ≥ 70

*Students below a 2.8 high school unweighted GPA who score a 4 or 5 on the Math 3 EOC should be placed in the gateway math course for their major. 

Applicants/students may only take a placement test twice within a calendar year. Prior to taking a placement test the second time, students are encouraged to visit the MAPS Center for tutoring assistance. To have placement test scores sent to another college, a written request must be made through the Registrar’s Office. Students with alternate needs or concerns related to placement testing should contact the testing coordinator at MAPS@carteret.edu or (252) 222-6236..

Placement Test Exemption

Students or applicants who meet any waiver criteria will not need placement testing. Please refer to the Placement Test Equivalency Tables below.

Placement Test Equivalency Tables

NROC RISE Placement Test for Math
Tier	Score	Placement
Tier 1 Math	Less than 70%	MAT 003
	Equal to or greater than 70%	Eligible for MAT 110; MAT 143
Tier 2 Math	Less than 70%	Eligible for MAT 110; MAT 143 or  MAT 003 Tier 2
	Equal to or greater than 70%	Eligible for MAT 110; MAT 143; MAT 152;  MAT 171 + MAT 071  or MAT 003 Tier 3
Tier 3 Math	Greater than 70%	MAT 110; MAT 143; MAT 152; MAT 171

NROC RISE Placement Test for English
Level	Score	Placement
Tier 1 English	Less than 70%	ENG 002
	Greater than 70%	Eligible for ENG 111

There are no ACT or SAT score equivalencies for Developmental Courses. A student can be exempt from taking the placement test with the minimum ACT or SAT scores required to place in college level English and Math.

It is possible for a student to take either Elementary Algebra (EA) and Intermediate Algebra (IA) sections of the ASSET or just the IA section to determine Algebra placement. Determining which section/sections were taken is vital in determining correct placement.