Placement Testing Overview
Placement testing also available at Onondaga's North Site.
Starting with the correct courses is an important step in achieving your academic goals and potential. Onondaga uses ACCUPLACER (http://accuplacer.collegeboard.org/students) computerized placement testing that includes Sentence Skills, Reading Comprehension and Mathematics to determine placement into appropriate courses.
Testing is a critical step in the enrollment process at Onondaga since your test results will help you and your advisor select the right courses for your curriculum and skill level. Placement testing is a required step for all students before scheduling initial courses and should be completed as soon as possible.
Transfer students are not required to complete placement tests if they have successfully completed (grade of C or higher) a course equivalent to our ENG-103, RDG-153 and MAT-087 or higher.
Students who have scored a 500 or higher on the SAT Critical Reading test or a 21 or higher on the ACT English test within the past 3 years are exempt from the placement exams in English and reading.
Students entering Onondaga in the year immediately following high school graduation who have successfully completed high school level Pre-Calculus or Calculus (C/75 or better) are exempt from the mathematics portion of the placement exam. Students who graduated from high school within the last 3 years who score a 500 or above on SAT Math or 21 or above on the ACT-math section AND who have indicated a program of study that is NOT Science Technology Engineering or Math (STEM) related will be exempt from placement testing. All others will test. Please see chart of programs that are eligible for the exemption below.
Note: Students who are exempt are expected to discuss their math placement at advising and if they want to take a higher level math than 112, 113, 114, placement testing would be required to determine eligibility.
| PROGRAMS with an SAT Math score of 500+ and/or ACT Math score of 21+ exempt students from math placement testing. |
| Art |
| Automotive Technology |
| Accounting |
| Business Technology |
| Criminal Justice: Career |
| Criminal Justice: Transfer |
| Early Child Care Certificate |
| Lib Arts & Sci:Adolescence Ed (Teacher Ed Trans) |
| Lib Arts & Sci:Childhood Ed (Teacher Ed Trans) |
| Electronic Media Communications |
| Exercise Science |
| Fire Protection Technology Certificate |
| Fire Protection Technology |
| General Studies/Liberal Arts |
| Health Information Technology |
| Humanities/Liberal Arts |
| Hospitality Management |
| Homeland Security and Disaster Preparedness |
| Human Services |
| Human Services Certificate |
| Interior Design Technology |
| Law Enforcement Certificate |
| Music |
| Nursing |
| Professional Communication |
| Professional Cooking Certificate |
| Photography |
| Physical Therapist Assistant |
| Respiratory Care |
| Surgical Technology |
| Telecommunications (Verizon) |
| Web Technology Certificate |
Students will be notified of their placement test requirements after official transcripts from previous institutions have been reviewed.
Tests are administered on a walk-in basis during posted hours. You must have photo ID in order to test and you must have a student ID number. If you need a student ID number, you can go to Student Central prior to testing or create one online by going to www.sunyocc.edu, click on “Take a Class”, click on “Register Now!”, click on “Create a User ID.”
Additional Info