Testing Services

Reading | Writing | Math

Preparing for the Reading Section of the COMPASS Test

Sample Questions

The length of the reading section of the COMPASS test depends on your reading skills. You will have more reading passages and questions if you have stronger reading skills and fewer selections if your reading skills are more basic. The reading passages come from a variety of content areas and disciplines.

To prepare for the reading section you can first practice reading and answering comprehension questions at http://www.act.org/compass/index.html. Click on “Sample Questions”. Then click on "Reading" in the upper portion of the page. This page describes the reading section of the test and gives two short passages with comprehension questions for practice: one from the Humanities (literature), and one practical reading passage. When you have finished return to the “Sample Questions” page and select reading in the “More Sample Questions” section. These samples are more like the actual COMPASS test selections. Scroll down to practice reading three additional passages and answering questions.

The COMPASS reading tests ask three types of questions: referring questions with answers that are stated in the passage reasoning questions that require critical understanding or making inferences, and, questions about the meaning of difficult or unfamiliar vocabulary based on context clues and how they are used in the passage.

Reading Review

Once you are familiar with what you’ll be asked to read and the types of questions, you can improve your reading comprehension by practicing. Below are some online resources that provide reading comprehension practice or reading instruction to help you prepare:

• http://education.yahoo.com/college/essentials/practice_tests/sat/
  critical_reading/question/1.html;_ylt=Ai4IO1iB_kv91raAB3MrWMcQmrQF


• http://www.studyguidezone.com/thea_reading.htm


• http://academic.cuesta.edu/acasupp/AS/309.HTM


• http://www.lynchburg.edu/x2416.xml


• http://literacynet.org/cnnsf/superfoods/storyweek.html

Preparing for the Writing Section of the COMPASS Test

Sample Questions

The first thing to do to prepare for the Writing Skills section of the COMPASS test is to go online and review the sample questions You can find these by doing the following: After opening your Internet browser, go to www.act.org/compass/index.html. On this website:

• Click on "Sample Questions." (Notice that you can also look at sample questions for the Reading and Mathematics sections of the test.)


• Click on "Writing Skills."


• After reading the brief explanation, click on "Writing Skills" again.

Review Work for Writing

Now that you know the kinds of questions you will be asked, you can do some review to prepare yourself for the test. Notice that the questions cover "errors in punctuation, grammar, and style." Here are some suggestions:

1. For punctuation and grammar review, find a writing handbook (available in some libraries, Chemeketa's College Writing Center, some used bookstores). Read through the various sections covering these aspects of writing, including the examples, and, if there are any exercises, do a few of them.



2. You can do a similar review process online by going to certain websites, such as:


• http://depts.gallaudet.edu/englishworks/grammar/main/index.htm


• http://depts.gallaudet.edu/englishworks/exercises/main/index.html


• http://www.wisc.edu/writing/Handbook/GramPunct.html


• http://www.siu.edu/~write/resources.html


• http://www.chemeketa.edu/services/writingcenter/Compose.htm


• http://www.chemeketa.edu/services/writingcenter/CKUPs/Gram.htm


• http://www.chemeketa.edu/services/writingcenter/Resource/
  AdRef.htm#Writing%20Style%20Manuals%20&%20Guides


3. "Style" is a bit harder to pin down because it involves a number of different aspects of writing, such as wordiness, redundancy, word choices (diction), sentence arrangement (syntax), organization, etc. Here, too, handbooks and websites will be useful, but you'll have to look a bit harder for the various sections that will cover these aspects. Here's a good website to get you started:


• http://www.wisc.edu/writing/Handbook/Style.html

Once you've identified some of the terminology used on this website, you can return to some of the other websites listed above and search for them or look for them in any printed handbook you've found.

Preparing for the Mathematics Secton of the COMPASS Test

1. The length of the math test depends on your math skills—you will be faced with more questions if you have more math skills; fewer questions otherwise. The math portion of the test may take as few as 10 minutes or as much as 2 1/2 hours.


2. Calculators are provided for you; however you may bring your own calculator (subject to approval by facilitator).


3. With permission of a member of the math faculty, you may also take an Advanced Math Placement Test. Contact testing supervisor for details.


4. Resources available for COMPASS math preparation:

1. Books: Available at many bookstores are:


1. Cliffs Quick Review: Basic Math and Pre-Algebra by Cliffs Notes (2001), ISBN 0764563742


2. Algebra I by Cliffs Notes (2001), ISBN 076456370X


3. Algebra II by Cliffs Notes (2001), ISBN 0764563718


4. Geometry by Cliffs Notes (2001), ISBN 0764563807


5. Pre-Calculus by Cliffs Notes (2001), ISBN 0764539841


6. Trigonometry by Cliffs Notes (2001), ISBN 0764563890


2. Websites/Tutoring:


1. www.tutoringclub.com


2. www.math.com


3. www.algebra.com


4. www.quickmath.com


5. www.mathonline.com


6. www.aplusmath.com


7. www.mathgoodies.com


3. Software:


1. The Learning Company (www.learningcompany.com)


2. Math Media Educational Software, Inc. (www.mathmedia.com)


3. Math League (www.mathleague.com)


4. ACT Sample questions: After opening your Internet browser, go to www.act.org/compass/sample/index.html. You will be able to see sample questions for math, reading, and writing.

Updated October 2006 by the College Advancement Department.