The Assessment Centre has resumed limited testing services for candidates needing to take the ACCUPLACER tests. Besides being able to complete the ACCUPLACER test in person, candidates can also request to take it remotely through a virtual proctoring service.
Register to write the ACCUPLACER on-campus (Wednesday mornings at 9:00) and pay the $37 testing fee through our online registration system.
If you prefer to use the virtual proctoring service ($37 testing fee plus $20 USD virtual proctoring fee), and do the test at home or another location, email assess@tru.ca and we will send you registration instructions.
ACCUPLACER is an integrated system of computer-adaptive assessments designed to evaluate students’ skills in reading, writing, and mathematics.
The ACCUPLACER Next Generation system consists of six main tests presented in a computer-adaptive mode. All tests are untimed except for WritePlacer, which has a one-hour limit. Basic calculators are permitted for all testing.
At Thompson Rivers University, it is used for program admission, adult basic education, and English language assessment purposes.
The ACCUPLACER system consists of six main tests presented in a computer-adaptive mode. All tests are untimed except for WritePlacer, which has a one-hour limit. Basic calculators are permitted for all testing.
Programs that use ACCUPLACER for admission:
Six ACCUPLACER tests (Next Generation) are used to assess the English and math skills of students enrolling in the Adult Basic Education program. All tests are untimed except for WritePlacer, which has a one-hour time limit.
The TRU English Placement testing system consists of four parts:
The Reading Skills part of LOEP tests the student's comprehension of short passages. The sub-test contains brief passages of 50 words or less and moderate length passages of 50 to 90 words. There is a variety of passage content such as the arts, human relationships, physical science, history/social sciences and practical situations. Half of the Reading Skills sub-test contains straightforward comprehension items (paraphrase, locating information, vocabulary on a phrase level, and pronoun reference). The other half assesses inference skills (main idea, fact vs. opinion, cause/effect logic, identifying irrelevant information, author's point of view, and applying the author's logic to another situation).
The Language Use sub-test measures grammar and usage. It contains questions in two formats: completing a sentence by filling in a blank with the word or phrase from the choices given, and choosing a sentence that best combines two discrete sentences that are given. The skills covered are subject-verb agreement, verb tenses, forms of irregular verbs, appropriate verb forms in structures, noun-noun agreement, noun forms, pronouns, modifiers, comparatives, prepositions, connectives, parallelism, and sentence fragments/run-ons.
Sentence Meaning assesses the understanding of word meanings in one- or two-sentence contexts. The sentences are drawn from the content areas of natural science, history/social studies, arts/humanities, psychology/human relations, and practical situations. The areas tested are: particle verbs (or phrasal verbs), basic and important idioms, adverb/adjective phrases, basic nouns, verbs and adjectives (particularly terms of beauty, age, greatness, size), adverbs of frequency, sequence of adverbs (before, after, during), prepositions of direction and place (from, to, at, for, etc), comparatives, connectives, and commands.
WritePlacer ESL (English as a Second Language) provides a direct measure of the writing skills of students who are not native speakers of English. For this test, examinees are asked to provide a writing sample in response to a specific prompt. Examinees have 1 hour to complete the writing sample. Each response is evaluated based on the following features of writing:
For more information and sample questions, please refer to the College Board ACCUPLACER website.
An oral interview follows these written sections.
Assessment tool for student placement in ESAL courses/ programs at TRU.
The English Placement assessment fee is $45.
Testing takes place on Wednesdays. Please contact the Assessment Centre to reserve a seat by phone: 250-828-5470 or email: assess@tru.ca
The ACCUPLACER System is designed to provide placement, advisement, and guidance information for students entering Thompson Rivers University (TRU). A detailed description of each of the six main tests is provided below. More information, sample questions and a free study APP are available at the College Board ACCUPLACER website.
Each student taking this test will be presented with a series of 20 multiple choice questions. Questions are either discrete (standalone) or part of sets built around a common passage or passages. Four broad knowledge and skill categories are assessed:
Each student receives 25 multiple choice questions. In answering the questions, test takers must determine the best revision or editing decision in a particular case (or that no change should be made to the passage as originally presented). Two broad knowledge and skill categories are assessed:
For this test, examinees are asked to provide an on-demand writing sample in response to a specific prompt. Examinees have 1 hour to complete the writing sample. Each response is evaluated based on the following features of writing: focus, organization, development and support, sentence structure & mechanical conventions. Holistic scoring is used to evaluate the overall effectiveness of the writing sample as evidenced by how well a piece of writing communicates a whole message. Each writing sample is evaluated based on its overall impression, not on the basis of the individual writing characteristics in isolation. Additional information about the WritePlacer test and writing samples are available at: https://secure-media.collegeboard.org/digitalServices/pdf/accuplacer/accuplacer-tsi-writeplacer-sample-essays.pdf
This test consists of 20 multiple choice questions that focus on computation, order of operations, estimation and rounding, comparing and ordering values in different formats, and recognizing equivalent values across formats. The following knowledge and skill categories are assessed:
This test consists of 20 multiple choice questions that assess the following knowledge and skill categories:
This test consists of 20 multiple choice questions that assess the following knowledge and skill categories:
Testing sessions take place every Wednesday morning at 9 a.m. at TRU Kamloops. For students living outside Kamloops, the ACCUPLACER test can be completed off-campus.
| Program | Reading | Writing | WritePlacer | Arithmetic | Quantitative Reasoning, Algebra & Statistics (QAS) | Advanced Algebra & Functions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aboriginal Health Care | 240 | 240 | 4 | 245 |
235 |
— |
| Applied Business Technology | 250 | 250 | — | — | — | — |
| Applied Sustainable Ranching | 250 | 250 | 5 | 260 | 245 | — |
| Automotive Service Technician | 250 | — | — | 260 | 245 | — |
| Business Diploma in Management | — | — | — | 270 | 250 | 235 |
| Carpentry | 240 | 240 | — | 260 | 245 | — |
| Culinary Arts | 230 | — | — | 245 | — | — |
| Electrical | 250 | 250 | — | 270 | 250 | — |
| First Year English | 250 | 250 | 5 | — | — | — |
| Health Care Assistant | 240 | 240 | 4 | — | — | — |
| Heavy Mechanical | 230 | — | — | 245 | 235 | — |
| Industrial Mechanic (Millwright/Machinist) |
250 | — | — | 260 | 245 | — |
| Instrumentation/Control Technician | 250 | 250 | — | 270 | 250 | — |
| Piping/Plumbing | 250 | — | — | 260 | 245 | — |
| Power Engineering | 250 | 250 | — | 260 | 245 | — |
| Refrigeration & Air Conditioning | 240 | 240 | — | 260 | 245 | — |
| Retail Meat Processing | 230 | — | — | 245 | — | — |
| Welding | 230 | — | — | 245 | 235 | — |
| Note: these scores are based on a variety of validity studies and may change after subsequent studies. | ||||||
| ABE Course Level | Reading | Writing | WritePlacer | Arithmetic | Quantitative Reasoning, Algebra & Statistics (OAS) | Advanced Algebra & Functions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First Year English | 250 | 250 | 5 | — | — | — |
| English 0600 | 240 | 240 | 4 | — | — | — |
| English 0500 | 230 | 230 | 3 | — | — | — |
| English 0400 | ≤ 220 | ≤ 220 | ≤ 2 | — | — | — |
| First Year Math | — | — | — | ≥ 270 | ≥ 250 | ≥ 235 |
| Math 0600 level | — | — | — | 260 | 245 | 220 |
| Math 0500 level | — | — | — | 245 | 235 | — |
| Math 0400 level | — | — | — | ≤ 230 | ≤ 220 | — |
| Note: these scores are based on a variety of validity studies and may change after subsequent studies. | ||||||
The Reading; Writing; Arithmetic; and Quantitative Reasonings, Alegbra & Statistics (QAS) test scores are reported on a scale from 200 to 300.
The WritePlacer Score is reported on a scale from 0 - 8 with a description for each score. A score of zero indicates that the response was off topic, in a language other than English, too short to be evaluated, or in some other way not able to be scored.
Determine what tests you will be writing according to the table in the second FAQ queston above.
Review detailed ACCUPLACER Next Generation test descriptions. For more information and sample questions, please refer to the College Board ACCUPLACER Next Generation website.
Additional tutoring is available through the TRU Peer Assisted Uprep Learning program (the P.A.U.L. Initiative), Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday evenings from 6-8 p.m. in Old Main, OM2551. No pre-registration is necessary, just show up with questions.
A $37 entry assessment testing fee must be paid before test results will be processed.
Register to write the ACCUPLACER and pay the testing fee through our online registration system.
You must bring picture ID to the ACCUPLACER entry assessment on the established date to complete your test.
COVID-19 protocols require all candidates to supply and wear a non-medical mask during the testing session and use the hand sanitizer before entry the testing room. Candidates will not be tested if they appear ill.
After completing the entry assessment tests, you will be given a copy of your results.
An assessed copy of your results will be forwarded to the Admissions Office and/or the chairperson or lead instructor of the appropriate program.
The entry assessment test scores are valid for one year.
You may rewrite one or more of the ACCUPLACER tests after your initial attempt. It is highly recommended that you spend several weeks reviewing the subject matter before attempting the rewrite. If your scores on the rewrite still do not meet the program requirements, before you can attempt a subsequent rewrite, you must submit documentation indicating successful participation in an upgrading course or tutoring program (click here for a copy of the intervention form), or wait until at least one year has passed since the last testing session. The fee for a rewrite is $25.
