Tests Offered

English placement must be taken in a PNW Testing Services Center. Please report with picture identification and your Purdue University ID number. Students must arrive before 2 p.m. to test.

Schedule Your math placement Test

The math placement test is a web-based, proctored math assessment for incoming freshmen and transfer students. Your math placement score is used to help place you into the correct math course. If you need or want to take a math course as part of your plan of study, you should complete the assessment before meeting with your advisor or registering for courses. Not all students are required to take the math placement, for example, those with an ACT/SAT math score; please see the requirements and exceptions listed in the table below.

Domestic students can schedule their math placement test at the PNW Testing Centers in Hammond or Westville by following the instructions below.

• Schedule an appointment at the Testing Center at this link. You may choose either the Hammond or Westville campus (see locations and hours below).
• Choose the day and time you would like to test.
• On test day, you will need either a PUID or a driver’s license in order to test.
• You will need your Purdue Northwest login credentials to access the test through the MyPNW portal.
• No calculator is needed.

Unable to test in person?

Students who are unable to test at either PNW Testing Center due to distance can take tests at an approved testing site or a proctored site approved by the PNW Testing Center.

International students and those unable to test at the PNW Testing Centers should contact the Admissions Office at admissions@pnw.edu for specific proctoring information.

The PNW Testing Center uses ProctorU as its approved proctored site. Students taking the math placement remotely can set up an account and register by following the instructions below.

ProctorU Testing Instructions

Foreign language placement is required for all students who need or want to take a foreign language course.

• For a $10 fee, placement for Spanish and French can be completed online using the WebCAPE link in the MyPNW portal. Search for the foreign language widget on your portal desktop.
• Your test score will determine your placement.
• Upon placement, students are then required to take and successful pass a high-level course in the same language. When completed, the student must contact Janet Navarro in the Department of English and World Languages for the credits to be applied: CLO 274, navarro@pnw.edu or (219) 989-3224.
• • Foreign language placement cannot be taken once a student has registered for and attended two weeks of a foreign language course.

Spanish Placement

French Placement

American Sign Language

If you know or have taken classes in ASL you may be able to test out of one or two levels.  The placement test must be done in person with the ASL instructor to determine placement.

• Retest for English placement test is allowed ONLY by signed authorization from department head.
• Foreign language placement can be completed one time only for each language.
• A student may purchase a second set of the ALEKS placement exam (resubscription) ONLY with the approval of the Department of Mathematics, Statistics, and Computer Science for a $25.00 fee for two more attempts.

To meet the degree requirement for the Civics Knowledge Test, students will test in person at the Testing Services Center at Hammond or Westville.

Students should complete Civics Literacy activities and the Civics Knowledge Test as early as possible, as demand will increase with each subsequent incoming class and it may become more difficult to schedule at a convenient time. Failure to complete this requirement in a timely manner may delay graduation.

The Civics Knowledge Test is a 90-minute exam consisting of 50 questions. Students may take the test as many times as they need in order to achieve a passing score of at least 80%.

Testing Center Policies apply during exam administration.

More information about how to complete the requirement and register for the test is available on the Civics Literacy Student Dashboard in the MyPNW portal.

Schedule Your Civics Literacy Exam

If you have testing accommodations through the PNW Accessibility Center (PAC) that you wish to use for the Civics Knowledge Test, please email pac@pnw.edu.

We are happy to proctor makeup exams for PNW students. If you’ll need to miss an exam due to extenuating circumstances, please discuss the option of a makeup exam in advance with your instructor, and we will proctor the exam with their approval. We can proctor both computer-based and paper-pencil exams and there is no cost to you.

It’s important you speak directly with your course instructor ahead of time for approval of makeup testing. Once we have their approval, we’ll work with your instructor to get all exam materials and instructions.

Process

• Appointments are required. Fill out the Proctor Request Form and then call or email our Hammond or Westville locations to schedule your exam.
• Students must notify their institution that they want to take a proctored exam at PNW. Some institutions require a form to be completed by the proctor; others require web registration.
• We will contact your college/university, professor or placement testing office to complete their specific proctor-assignment process.
• Photo ID is required at the time of the exam

Fees

• There is a $25.00 charge per exam for non-Purdue students, due via cash or check form. (Purdue students include students enrolled at PNW, PFW, IUPUI, Purdue Global and Purdue West Lafayette).
• All fees for proctored testing can be paid on your test date. Visit us to receive a test payment form. A receipt will be attached to your form upon payment.

We offers the ACT Residual to individuals applying to PNW. Test scores are used by Purdue Northwest ONLY and are not retained for future reporting to other institutions.

Testing Details

• Registration is required in advance.
• The cost is $60, paid via cash or check form.
• The approximate testing time is approximately four hours.
• What to bring to the testing site:
• Payment Receipt from Student Accounts, Lawshe Hall, Room 130.
• Photo Identification – A driver’s license or school ID will suffice. The ID provided must have a picture. If you do not have a driver’s license or school ID, you can obtain a photo ID card from the Indiana License Bureau. Individuals without ID cannot test.
• Calculators are permitted for the ACT Residual but not required. The following are prohibited: laptops, minicomputers, electronic writing pads or pen-input devices, pocket organizers, devices with QWERTY keyboards, paper-tape printers, talking or electric plug calculators. The Testing Services Center cannot provide a calculator.
• For a sample study guide, visit www.act.org.

Special Accommodations

If you need special accommodations, please contact the PNW Accessibility Center at least ten days prior to testing. The Testing Services Center must receive an approved accommodation letter from the PNW Accessibility Center prior to testing.

CLEP exams evaluate non-traditional college-level education, such as independent study, correspondence work, experiential learning or credit earned at a non-regionally accredited institution. If successfully passed, this 90-minute, computerized exam allows students to receive college credit in a particular course.

CLEP credit may be established by taking the subject matter examinations shown and having an official score report sent with the qualifying exam and score to the Office of Admissions. See a complete listing of CLEP Scores/Equivalencies.

Fees

• The fee for all CLEP exams is $89, paid to the College Board upon registration. Remember to bring your CLEP Registration Ticket on the day of the exam
• There is also a separate $25 non-refundable service fee in cash or check form

Learn more about CLEP

Register for an Exam

Any questions regarding My Account or the CLEP Exam Registration Ticket can be referred to CLEP Services at (800) 257-9558, (609) 771-7865, or clep@info.collegeboard.org.

The exams include a multiple choice concepts exam, along with four capstone projects in Microsoft Word, Excel, Access and PowerPoint 2016. All five sections of the test must be completed within 210 minutes (three and one-half hours) with a passing score of 70%+.

The test-out exams are available only during specified windows, generally the two weeks prior to each semester start. Cost of the exam is $20.00.

For more information, contact your advisor or email the Testing Services Center at testingcenter@pnw.edu.

The ACT WorkKeys is a skills assessment test for those who are interested in or are currently working for employers that place an emphasis on the National Career Readiness Certificate (NCRC), which is the credential achieved by those who successfully complete the exam.

Workkeys® is a job skills assessment system that measures real-world skills, and:

• Connects work skills, training, and testing for education and employers.
• Makes it easier to meet the requirements of federal programs and legislation.
• Supports economic and workforce development programs.
• The basis for the National Career Readiness Certificate.

About The Tests

• This is a computer-based test containing multiple sections. Most exams are timed at 55 minutes. Accommodations are available for individuals with documented disabilities.

WorkKeys National Career Readiness Certificate (NCRC)

A WorkKeys NCRC is earned by completing the following WorkKeys Assessments:

• Applied Math
• Workplace Documents (also available in Spanish)
• Graphic Literacy (also available in Spanish)

After earning the WorkKeys NCRC, testers can set up an online account that enables employers to verify their credentials quickly and conveniently. Testers can also showcase their accomplishments by including information about earning the WorkKeys NCRC on their resumes and job applications.

How To Schedule

This is an appointment-based exam. Please schedule your appointment 24 hours in advance. To test at Hammond, please click here.  To test at Westville, click here.

ID Requirement

All candidates must provide a government-issued photo ID. The name used for registration must match exactly the name on the ID. We cannot test without ID.

Cost

The cost for each exam/certificate is shown at registration. Fees are payable during registration in RegisterBlast.

Results

Scores will be available within 24 hours. For more information about scores and what is considered a passing score please visit ACT.org.

Retest Information and Preparation

• A retest is allowed twice within a 30-day period once all forms are taken. The form will automatically be assigned to each test taker. Examinees are allowed to take all forms of testing( Math, Graphic Literacy, and WorkPlace Document) without a waiting period, once the examinee has taken all available forms they must wait 30 days to retest.
• To prepare for these exams, visit ACT.org

College of Business students can distinguish themselves and certify at no cost in Microsoft Office applications like Word, PowerPoint  and Excel.

• Certification sessions will be one hour unless indicated otherwise.
• Exams are timed at 50 minutes each.
• Please bring a photo ID.
• Microsoft Office Specialist certification testing does not include a practice test.

Details

You can take an exam to become a specialist in one or more applications or an expert in Word or Excel. Take four exams to become a master.

• MS Office Specialist: Certification Guide
• MS Office Specialist: Microsoft Overview
• Word Exam Objectives
• Excel Exam Objectives 
• PowerPoint Exam Objectives
• Access Exam Objectives
• Outlook Exam Objectives

Upcoming Exams

Exams are given in the Hammond Testing Center in SULB, Room 318. Register for the exam, choose Non-Academic, Certiport, Microsoft Office Specialist.

Please contact David Ellis for additional information on the Microsoft Office Specialist Certification or the Hammond Testing Center at with questions about scheduling.