A placement exam or placement test is a
test
Test(s), testing, or TEST may refer to:
* Test (assessment), an educational assessment intended to measure the respondents' knowledge or other abilities
Arts and entertainment
* ''Test'' (2013 film), an American film
* ''Test'' (2014 film), ...
designed to evaluate a person's preexisting knowledge of a subject and thus determine the level most suitable for the person to begin
coursework
Coursework (also course work, especially British English) is work performed by students or trainees for the purpose of learning. Coursework may be specified and assigned by teachers, or by learning guides in self-taught courses. Coursework can e ...
on that subject.
In many countries, including the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...
, it is not unusual for students to take a placement exam in a subject such as mathematics upon entering
middle
Middle or The Middle may refer to:
* Centre (geometry), the point equally distant from the outer limits.
Places
* Middle (sheading), a subdivision of the Isle of Man
* Middle Bay (disambiguation)
* Middle Brook (disambiguation)
* Middle Creek (d ...
or
high school
A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...
to determine what level of classes they should take. Typically, students are then placed on a tracking system determined by the class they are approved to enter—for example, if a student takes
music theory to students whose knowledge in that area is more advanced than what a typical entering freshman's would be in those subjects. Scores on such exams as the
Advanced Placement,
International Baccalaureate
The International Baccalaureate (IB), formerly known as the International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO), is a nonprofit foundation headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, and founded in 1968. It offers four educational programmes: the IB ...
,
SAT Subject Tests, and
British Advanced Level exams can also serve as placement tests for students in certain subjects, where a high score would enable them to get into a more advanced class than what a freshman would normally take.
References
{{Reflist
School examinations