What You Should Know Preparing for COMPASS
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What Kinds of Questions Are On The COMPASS Tests?
The Writing Skills test measures your understanding of appropriate usage in grammar, punctuation, sentence structure, writing strategy and writing style.

The Reading Skills test measures your ability to find specific information in text, and to make logical inferences that extend beyond the text information.

The Numerical Skills test assesses your knowledge and skills in the performance of math operations with integers, fractions, decimals, ratios and proportions, percentages and exponents. This test also measures pre-algebra knowledge and skills in the areas of multiples and factors of integers, absolute values of numbers, averages, number theory and simple probability.

The Algebra test includes topics such as basic operations with polynomials, linear equations in 1 and 2 variables, quadratic formulas, linear inequalities in one variable, graphing conics (circle, parabola, etc.), and midpoint formulas.

The College Algebra test includes topics such as functions, exponents, complex numbers, factorials, matrices, systems of linear equations in three or more variables and roots of polynomials.

The Geometry test includes topics such as under- standing formulas and principles related to squares, triangles, circles, trapezoids, parallelograms and hybrid (composite) shapes.

The Trigonometry test assesses your knowledge and skills in the performance of trigonometric functions and identities, right triangle trigonometry, polar coordinates, and trigonometric equations and inequalities.

In the mathematics content area, COMPASS is not five different tests. Instead, COMPASS presents a series of test items that range in difficulty from pre-algebra to trigonometry. Sample test items for the COMPASS Writing, Reading and Mathematics tests are provided in Adobe Acrobat format. You will need the free reader from Adobe to view it.

In order to view and print this PDF file, you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader installed on your computer (VERSION 4 or higher).

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