International Remote COMPASS^® Testing Benefits Students and Community Colleges

Michelle Petty enrolled in a Virginia community college while still on a tour of duty in Afghanistan. Petty, a specialist in the U.S. Army, took the COMPASS test on a laptop to fulfill an admission requirement at Thomas Nelson Community College in Hampton. “Taking the COMPASS test while I was still overseas saved me a lot of time. I was able to enroll in classes a month before I returned to the United States,” said Petty, who plans to eventually earn a master’s degree in education.

A student completes the COMPASS test at a remote site in Malmo, Sweden. Community colleges in the United States can now send students living in Vietnam, China, Sweden, Hong Kong, or Australia to select remote testing sites in these locations to take the COMPASS tests.

COMPASS is a computer-adaptive college placement test that helps educators quickly evaluate incoming students’ skill levels in reading, writing skills, writing essay, mathematics, and English as a Second Language; place students in appropriate courses; and connect them to the resources they need to achieve academic success.

ACT has set up an international remote testing site system for students and military personnel and their family members who wish to study at U.S. community colleges. Testing sites in Vietnam, China, Sweden, Hong Kong, and Australia, and military bases in Japan and Afghanistan currently offer remote testing. Other sites are in the development stages. The system is in response to requests from U.S. community colleges that have recently increased efforts to recruit international students.

The system benefits both incoming students and the colleges. Students can take COMPASS at a remote site or military base and register for classes prior to arriving in the United States. This helps ensure they get into classes for which they qualify and want to take. The colleges can determine whether a particular student is prepared to study at their institution. They can also know in advance where students will be placed and plan accordingly for extra sessions of classes that are in demand.

The colleges determine which tests students need to take and send them to the appropriate remote site for testing. Some may choose the COMPASS English as a Second Language (ESL) tests to assess non-native English speakers’ abilities in listening, reading, grammar/usage, and essay for placement in appropriate ESL courses.

The remote system fits the needs at the Camp Foster Testing Office in Okinawa, Japan, which administers a variety of military and civilian exams. “Our experience with the COMPASS tests has been very successful, from the initial set up to the completion of our first exam administration. The students provided positive feedback on the process and the test,” said Keena Morris, alternate test control officer for the Marine Corps Community Services.