Basic Skills Assessment

Although Cape Cod Community College has an open admissions policy, appropriate skill levels in English, reading and mathematics are needed for success in any program of study. Therefore, students are required to demonstrate proficiency in English and mathematics prior to registering for entry-level courses in subjects or courses with these prerequisites. Students may be waived from English testing if they have a H.S. GPA of 2.70 or higher in the past 10 years and waived from non-STEM Math/Science testing with a H.S. GPA of 2.70 in the past three years. Students may also be waived from testing based on prior college transfer credit, AP credit, IB coursework, or CLEP credit in English and mathematics.

Students not waived from testing will be required to demonstrate proficiency by taking designated academic readiness assessments in English and mathematics. Assessment results remain valid for three years. (College Meeting, November 28, 1989; revised March 4, 2024)

Campus-Wide Accuplacer Retest Policy (College Meeting, February 6, 2017)
New students are required to complete the Accuplacer exam prior to enrolling in courses. They are also granted one re-test opportunity prior to beginning courses.

Current students are granted one re-test opportunity at the end of every semester (Fall, Spring, Summer) where they have demonstrated remediation efforts.

Note: Examples of remediation opportunities for students: completing a math course, completing an English course, attending a refresher workshop, completing the Accuplacer Foundations lab, etc. This eliminates post-testing. Developmental English and math students are offered a re-test opportunity instead.