Placement Testing Exemption

Exemption policy

Placement test waiver eligibility

Students may be exempt from taking certain portions of the placement test if they satisfy the following requirements:

  • A student who scores a minimum of 530 or higher on the SAT*, a minimum of 19 or higher on the ACT*, or a high school senior with a GPA of 83% or higher** would be exempt from the math placement test within a three-year period if they are going to enroll in MA108, MA110, MA115, or MA171.
  • If the student is in a program that requires a higher-level math course, the student will be asked to take the math placement test. Programs that require higher-level math can be viewed below.
  • A student who scores a minimum of  560 or higher on the new SAT's Evidence-Based Reading and Writing*, a composite English score (English and Writing) of 21 on the ACT*, or a high school senior who has a GPA of 83% or higher** will be exempt from our writing placement test and automatically placed in EN101 or EN110 as prescribed by their program.
  • A student who scores a minimum of 560 or higher on the new SAT's Evidence-Based Reading and Writing, a minimum of a 21 on the Reading section of the ACT, or a high school senior who has a GPA of 83% or higher** will be exempt from taking the reading portion of the placement test. Students who have obtained the minimum score are automatically considered ready for credit-bearing courses that typically are considered reading-intensive. (EN102, SO101, PY101, HI101, etc.)
  • International students who wish to study at MVCC are not required to take the any standardized English proficiency exams to be accepted to the College. However, students will be fully admitted into college-level coursework if they submit scores of the following tests with these notes or higher: TOEFL PBT: 500, computer-based TOEFL: 173, TOEFL iBT: 61, IELTS: 5.5, or iTEP: 3.4. Scores on standardized tests are valid for two years, so the test date must not exceed two years prior to the date of admission.

* SAT/ACT scores are only valid for three years from the date the tests were taken.
** High School GPA exemptions are valid for 10 years after the date of graduation.

Please note:

Students who score below the minimum on any section of the SAT will be required to take the MVCC placement test in those areas where a minimum score was not obtained. Students who have no SAT scores will be asked to take the entire MVCC Placement test. If a student has completed previous college coursework in English and Math, and obtained a successful grade, then placement testing may not be required. 

The following majors/programs require a full placement test regardless of exemption status:

  • Airframe and Powerplant Technician Certificate
  • Paramedic Pathways/Degree Program

The following majors require a math placement test regardless of exemption based on SATs and ACTs. Additionally, some transfer students in these majors may be asked to take the math placement test to better meet the math requirement of their program. This is for the benefit of the student, as an exemption may place them in a lower-level math than is required for their program and an appropriate math placement score would allow them to start in a higher-level math than the exemption:

  • Building Management and Maintenance AAS
  • Business Administration AS
  • Civil Engineering Technology AAS
  • Computer Science AS
  • Computer Science: Cybersecurity AS
  • Electrical Engineering Technology AAS
  • Engineering Science AS
  • Geospatial Technology AAS
  • Liberal Arts and Sciences: Adolescence Education AS
  • Liberal Arts and Sciences: Mathematics and Science AS
  • Mechanical Engineering Technology AAS
  • Nutrition and Dietetics AS
  • Semiconductor Manufacturing Technology AAS