Placement Testing

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Placement Testing

What are placement tests?

Placement tests help us identify the courses that best suit your needs. They allow us to place you in the appropriate classes within our course structure. It’s important to note that these tests are not entrance exams, and their results do not impact your admission to the university.

Students attending the downtown campus may attend their placement exams through the portal. Once all necessary documents and payments have been received, a voucher number for your placement exams will be uploaded to your portal.

Students attending the Military Campus may schedule placement exams through the satellite office of their choice. Students who are not located on Oahu may take the exams remotely.

Depending on your declared major, you are encouraged to take a writing test, a math test or both.

Placement Test Requirements by Major

Writing Placement: All Majors

Math Placement: Biochemistry, Biology, Biomedical Engineering, Biotechnology Engineering, Business Administration*, Chemistry, Computer Science, Cybersecurity, Electrical Engineering, Environmental Science, Marine Biology, Mathematics, and Oceanography

*All concentrations

Residential Honors students are exempt from English Writing Placement assessment.

ACT and SAT Scores

Depending on ACT, SAT, or other test results, you may be exempt from placement testing. Please review our placement guide and contact advising@hpu.edu if you believe you may be exempt.

If you’re accepted into Hawaii Pacific Å·ÃÀAƬ Military Campus Programs you may take your placement exams from one of our on-base satellite offices or, if located off the island of Oahu, remotely. Please contact the Director/Academic Advisor closest to your location to determine which method meets your needs.

Students enrolled in a major with a modern language requirement or interested in pursuing the study of another language are encouraged to sit for a placement assessment.

  • Chinese (Mandarin)
  • French
  • Hawaiian
  • Japanese
  • Korean
  • Spanish

To schedule a Modern Language placement exam:

  1. Contact Testing Services: Email your proposed date or date range and preferred times to assessment@hpu.edu. 
  2. Availability Check: Testing Services will confirm if your proposed time is available or already booked.

Exam Duration: Modern language exams typically last about 90 minutes, with an additional 10 minutes for scoring. Plan to be occupied for a minimum of 100 minutes.

ACCUPLACER

(English Writing placement)

(Military Campus students only)

(Military Campus students only)

 

ALEKS (Downtown Campus students only)

ALEKS offers its own tutorial material. After each attempt, ALEKS analyzes your performance and assigns interactive learning modules to address areas that need improvement. These prescribed modules must be completed before you can retake the exam.

Various websites and publications available in retail bookstores offer resources for preparing for both the ACCUPLACER and ALEKS exams. Hawaii Pacific Å·ÃÀAƬ neither endorses nor recommends any specific product over another. Students are free to choose whichever reference best suits their needs.

The placement tests are designed to assess true proficiency and determine an appropriate starting point. Keep in mind that many courses build upon each other. Focusing solely on placing into a higher-level course, without being genuinely prepared, can be disadvantageous and does not address any areas that should be developed to support more advanced topics.