Really terrible Math Placement scores

<p>Hello! i'm new here and i'm really not sure where to post this i apologize in advance. I graduated hs last year and took a year break off. And now i applied for orange coast college. I took the placement test, i will admit i was pretty rusty due to me being vacant for quite some time. I thought I did pretty well on english I got 84% and 65% and I checked the placement, they placed me in A099 and I honestly don't think I belong in ESL at all. I never took an Esl class in highschool and I just think it's going to be a waste of time. Always had straight B's throughout my english classes during hs. I know what i'm capable of and i do not belong in that class.Is there anyway I can jump in English A100?</p>

<p>And for the Math test, i did terrible so they gave me no placement so now i have to take a lower Math placement which is elementary algebra. Is it possible for me to take a summer class for that if im placed in elem algebra so i can go jump start to Liberal arts or whatever during the fall? I'm a culinary major(no plans on trasfer just a Associates) and obviously my first time for college and its been giving me bad anxiety.</p>

<p>You can always challenge your writing placement and show them that you are capable of being in a higher-level English class. </p>

<p>As for math, yes, you can take a summer class for that if it is offered (due to drastic budget cuts, some classes may not be offered during summer). Also, on OCC’s website, it says that you can retake the math placement exam if you want to take a different math level than the one you’ve been assigned.</p>

<p>Most schools offer the option to retake your placement tests. Are you applying for fall semester I assume?</p>

<p>If so, take some time to brush up on your math and english a little. Khan Academy is a great resource to brush up on math skills, particularly. Math is one of those “use it or lose it” kind of things…but it will come back to you fairly quickly when you start using it again.</p>

<p>Retake it. They almost always let you, in my experience. But remember that you would rather take the class and learn than be in a class you are not ready for!</p>

<p>Definitely go for a retake. I’m a high school student doing dual enrollment and last month I had to take a math placement test for college. My first time, I did not qualify for placement, which freaked me out because I’ve completed through Algebra 2. I looked up some formulas later that day, retook the test the next morning, and placed into Precalc & Stats. </p>

<p>Of course, it might be different for English… But I would still take advantage of the retake</p>

<p>@ everyone telling her to do a retake, it says on the Orange Coast College website that “students must wait one year before retaking a placement test and are permitted to retake the math portion only if they are taking a different math level”, so it’s not really practical unless she sends an entire year brushing up on her math and writing skills.</p>

<p>Thanks everyone! But I don’t think I can retake the english class and I must wait for a year. But I don’t really want to waste any time, i want to get it all done as soon as I can. I’m applying for the fall.</p>

<p>And for Math, i’m taking the elementary Algebra test since I’m required to take a math class (probably Liberal Arts math) in order to get an associates degree. But i’m stressed out because the school requires students to take the higher Math class to get a college credit. They don’t give credits for intermediate algebra and lower classes. I’m sitting here asking myself how am i going to get it all done and get a degree in two years. If i’m going to be behind the credits for the graduation in the future. My friend said she didn’t do so well with her placement test for Math. So she took a summer class and got it all done then jump right ahead to the college algebra during the fall. And I kind of want to do the same thing for me</p>

<p>@sopranokitty how do i show them that i’m capable of a higher class? talking to my councilor I suppose? because i really feel strongly about this.</p>

<p>yes, talk to a counselor about it.</p>

<p>I remember when I was in community college (I went to IVC), I was placed in the beginning writing course, but all the writing professors who helped me out in the writing center had told me that they felt I should have been placed in a more advanced writing course, and I regretted not contesting my writing placement. Talk to your counselor and see what your options are, or go to the assigned writing class on the first day–I’m not sure how they do it at OCC, but at IVC, we have a diagnostic test on the first day. If you get a really high score on the diagnostic test (that is, if OCC’s writing classes do this), you can ask the professor to write you a letter of recommendation to be placed in a higher-level course.</p>

<p>Honestly, just stick with the classes you were placed in. I always here about how people don’t feel like they belong in these remedial math and English classes, yet they took a test and placed in those classes. They aren’t trying to cheat you or hurt your pride. You placed in those classes because you obviously didn’t know the math or have the required English knowledge. Placing in Elementary Algebra is not that bad. You’ll only need to take elementary algebra and intermediate algebra before you get to the transferable math. I believe they only require Inter Algebra for an associates, so you’ll only need 2 classes and you’ll only need to take English 99 before you get to the transferable English.</p>

<p>It may differ at various schools, but at mine, the intermediate algebra class is a remedial math class, and doesn’t actually count as college credit, and isn’t transferable. </p>

<p>I was in a similar situation…I’d been out of school for quite a while, and when I went back my math skills were extremely rusty. I placed into elementary algebra, and I just took the class. However, over the winter break between semesters, I studied the hell out of the next level of algebra, and brushed up on geometry, and I was able to place into trig. That allowed me to skip two and a half semesters of math. I decided to just take college algebra though, instead of going right into trig, which ended up being a good decision. I’m double majoring in math and physics, so skipping college algebra would have been a poor choice for me.</p>

<p>Frequently, it’s just a matter of the skills being rusty. If you took some time to brush up on the skills, you would likely be able to place higher. Even if it’s placing into intermediate algebra instead of elementary algebra, that’s going to save you some time. I really don’t think you’d be missing out on much by skipping elementary algebra either, because intermediate algebra is essentially a repeat of the same topics, with a few new topics thrown in like brief introductions to matrices, larger systems of equations and very brief coverage of conics.</p>

<p>its okay theres always next time</p>