Testing Center
The MVCC Testing Center provides examinations, outcome interpretation, and testing support.
Assessment and Placement Testing
MVCC wants every student to be successful at the College. To ensure appropriate course placement, the prior learning of admitted students will be assessed to determine their mathematics skills and English reading and writing proficiency. The assessment is not used for the purpose of determining an applicant’s eligibility for admission to the College. Instead, it is used to determine whether the student has met required prerequisites and to identify if additional academic support is needed. The assessment will include a review of high school or college transcripts and, as needed, an assessment test. Additional academic support may include enrolling in an Integrated Learning Support section or remedial coursework. If it is determined that there is need to take developmental or remedial coursework in preparation for required courses in a program, it may take longer than the time listed in the catalog to complete the degree or certificate. Persons wishing to take courses for personal enrichment (non-matriculated) may also be required to take the MVCC assessment test before scheduling a course with a required test score prerequisite.
Non-native speakers of English may be required to take an English proficiency exam in addition to the placement test. International students who wish to study at MVCC are not required to take the Test of English as a World Language (TOEWL) or other standardized English proficiency exams. However, students who enter MVCC in the fall 2014 semester or thereafter will be fully admitted into college-level coursework if they show English proficiency through the MVCC placement test or submit scores of 500 on TOEWL, 173 on computer-based TOEWL, 61 on TOEWL iBT or 5.5 on IELTS. Scores on standardized tests are valid for two years, so the test date must not exceed two years prior to the date of admission.
A schedule of placement testing sessions, dates, times, and locations for each semester is available on the Testing Center webpage. All questions concerning placement testing should be directed to our Testing Center, Room 104A, Payne Hall, Utica Campus, telephone 315-731-5802 or email placement@mvcc.edu.
The following majors/programs require a full placement test regardless of exemption status:
- Airframe and Powerplant Certificate Program
- Paramedic Pathways/Degree Program
- Aircraft Maintenance Degree Program
- ESL/ELL/ENL coursework on high school transcripts
Programs requiring higher-level math
***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:
- Computer Science AS
- Engineering Science AS
- Liberal Arts & Sciences: Adolescence Education AS
- Liberal Arts & Sciences: Mathematics and Science AS
For the most up-to-date list, visit www.mvcc.edu/placement-testing/exemption-policy.php.
Ways to earn a High School Equivalency Diploma
New York State selected the General Educational Development Test (GED® Test) to replace the Test Assessing Secondary Completion (TASC™ Test) as the primary pathway to a New York State High School Equivalency (HSE) Diploma, effective January 2022.
The GED Test is a secure, reliable, and valid instrument that is used to verify that examinees have knowledge in core content areas equivalent to that of graduating high school seniors. There are four subject tests in the GED Test battery: Reasoning Through Language Arts (RLA), Social Studies, Science, and Mathematical Reasoning. The GED RLA includes both reading and writing. If a test taker previously passed either the TASC Writing or TASC Reading subtest, but not both, they will need to take the RLA.
For information about the GED Test, visit https://www.acces.nysed.gov/hse/ready-set-test-new-high-school-equivalency-exam-here.
MVCC High School Equivalency Program
(24-Credit Program)
Students who have not earned a high school diploma may be issued a New York State High School Equivalency Diploma (HSED) upon successfully completing 24 college credits. MVCC offers courses necessary to apply for the HSED. Students are required to take the Ability to Benefit (ATB) exam and meet specified minimum score requirements before taking 24 credit hours of designated general education courses to meet HSED requirements. Admission to the 24-credit program does not automatically qualify students for state and federal financial aid. Individuals who pass the exam may be eligible for New York State’s Tuition Assistance Program (TAP) and/or federal financial aid under some circumstances.
College-Level Examination Program (CLEP)
MVCC offers College-Level Examination Program (CLEP) testing at its Utica Campus, providing individuals the opportunity to earn college credit by demonstrating prior knowledge of introductory-level college course content.
Prior learning of course material could have taken place through advanced high school courses, online courseware or textbooks, non-credit courses, or on-the-job training. There are 34 different CLEP exams covering introductory college course material.
CLEP exams are offered year-round at all official testing sites, including MVCC’s Testing Center, located in the Student Service Center in Payne Hall at the College’s Utica Campus. The exams take approximately 90 to 120 minutes, and scores are available immediately after exam completion with the exception of the College Composition exam. Please note that there is a non-refundable $35 proctoring fee for anyone who is not a current MVCC student.
For more information on what CLEP exams and scores are accepted at MVCC, and for instructions on scheduling a CLEP exam at MVCC, visit www.mvcc.edu/placement-testing/clep-testing.php.
Accommodative Testing
Each semester, MVCC's Office of Accessibility Resources and Testing Center oversee several hundred hours of accommodative testing. This service is provided to eligible students with a wide variety of disabilities, including visual impairments, learning disabilities, and some types of emotional, orthopedic and health-related disabilities. Its purpose is to eliminate or diminish any negative impact a person's disability might have on the testing process by providing extended time, readers, scribes, or other assistance depending on the nature of the disability.
In order to receive testing accommodations, students must provide the Office of Accessibility Resources with written information that documents that the requested modification is necessary and must follow all established testing procedures. Procedures for scheduling the MVCC Placement Test with accommodations are included on the Testing Center scheduling webpage.