Course Placement Assessments

Course Placement Assessments

Course Placement - English, Reading and Math

Paradise Valley Community College uses multiple measures for course placement in order to identify the right courses to support your success. These measures include:

Measure

Criteria

Measurement

High School GPA

Student completed at least two years of high school coursework within the last 10 years from a U.S. institution.*

Verified unweighted, cumulative GPA of 2.6 or higher based on a 4.0 scale

GED Scores

Exam taken within last five years

Placement based on individual subject-area. Score of 165 or higher

ACT Scores

Exam taken within last five years

Placement based on individual subject-area. Score of 18 or higher

SAT Scores

Exam taken within last five years

See Course Placement Chart

ACCUPLACER &

WritePlacer Scores

Exam taken within the last two years**

See Course Placement Chart

EdReady Scores

See Student Guide

See Course Placement Chart

*COVID-19 exception: High school transcripts more than 10 years old may be used for placement into Reading and English courses. The 10-year limit still applies for math placement.

**COVID-19 exception: ACCUPLACER and Writeplacer scores up to five years old may be used for placement.

Our Placement Coach uses the measures listed above to provide you with course recommendations. Using the Placement Coach is the quickest and easiest way to see what classes you can place into.   
 
How to Submit Your Scores for Placement
To use your high school GPA for placement, submit an electronic copy of your transcript here.
If you have a copy of your GED, ACT or SAT test score, you can submit an electronic copy here. 
If you don’t already have a copy, request your scores be sent to Paradise Valley Community College. 

  • ACT website
  • SAT website
  • GED website

ACCUPLACER, Writeplacer and EdReady scores are uploaded automatically to your Student Center. 
 

Need Placement Testing? Take EdReady
You will need to take a placement test before registering for classes if:

  • You are currently a high school freshman or sophomore
  • You wish to place in a higher level of English, math or reading
  • Your cumulative GPA is below a 2.6 AND you do not have an eligible ACT, SAT or GED score
  • Your high school transcripts are older than 10 years
  • Your high school transcripts are from outside the United States

EdReady is a free tool that assesses your English, reading and math knowledge, then creates a personalized study plan so you can master the concepts required for course placement.

No appointment needed.  EdReady is a non-proctored online testing option you can access from home. To get started, review the EdReady Student Guide for instructions, then go to Maricopa’s EdReady page.

You will need your MEID (first three letters of your first name followed by numbers) and your Maricopa password to sign in. 

Your EdReady scores will be uploaded to your Student Center within two business days under “Test Scores.” 

Visit the MCCCD website for more information about placement

Additional Links

Accommodations

Please refer to EdReady's Accessibility Information page for information about screen readers, keyboard navigation, and screen contrast. The assessments within EdReady are un-timed. If you have a testing accommodation request not covered by this information, please contact Disability Resources and Services (602-787-7171) so that they can review your accommodation request with you.