Answers Explained: Arriving at the Answers to the COMPASS Math Placement Test Sample Questions

Many colleges require entering students to take a test that will determine where they are placed in math. Often, students do poorly on these tests just because they are not prepared - and then they may get set back a semester or even a year taking math they have already mastered.The best way to prepare for the COMPASS math placement is to make sure you can work the sample problems written by ACT, the company that writes the COMPASS test. But ACT's sample test booklet gives you only questions and answers - without telling you how they got there. This book, written by a community college professor who has taught remedial math, contains answer explanations for questions in ACT's math placement test sample booklets. It is designed to help you prepare for the COMPASS math placement test so that you can get the score you need to take the math you want.

Jill Hacker is an adjunct professor of mathematics at Northern Virginia Community College, a freelance writer who contributes to math textbooks, and a long-time tutor of math, English, and test prep.