ASSET Guide
Student ASSET Guide
What Is ASSET?
The
ASSET program is a series of short placement tests developed by
ACT that lets you and your school work together to help you succeed
in your educational program. ASSET helps you identify your strengths
as well as the knowledge and skills you will need in order to succeed
in specific subject areas. ASSET also helps your school use this
information to guide you toward classes that strengthen and build
logically upon your current knowledge and skills.
How Does ASSET Work?
ASSET has three tests of basic skills in writing, reading, and numerical reasoning, plus more advanced tests in algebra and geometry. The ASSET program also offers the Educational Planning Form, which supplements your ASSET test scores by providing your institution with information about your educational needs and goals.
How Are ASSET Scores Used?
The ASSET is not used like a traditional test battery. There is generally no "passing score." Rather, ASSET scores indicate areas in which you are strong and areas in which you may need help. Thus, ASSET can identify problems in major subject areas before they disrupt your educational progress, giving you the opportunity to prepare more effectively for needed courses. You and your institution can use scores from ASSET tests and the information from the Educational Planning Form to prepare a course of study that will be appropriate, relevant, and meaningful for you.
The Writing Skills test measures your understanding of appropriate
usage in grammar, punctuation, sentence structure, writing strategy,
and writing style. There are 36 questions within a 25-minute test.
More
information about the Writing Skills test can be accessed on
the ACT website.
The Reading Skills test measures your ability to find specific information
in text and to make logical inferences that extend beyond the text
information. There are 24 questions within a 25-minute test. More
information about the Reading Skills test can be accessed on
the ACT website.
The Numerical Skills test assesses your knowledge and skills in
the performance of basic math operations using whole numbers, decimals,
and fractions. This test also measures pre-algebra knowledge and
skills such as your understanding of prime numbers, absolute values,
scientific notation, and square roots. There are 32 questions within
a 25-minute test. More
information about the Numerical Skills test can be accessed
on the ACT website.
The Elementary Algebra test measures skills often taught in a first-year
high school algebra class, including evaluating and simplifying
algebraic expressions, solving linear and quadratic equations, and
performing operations with polynomials. There are 25 questions within
a 25-minute test. More
information about the Elementary Algebra test can be accessed
on the ACT website.
