To take the placement test, both first-year and transfer tests, please visit: https://oirap.rutgers.edu/testplace.html
To view your placements in Degree Navigator, log in and click the “My Course List” tab on the left. You will find your placements listed there. Click the course/placement code hyperlink to get the full description.
The Placement Test:
The majority of students entering Rutgers will be asked to take a placement test in English and Math. The English test contains four components: a questionnaire regarding language history, a short essay, a section on reading comprehension, and a section on sentence sense (i.e., proofreading, rhetorical devices, and paragraph structures). A combination of these four data points and, if available, a student's SAT/ACT scores will determine that student's placement within the Writing Program's sequence of courses.
Next Steps:
1. Interpreting Placement Test Results
Based on the results of the placement test, a student will be placed into one of the following courses:
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- EAP I (356:155)
- EAP II (356:156)
- College Writing (355:101)
- College Writing Extended (355:104)
- Exposition and Argument (355:103) [reserved for students in the Honors College]
2. Determine the sequence of writing courses you must take to earn WC credit.
Students who place into either College Writing (355:101), Exposition and Argument (355:103), or College Writing Extended (355:104) will satisfy their WC requirement by taking that single course. Because students will only receive credit for either 101, 103, or 104, students should take only one of these WC-certified courses across their entire university career.
Students who place into one of the English for Academic Purposes (EAP) courses must follow the instructions below:
Students who place into EAP I (356:155) need to pass that course and EAP II (356:156) before taking College Writing (355:101) or College Writing Extended (355:104).
Students who place into EAP II (356:156) need to pass that course before taking College Writing (355:101) or College Writing Extended (355:104).
Placement Concerns:
In almost all cases, placement in a writing course is an accurate measure of students' abilities when matched with the expectations of teachers during the first month of class. Placements, however, do not guarantee that students meet the standards necessary to exit the course. Students who feel that their placements are not accurate measures of their current (and NOT potential) writing and reading abilities should still attend the first meeting of the course for which they are registered. If a student wishes to talk about their placement exam results or is concerned about their placement, they should email
If you require any further information about the test itself or the placement process, or need to report any technical issues with the exam, please contact the Placement Office, which administers the exam:
Placement Exemptions:
See the Learning Center's page on exemptions.
Per SAS policy, students who have earned a 4 or higher on either of the English AP exams, or a 5 or higher on the International Baccalaureate's Higher Level exams, have already completed their WC requirement (and will get credit for 355:101, College Writing).
If you are transferring from another university and would like your courses evaluated for WC or other writing requirement equivalencies, reach out to the Writing Program's Transfer Equivalency Coordinator via this page.