To take the placement exam, 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 Exam:
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:
Based on the results of the Placement Exam, a student will be placed into one of the following courses:
College Writing Extended (355:104)
Exposition and Argument (355:103) [reserved for students in the Honors College]
Placed into either College Writing (355:101), Exposition and Argument (355:103), or College Writing Extended (355:104):
You will satisfy their WC core learning goal 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.
Placed into an EAP course:
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).
Click here for the FAQ on Writing Requirements
Placement - Frequently Asked Questions:
In almost all cases, the Placement Exam is an accurate measure of students' writing, reading, and critical thinking abilities when matched with the expectations of instructors during the first month of class.
Placements 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 students have questions about the results of their Placement Exam, want to learn more about the Directed Sequence of Writing Courses outlined above, or believe they are in an introductory writing course that is too difficult for them, then they must reach out to
Report any technical issues with the exam to the Placement Office, as they administer the exam:
The Placement Office can also provide further information about the test itself and the placement process.
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 (IB) Higher Level exams, will receive credit for 355:101, College Writing (and thus are considered to have completed their WC core learning goal requirement).
If you are transferring from another university and would like your courses evaluated for WC or other core writing requirement equivalencies, visit this page.