Placement Exams
Iowa Lakes Community College requires all students to complete a placement exam. These exams are assessments that place students into appropriate academic courses.
Iowa Lakes currently accepts the following placement exams:
- Accuplacer Next Generation Exams
- ACT
- SAT
The Next-Generation ACCUPLACER test is an assessment system for measuring students' readiness for college courses in reading, writing, and mathematics. The test is a multiple-choice format and is used to precisely placing you at the correct level of introductory classes. None of these exams are timed, so students are able to test at their own speed.
Iowa Lakes offers Accuplacer Next Generation Exams though our Advising & Success Centers on any of our five campuses. These assessments are administered in person through an online testing platform. It typically takes about one to two hours to take all three exams.
Students needing to take the Accuplacer exam should schedule a time with one of our Advising & Success Centers to complete the assessment(s).
Information about the Accuplacer exams can be found at the Accuplacer site: https://accuplacer.collegeboard.org/students
ACT Assessment
The ACT is a standardized test used for college admission and is administered by ACT. The ACT covers four academic skill areas: English, mathematics, reading, and science reasoning.
opens in a new windowRegister for take the ACT
SAT Assessment
The SAT is an entrance exam used by most colleges and universities to make admissions decisions. The SAT is a multiple-choice, pencil-and-paper test created and administered by the College Board.
The SAT's purpose is to measure a high school student's readiness for college and provide colleges with one common data point.
Placement Exam Score Guide
Iowa Lakes uses a placement exam score guide to determine the appropriate academic course placement based on exam scores.
opens in a new windowPlacement Exam Score Guideopens PDF file
Did you take your Accuplacer Exam at Iowa Lakes and need your Test Scores Sent to Another College or University?
We are happy to help. Simply contact the Advising and Success Center near you and request to take a Placement test. There is a $15 administration fee.
Dr. Laurie Schmidt
Professor, Success/Advising Center
712-852-5275 Ext: 5275 | lschmidt@iowalakes.educreate new email
Molly Struve
Associate Professor, Success/Advising Center
712-362-7935 Ext: 7935 | mstruve@iowalakes.educreate new email
Sandy Garber
Success/Advising Center Instructional Assistant
712-362-8362 Ext: 8362 | sgarber@iowalakes.educreate new email
Algona:
Jeanette Walker
Success Center Instructional Assistant
515-295-8521 Ext: 8521 | jwalker@iowalakes.educreate new email
Emmetsburg:
Dr. Laurie Schmidt
Professor, Success/Advising Center
712-852-5275 Ext: 5275 | lschmidt@iowalakes.educreate new email
Rhonda Johnson
Success/Advising Center Instructional Assistant
712-852-5262 | rjohnson@iowalakes.educreate new email
Estherville:
Molly Struve
Associate Professor, Success/Advising Center
712-362-7935 Ext: 7935 | mstruve@iowalakes.educreate new email
Sandy Garber
Success/Advising Center Instructional Assistant
712-362-8362 Ext: 8362 | sgarber@iowalakes.educreate new email
Spencer:
Katherine Pearce & Roger Ingledue
Success/Advising Center Instructional Assistants
712-580-5622 | spsuccess@iowalakes.educreate new email
Spirit Lake:
Dennis McDonald
Success Center Instructional Assistant
712-336-6564 Ext: 6564 | dmcdonald@iowalakes.educreate new email
Steven Sievert
Success/Advising Center Instructional Assistant
712-336-6564 Ext: 6564 | ssievert@iowalakes.educreate new email
Iowa Lakes uses a placement exam score guide to determine the appropriate academic course placement based on exam scores.
opens in a new windowPlacement Exam Score Guideopens PDF file
Frequently Asked Questions About Placement Exams
Obtaining a transcript of your placement exam score(s) is dependent upon which exam you took and where it was taken.
If you took the Accuplacer exam at Iowa Lakes Community College:
- Please complete the placement test request form (link to document here).
- A $15 fee is required before scores will be sent.
- Mail or drop off the form, along with the fee to any Iowa Lakes Success Center.
If you took the ACT exam:
- Iowa Lakes cannot send official ACT exam scores to other institutions.
- Please go to www.act.org to request an official transcript.
If you took the SAT exam:
- Iowa Lakes cannot send official SAT exam scores to other institutions.
- Please go to https://satsuite.collegeboard.org/sat to request an official transcript.
Assessments must have been taken within two-years of registration to qualify. (Exception for this is ACT scores for nursing programs.)
Accuplacer are offered at most community colleges in the United States. To schedule a remote proctored test, please contact an Advising & Success Center instructor. A voucher will be created and emailed to you. This voucher will allow you to take the exam at a college near you.
- You must have applied and been accepted to Iowa Lakes to receive a voucher.
- Proctor fees may apply, based on the remote testing college’s policy.
Current and accepted students may take the Accuplacer exam free of charge (one time) on any Iowa Lakes campus. Students may test in the areas of reading, writing (sentence skills only) and mathematics.
If a student chooses to re-test in any three areas, a $10 re-test fee is required before testing. *It is highly recommended that students do preparatory work before re-testing.
Test results are given immediately upon completion of the exam(s). The score report will contain a placement message, which informs the student which course(s) they are eligible to enroll in.
Yes. Students with an approved accommodation plan (with either Iowa Lakes or local high school) may request Accuplacer assessment accommodations. These can include a reader for the exams, Braille exams and larger print exams. *Please call in advance to schedule an appointment that requires accommodations.
The best way to prepare is to use the Accuplacer practice app. opens in a new windowYou can find it here: https://accuplacerpractice.collegeboard.org/login.