Office Hours
Monday & Thursday:
8:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.
Tuesday & Wednesday:
8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Friday:
8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
(Closed on Fridays During the Summer)
Main Campus Location: Room 2266
Phone: (708) 596-2000, ext. 2495
Oak Forest Center Professional Testing Phone:
(708) 225-6055
E-mail: TestingCenterQuestions@ssc.edu
Testing Hours
Monday & Thursday:
8:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Last start time to test is 4:00 p.m.
Tuesday & Wednesday:
8:30 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
Last start time to test is 2:00 p.m.
Friday:
8:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Last start time to test is 1:00 p.m.
(Closed on Fridays During the Summer)
Placement testing occurs in the Assessment Center. Students must complete the admissions form before taking placement tests. Plan for an hour per test (Reading, Math and English) for at total of three (3) hours of testing. New students take placement tests after applying for admission, but before registration for their first semester of classes.
Making an appointment to take the English Essay Assessment in-person at the Assessment Center is strongly suggested.
If you have taken a placement test at another College or University, you will need to schedule an appointment to see an advisor in the College & Career Success Center (Room 2350) and bring your score report for evaluation. Students may be exempt from placement testing based on previous college credit or ACT/SAT scores. You may use this appointment to discuss testing, college transcripts, and curriculum information.
ALEKS PPL
ALEKS PPL is “adaptive”, meaning that each answer determines the difficulty level of the subsequent question that will test your skills from basic arithmetic through pre-calculus.
An on-screen calculator will be available for those problems for which it is deemed appropriate. Otherwise, calculators are not allowed. Scratch paper and a pencil will be provided for you.
ACCUPLACER®
ACCUPLACER® assesses reading comprehension and the ability to determine the meaning of words and phrases. Four broad knowledge and skills categories are assessed: Information and Ideas, Rhetoric, Synthesis, Vocabulary.
English Assessment
To ensure appropriate placement, each student will complete a handwritten essay response to a writing prompt (question). The student’s writing sample will be evaluated by the placement committee using a rubric that assesses 5 areas: organization, development, conventions, syntactic maturity, and word choice. The student is then placed in the English course indicated by the rubric score.
Rules of Conduct in the Assessment Center
A valid photo ID is required for all assessment tests.
Cell phones, smart watches, iPod/iPad, tablets, laptops, Bluetooth or any other electronic devices are prohibited in the Lab area.
SCC and the Assessment Center are not responsible for personal items.
No food or drink is permitted in the Assessment Center.
Children are not permitted in the Assessment Center, not can they be left alone on campus.
SSC requires students who intend to pursue a degree or certificate to take a college placement test in Reading, English, and Mathematics. This is not an entrance exam. It is a placement exam to ensure that all new students are placed into courses which are appropriate to their skill level. If the results indicate, an applicant is required to take the college preparatory classes during their first semester and continue in subsequent semesters until all required work is completed. A placement into RDG 081 and RDG 082 restricts student registration into certain courses.
Frequently Asked Questions about Placement Testing
Placement Review Sessions are provided to help students prepare for placement test. All sessions will be held in Room 2264 (Academic Assistance Center) located on the second floor of the Main Campus. Browse this link to view the latest updated schedule of sessions.
The student must submit an SSC application to Admissions.
The student must review for the placement testing using the resources provided here.
The student must visit Room 2266 and request Placement Testing.
The student must state if they intend to complete testing online or in person.
The student must submit a transcript for GPA, so testing is not giving a student a placement test they don’t need to take.
Be sure that the student is physically, emotionally and mentally ready to test which means:
- they are not in a hurry and have at least three (3) hours to devote to this test.
- they are not exceptionally tired or hungry.
- they are not feeling sick.
- their mind is not preoccupied with another important matter.
Submit the student’s information to the Assessment Center:
- Name
- Valid photo ID
- Date of birth
- SSC ID#
- SSC student username
- SAT/ACT score report sheet with their name and the date of the exam if the student has taken an SAT/ACT test
The student must state if they intend to complete all three (3) sections, ACCUPLACER (Reading), ALEKS PPL (Math) and the English essay or just one section during their visit.
After you complete your placement tests, your results will tell you which courses you are ready to take.
To receive the printed results and follow-up information about the tests the students have taken, the student must come to the Assessment Center and provide a valid student ID number. The ACCUPLACER® Reading and ALEKS PPL Math scores/class placement are printed for each student, testing staff goes over each student score report sheet with them so they know what class they need to register for.
The in-person English placement test results are sent to student email address. if the student took the online English placement test, class placement will be sent to student email address when score is received from the English department.
We are unable to give test results to parents or over the phone. Family Privacy Act requires results be given directly to the student or a designated representative of the student.
The Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB) programs give high school students the opportunity to complete college level studies. The AP and IB examinations are intended to measure the achievement of the student and to determine at what point the student should begin college work in the subject. SSC offers credit for most AP/IB subjects. SSC grants credit for course areas in which a student has completed an approved Advanced Placement Program examination with an acceptable score, as determined by the appropriate academic division. In order to receive credit, you must request that the College Board send your official AP score report to the College & Career Success Center. Once, received, credit will be posted for the number of AP/IB units accepted for credit as determined by the evaluation of the AP/IB grade report. Equivalences can be viewed here:
For additional information regarding the procedure and regulations for awarding of AP credits, please contact the College & Career Success Center.
SSC accepts the State Seal of Biliteracy. Students must request course credit for their seal within three academic years after graduating from high school. For additional information regarding the procedure and regulations for awarding the State Seal of Biliteracy credit, please contact the College & Career Success Center.
Also available at the Assessment Center:
- AP – College Credit for Advanced Placement Exams
Placement Tests Fees
There is a flat rate $25 testing fee that covers all three of the assessments offered below. This Placement Testing Fee is a one-time non-refundable charge that must be paid for in advance of taking the test. The SSC Testing Center offers the assessments below through online testing as well as which can be paid online (see below).
Online Assessment Center
All placement testing is available online. The Assessment Center offers online placement for reading and math. English testing is per request. Making an appointment to take the English Essay Assessment in-person at the Assessment Center is strongly suggested.
Online ALEKS PPL (Math) placement tests and English placement essays do not have to be completed on the day you receive your links from the Assessment Center. You can complete your online placement tests at your convenience.
ACCUPLACER® Reading placement test is given by appointment only through ZOOM. Students must contact the testing center for an appointment.
You can also pay testing fee online by following these simple directions:
- Log into your SSC student account.
- Go to the SELF-SERVICE webpage.
- Select STUDENT FINANCE.
Oak Forest Center Certification Testing Center
South Suburban College’s Oak Forest Center is a test site for many exam sponsors and offers computer-based certification and licensure examinations in a comfortable, secure and dependable environment at the Oak Forest Center.
Proctor Test Schedule
South Suburban College’s Assessment Center is a test site for many certification exam that require proctoring. Below is the link to see the most updated schedule of proctored exams.
More Information
View the brochures below for more information about the SSC Assessment Center
Questions about Placement Testing?
If you have a question that is not answered above or was not a frequently asked question, fill out this form or email us at
TestingCenterQuestions@ssc.edu
A representative from the Assessment Center will get in touch with you.
