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Placement Testing

Requirements for Credit Courses and Programs

Unless a student qualifies for an exemption as outlined below, all degree-seeking and non-degree-seeking students wishing to take Gordon Rule writing and mathematics courses must furnish official test scores from one of the following state-approved placement tests: PERT, Accuplacer, ACT or SAT. Test scores expire two years from the date of the test.

Important: To enroll in any general education mathematics course, all students (exempt or non-exempt) must have adequate placement test scores or a grade of C or higher in the required prerequisite course(s).

The Florida Commissioner of Education and the State Board of Education determine the entry-level test cutoff scores. Higher placement test scores place students into regular or advanced courses, while lower scores require students to be placed into developmental education courses. For more information see: Test Score Charts.

Students who are not exempt from placement testing (see exemptions below) and have not taken any of the above tests, or whose test scores have expired, or whose ACT or SAT scores do not meet the state-designated minimums, must take the PERT for placement. The fee for the first PERT exam taken at Palm Beach State is included in the application fee. Students must pay the application fee before taking the exam. A retest fee is charged for any subsequent testing. For more information, visit www.palmbeachstate.edu/Testing.

Placement Test Exemptions

Students are exempt from the placement test requirement if they provide the appropriate documentation showing that they:

  • entered 9th grade in a Florida public high school in the 2003-2004 school year, or any year thereafter, and earned a Florida standard high school diploma; or
  • are serving as an active-duty member of any branch of the U.S. Armed Services; or
  • have official test scores (ACT, SAT, Accuplacer or PERT) that are less than two years old from date test was taken and scores meet the state-designated minimums for college-level English and mathematics courses; or
  • have successfully completed developmental education course requirements in English, reading and mathematics; or
  • have successfully completed (grade of C or higher) college-level English and mathematics courses from a regionally accredited college or university.

Note: Students who are exempt may request to take the PERT or to enroll in developmental education if they wish. Exempted students are strongly encouraged to meet with an academic advisor, prior to enrollment of classes, to assist them in evaluating their college readiness level.

Placement into Developmental Education Courses

  • Test scores expire two years from the date of the test if a student does not enroll within those two years. Test scores will remain valid and will not expire if a student maintains continuous enrollment (complete one credit course per academic year).
  • Students who are required to enroll in developmental education English, reading or mathematics courses must also take and successfully pass the corequisite course, Introduction to the College Experience (SLS 1501).
  • Students may register for a course lower than indicated by test scores but not in a higher one.
  • Students placed into developmental education will be allowed three attempts to complete each subject area; however, the tuition fee for the third attempt will be subject to the full cost of instruction (out-of-state tuition fee).
  • Students who are required to enroll in a developmental education English/Reading course cannot enroll in any Gordon Rule writing course until the requirement has been successfully satisfied. Students who test into college developmental education mathematics cannot enroll in any course for which mathematics is a prerequisite until college developmental education math is successfully satisfied.
  • Students are not permitted to audit college developmental education courses.
  • Students must wait 30 days before retesting in a subject area. Students currently enrolled in a college developmental education course may not attempt to test out of that area after the add/drop deadline.
  • College developmental education courses shall be graded A, B, C, N (No Pass). Institutional credits will be granted for each course successfully completed. Institutional credits are not used for graduation, but they are used towards assessing full-time academic status.
  • All students who test into developmental education courses are strongly encouraged to read the College Readiness section of the Catalog.

Note: In the Testing Centers, students may find a list of tutorial services that assist students with placement tests. These services are provided as an alternative remedial option to traditional courses; however, upon completion, students still must score satisfactorily on the placement test in order to place out of college developmental education courses.

TABE Test Requirement for CCP Programs

The TABE is a basic skills examination for students entering CCP certificate programs of more than 450 contact hours. Students are required to take the TABE prior to enrolling in the program. Refer to the program information in the Areas of Study section of the catalog for required TABE scores. TABE test scores expire two years from the date of the test. Students must wait 30 days before retaking the TABE at Palm Beach State College. The fee for the first TABE test taken at Palm Beach State is included in the application fee. Students must pay the application fee before taking the test. A retest fee is charged for any subsequent testing.

TABE Exemptions -- Students are exempt from taking TABE if they provide the appropriate documentation showing that they:

  • entered 9th grade in a Florida public high school in the 2003-2004 school year, or any year thereafter, and earned a Florida standard high school diploma; or
  • are serving as an active-duty member of any branch of the U.S. Armed Services; or
  • have an associate degree or higher; or
  • have official test scores (ACT, SAT, Accuplacer or PERT) that are less than two years old from date test was taken and scores meet the state-designated minimums for college-level English and mathematics courses; or
  • have successfully completed college preparatory or developmental education course requirements in English, reading and mathematics; or
  • provide proof of successful completion (grade of C or higher) of college-level English and mathematics courses from a regionally accredited college or university; or
  • have passed related state, national, or industry certification or licensure examination; or
  • are enrolled in an apprenticeship program that is registered with the Florida Department of Education.

Students who are not exempt from the TABE test requirement and do not meet TABE minimum test score requirements will be required to enroll in vocational preparatory (VPI) courses along with their technical courses. For a listing of CCP programs affected by this policy, visit www.palmbeachstate.edu/AcademicServices, click on Curriculum and Programs and then click on TABE Standards.

Note: Limited access programs follow procedures specific to those programs. Exemptions may not be available for all programs.