Assessments

Inver Hills is required by Minnesota State Colleges and Universities policy to determine whether students meet prerequisites for college readiness in reading, writing, and mathematics. Assessments are placement tests designed to measure your ability to work at the college level in mathematics, writing, and reading. Your scores indicate what courses you may register for. You may need to take developmental courses before you are ready to take college-level composition, mathematics, and certain other courses. Developmental courses are numbered below 1000 and the credits earned in them do not count toward a degree, although they do count in your credit load each term for financial aid, insurance coverage, and other purposes.

Note: Students who place into READ 0090 or EAP 0090 must take one of these courses during thier first semester at Inver Hills. A hold will be placed on the student's record until this course is successfully completed.

Generally, all new students enrolled through Regular Admission (except students with previous placement testing and transfer students with previous college writing and math courses; see below) should plan to take the assessment tests shortly after they submit their application form.

Note: Students interested in retaking the assessment test in an effort to place into a higher level class should consult with an academic counselor at orientation.

There are four ways to determine what level of courses you may register for and to meet the prerequisite requirement:

1. Inver Hills Assessments: You have completed the Inver Hills assessments in the two years prior to the first day of classes, and you are registering for the appropriate English and math courses based upon these assessment scores. See Placement Testing for more information.

2. Previous course work at Inver Hills: You already have completed the Inver Hills prerequisites (developmental courses) for the English and math courses in which you plan to enroll, and you received grades of "C" or higher in the prerequisites. You need to have taken the math prerequisite in the two years prior to the first day of classes.

3. Previous assessment scores: You completed an approved assessment inventory at another college in the two years prior to the first day of classes, and your assessment results are on file at Inver Hills. To determine if the assessment inventory you completed is "approved," call (651) 450-8687. Scores from approved assessment inventories should be mailed to the address below for evaluation.

For previous assessment/placement test results:
Sue Flannigan
Enforced Prerequisites
Inver Hills Community College
2500 80th Street East
Inver Grove Heights, MN 55076-3224

4. Previous course work at another college: You have completed approved prerequisites at another college for the English and math courses in which you plan to enroll, and you received grades of "C" or higher in the prerequisites. A transcript with the prerequisites must be on file at Inver Hills, and the college must approve these courses in order for them to satisfy prerequisite requirements. You need to have taken the math prerequisite in the two years prior to the first day of classes. Official transcripts with prerequisite courses should be mailed to the address below for evaluation.

Assistant Registrar
Enforced Prerequisites
Inver Hills Community College
2500 80th Street East
Inver Grove Heights, MN 55076-3224

Call (651) 450-8687 for Assessment Center Hours. 

Waivers to the math assessment may be granted to students transferring in a lab science class to meet the A.S. degree Math/Science requirement; students transferring an acceptable math class into MnTC Goad 4; students who received an ACT score of 24 (all categories) or SAT of 550 (verbal and math) or higher within the last year.

Students applying and registering through Limited Admission do not have to take assessment tests if they are not talking math or writing courses or other courses that required a placement score as a prerequisite. Restrictions apply.

If you have questions related to:
-assessments you completed at Inver Hills, please call (651) 450-8650.
-assessments you completed at another college/university, please call (651) 552-6862.

Visit the web pages for the Assessment Center for more information about placement testing, sample tests and questions, and other testing services including G.E.D. testing, CLEP testing, and exam make-up and proctoring.