English Composition Placement Examination

Why this exam is important

The composition placement exam is designed to measure the writing abilities of incoming students. The results from the exam, together with grades and other text scores, helps us to place students into the writing course that will benefit them most.

This exam is required of all students entering the University, whether as first-year students or transfer students. The results of this sample of writing helps us decide what level of writing course students will begin with here, so it's important that we get the best writing we can in the 2 hours allotted for the exam. Unlike the Mathematics Placement Exam, the English Composition Placement Exam can be taken only once.

Writing Sample

Here's the advice we give to students before they write their essays: The essay you will write is based on a two-page selection from a published author. It's important that you read that essay carefully and then take time to plan or outline your response. Budget your writing time so that you'll have a chance to re-read your essay, do some quick editing, and carefully proofread it for mistakes in grammar or mechanics.

The essay you write should be unified around a central focus or theme. You should develop your essay with relevant supporting details, which you may draw from your own experience and knowledge, the experiences of people your know, or your reading. Please notice that there is no "correct" response to the question. We're looking for writing that is focused on a central idea, that develops that idea with good supporting detail, and that demonstrates your ability to observe the conventions of standard written English.

Possible Placements

The essays are scored by members of the UM-D faculty who teach our first-year writing courses. Actual placements are determined by performance on the exam, scores on other standardized writing tests students may have taken, and their history of other writing courses. Typically, 75 to 80% of first-year students place into Composition 105, a basic course in the skills of academic writing. Some students, whose exam suggests that they need intensive work to prepare for Comp 105, are placed into Comp 099 or into Comp 095, a special version of Comp 095 for students whose native language is not English. (Both Comp 099 and Comp 095 are additive (non-credit) courses.) Some students will do well enough on the placement exam to place into Composition 106, our second semester course focusing on argument, analysis, and research in academic writing.

Students receive a letter informing them of the results of this exam and of their placement into a writing course.We strong urge students to enroll in the appropriate course during their first term on campus. We screen our class rolls to ensure that all students are enrolled in appropriate courses, and students may be prevented from registering for some classes if they have not yet satisfied the two-course composition requirement.

Prospective or enrolled UM-Dearborn students with questions about their placement or who wish to discuss the results of this exam are encouraged to call the Writing Program office at 593-5238 and make an appointment to speak with the Director or Assistant Director of the Writing Program.

The purpose of this exam is to help students develop the thinking and writing skills they will need to succeed at the University of Michigan and in their lives beyond this campus. Learning to write effectively and persuasively may be one of the most important things students learn at UM-D; the faculty of the Writing Program look forward to working with students as they develop their abilities as writers.

woodland@umich.edu