Testing Center

Assessment and Placement Information

Students may use the following measures for their primary placement in lieu of placement testing:

Replacement Requirements
High School Transcript

Student has completed at least two years of high school coursework within the last 10 years, verified by an unofficial high school transcript listing a 2.6 or higher, unweighted, cumulative GPA.

Temporary exception: High school transcripts that are more than 10 years old may be used for placement into English and Reading courses. However, the 10-year limit still applies for mathematics placement.

GED Placement based on individual subject area scores of 165 or higher. Scores are valid for 5 years.
ACT Placement based on individual subject area scores of 18 or higher. Scores are valid for 5 years.
SAT SAT Placement based on individual subject areas. Go to Assessment and Placement and scroll down to placement tools to review the placement chart.
  • Students may complete placement testing for additional placement options.
  • Submit unofficial high school transcripts or ACT, SAT, or GED scores online.
  • For other purposes such as Financial Aid, etc. students may also need to have an official transcript sent by their high school to the SCC Admissions & Records Office.
  • Students under the age of 18 must meet AZ State admissions requirements and course placement requirements.

Placement Information

The Placement Coach uses high school GPA, ACT, SAT, GED, ACCUPLACER, and EdReady scores to provide you with course recommendations. 

Visit the MCCCD website for Additional Placement Information.

EdReady Placement Testing

  • Scottsdale Community College is not administering the ACCUPLACER or WritePlacer at this time. Students who still require an ACCUPLACER/WritePLACER score can instead use the Maricopa EdReady Diagnostic Assessments.
  • This non-proctored, online testing option can be accessed at maricopa.edready.org (DO NOT use any other EdReady site).
  • Students will be required to create an EdReady account if they have not done so previously. Students will be asked for their MEID. If unsure of their MEID, students can contact the SCC Help Desk at (480) 423-6274, option 3.
  • See the EdReady Student Guide for additional information on how to access EdReady.

Placement Testing Subject Areas

The placement testing subject areas are: Math, English, College Reading, and Critical Reading and Critical Thinking. The Reading Placement test now contains two separate testing sections.

  • Which Reading Assessment should you take?
    • New Students (requiring placement assessment) are strongly recommended to start with the College Reading Placement test. Students who score a 95 or higher on the College Reading Placement test will be advised to take the Critical Reading and Critical Thinking Placement test.
    • Current Students or Students with Alternative Placement wanting to place into CRE 101 or place Reading Exempt, may choose to take the Critical Reading and Critical Thinking Placement test.
  • If you do not see these options, then look on the bottom, right-hand side of the screen and click the link named Show all Goals.
  • Students will receive their scores but no placement information. However, based on the score received, students may determine their placement based on the updated placement chart (Download placement chart)
  • Student scores will be posted in their student accounts. Please allow up to 2 business days for scores to post. Students who wish to meet with an Advisor prior to the time that scores are available in SIS will need to have a screenshot of their scores for their Advisor to view.
  • EdReady is also a remediation tool. Students will be guided to study programs to help increase their scores, as needed, in each area. Students can only increase their scores with these study tools. The student’s most recent score will be recorded in the Student Information System (SIS).
  • Students are encouraged to contact the Writing Center for assistance in raising English and Reading assessment scores.

We understand that this is a new learning experience, but please know that we are going through this together and we are here to help you in any way we can. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us.

Faculty Make-Up Exams

Exams are administered by appointment only.

Schedule your make-up exam appointment

Testing for Students with Accommodations

Exams are administered by appointment only through the Disability Resources & Services Office.

Schedule your testing accommodations appointment

HESI A2 Nursing Admission Exam

HESI A2 testing is available only to students applying to a Maricopa Community College.

The HESI A2 Admission Exam is a computer-based exam consisting of four modules used to screen applicants for admission into MCCCD Nursing Programs. Students may take the HESI A2 exam once every 60 days, and no more than 3 times in a one-year period. Scores are valid for 2 years.

  • Math Skills
  • Reading Comprehension
  • Vocabulary/General Knowledge
  • Grammar

The HESI A2 exam is offered in-person in our Center Monday - Thursday. The HESI A2 Exam is available by appointment only.

Schedule your in-person HESI

The cost of this exam is $45.00 and must be paid prior to your appointment. Students will need a HESI (Evolve) username and password. Username and password creation information is available under Download Information at the bottom of this webpage.

HESI A2 testing is not available the week prior to finals or finals week.

Exam Modules Used by MCCCD:

Item numbers in each module may vary slightly

Math Skills: 55-items

Math skills needed for health care fields, including basic addition, subtraction, multiplication, fractions, decimals, ratio and proportion, household measures, and general math facts used when calculating drug dosages and solutions. When allowed, an on-screen calculator is available in the test program. Personal calculators are not allowed. Scratch paper/pencils provided.

Reading Comprehension: 55-items

Reading scenarios that are health-related to measure reading comprehension; including identifying the main idea, finding the meaning of words in context, passage comprehension, making logical inferences, etc.

Vocabulary/General Knowledge: 55-items Basic vocabulary often used in health care fields.
Grammar: 55-item

Basic grammar including parts of speech, important terms and their uses in grammar, and commonly occurring grammatical errors.

Please refer to the MCCCD Nursing Program Application form to determine the current minimum score requirements in Math and the composite score of Reading, Grammar, and Vocabulary/General Knowledge.

Please plan to complete the HESI A2 test well before any application deadlines so that time is available for remediation and retesting, if necessary.

Additional Questions? 
Contact Us:

(480) 423-6433
[email protected]

Proctored Exams for Other Schools and Institutions

The SCC Testing Center is not offering this service at this time. Please contact our office for the most up-to-date information regarding this service.