Who

Students who meet the following criteria will sit for the exams: 

•  Students seeking their baccalaureate degree,
• Completion of at least 48 or more passed credit hours at or above the 100 credit level,
• Should have completed a minimum of three credits in each of the following: College Algebra (or above equivalent higher level Math courses), Composition, one general education course in Natural Science, and one general education course in Social Sciences, and Humanities/ Fine Arts.
• Associate degree-seeking students who are registered for credit. Completion of 32 passed credit hours at or above the 100 level. Students will sit for the examination during the first semester in which they become eligible in terms of passed credits.

To ensure that students are prepared for the exams, incoming Freshmen must complete selected general education courses above in their first 32 credit hours. Sophomores must complete an additional 15 credit hours of the general education core in their first 64 credit hours. Board of Regents policy 2:28 details the information.

What if I am a transfer student?
Transfer students are subject to and must meet the proficiency examination requirements. Transfer students within the South Dakota Unified System of Higher Education are subject to the Board of Regents policy 2:28. Transfer students entering from outside the regental system with less than 65 passed credit hours general education before completion of the 48th credit hour or as soon as possible thereafter.

Transfer students entering from outside the regional system with 65 or more passed credit hours accepted in transfer are subject to the same BOR policy. The specified 15 credit hours of general education must be completed as soon as possible.

What

What are proficiency exams?
All students who are seeking a baccalaureate degree from one of South Dakota's regental institutions will complete proficiency test. Effective Spring 2000, satisfactory performance on the proficiency exam is also required for students seeking an associate degree. The proficiency tests, produced by ACT and called the CAAP (Collegiate Assessment of Academic Proficiency), consist of four separate multiple-choice exams in Science Reasoning, Mathematics, Reading, and Writing.

Although these exams are required, they offer you a unique opportunity to discover how much knowledge you have gained in the selected fundamental skill areas. The fundamental skills being measured are important for functioning in today's society and for completing upper level college work. Considering this, be sure to treat these exams very seriously, and try to do your best on each of the tests.

What is the nature of the exams?
For your future success in college and for assessing the quality of your future success in college, your participation in these evaluation programs is important.

The exams are designed to measure students' knowledge of material covered in general education courses. Each test requires 40 minutes to complete. The skills being tested are: Writing, Mathematics, Reading, and Science Reasoning.

• Writing: This 72-item tests measures your understanding of rules of standard written English in punctuation, sentence structure, strategy, grammar, organization, and style.
• Mathematics: This 35-item test is designed to measure your mathematics reasoning ability. The content areas tested include: pre-algebra, elementary, intermediate, and advanced algebra, coordinate geometry, trigonometry, and introductory calculus.
• Reading: This 36-item test measures reading comprehension.
• Science Reasoning: This 45-item test measures your abilities and skills of scientific reasoning. Its contents are drawn from biology, chemistry, physics, and the physical sciences.

When

When will I take the exams?
All students who are required to test during the Spring of 2010 will be notified by letter prior to the test date. The proficiency exams will be given at BHSU Spearfish campus on Tuesday March 16, Wednesday March 17, and Thursday March 18 from 7:50 a.m. to 5 p.m. and BHSU Rapid City on Saturday March 20, 2010 at 7:45 a.m.

When will I know the results of the exam?
As soon as possible after testing, the student will receive the results and an explanation of how to interpret their achievement. College faculty, along with the Board of Regents, have determined the minimum required score on each exam. Students who do not meet the minimum required score on one or more tests must retest in the specific area(s) of deficiency. Retesting must occur one year after initial testing. During that year, students may continue to enroll in courses. Students may retest twice during that year, the tests will be given just once each semester, and the student will be responsible for the cost of retesting.

What happens if I am not successful on the retest(s)?
Students who do not achieve the minimum score on the retest(s) will be denied subsequent registration at all regental institutions. Students may arrange for retesting during any subsequent administration of the exam. Students who perform satisfactorily on the retest(s) will be allowed to register for the next term.

What's Next

What happens next?
Students will be informed by the BHSU testing office when they are eligible to test. As soon as possible after testing, the students will receive the results and an explanation of how to interpret their achievement.

There is a link below that contains sample questions put out by ACT. You may wish to review these examples as illustrations of the kinds of questions you might find on the tests. These are provided to help you prepare for the exams, take advantage of them.

• http://www.act.org/caap/sample/ provides an idea of what the CAAP test will be like and the material it will cover. It does not, however, provide feedback on the answers.
• http://www.actstudent.org/sampletest/index.html