Are You a High School Graduate?

The Pima Community College downtown campus offers assessment tests on a walk in basis every day until 7 p.m. I decided to give it a try and see where I stand.

When I decided to begin this number journey, part of my reason was to experience new things and new worlds. Little ones, and perhaps big ones. I got my first little one quickly.

I marched up to the testing center and said I wanted to take the math assessment test. The first question the (very nice) person behind the desk asked me was, "Are you a high school graduate?" That was new. I don't recall ever having been asked that ever, even as an 18 or 19 year old. I might have blinked at the question. In an instant I wondered whether I wanted to mention my MBA or Ph.D. or that I was a professor. I caught myself and said, "yes."

That person was kind enough to look up my Pima College ID number. I had one because I had taken first year Spanish and two classes about Dreamweaver, the web design program. She then asked what test I was interested in. I said algebra.

In moments I was directed to a computer in the testing lab. There were three sheets of scrap paper, a pencil, and a calculator on the desk. The screen give directions about getting started.

After the first three questions I walked back to the nice lady at the desk and explained that I needed an easier test. I was already over my head. She told me not to worry -- that the test was programmed to work me into easier questions if necessary and because the program was created by the folks who designed the ACT, it will accurately place me in the appropriate level of class. But, she said, I needed to answer each question, to get to the next one.

I slunk back to the computer and soldiered on. I guessed the answers to the next several questions -- pretty much in fear that I might guess right, and would make the computer place me in a class that I had no business being in. Finally, I got some answers right and then some more. I guess I worked my way down to my level. Soon, in fact in only 16 minutes and 49 seconds (it said on the print out of my results) I was done.

My score was 49. That, of course meant nothing to me.

The woman who I was becoming more familiar with, told me that score placed me in "intermediate algebra."

Yikes! I was sure I should have landed in beginning algebra. But no, she assured me, I was right in the middle of the intermediate algebra range on my score and I should do fine. I did take some reassurance in the fact that you don't get college credit for what I now learned was officially math 122.

O.K. Next task: Find a class.