Administration of the Placement Test
The placement test is administered through the Admissions office by the Admissions Director or his/her designee. Personnel administering the placement test receive training in test administration, monitoring, security and post-test orientation.

Placement Testing
All applicants are required to undergo placement testing unless documentation of the following can be provided:

• Satisfactory grades in a program-level English and math courses from a regionally accredited post-secondary institution
• SAT scores of no less than 430 SATR and 400 SATM (440 SATM for programs requiring algebra. Degree program entrance scores are 480 SATR and 440 SATM.
• ACT English and Reading scores of no less than 18 and math score of 16 for diploma and certificate programs. English and Reading scores of 22 and math score of 21 for degree programs
• • English/Language Arts (ELA) portion of the Georgia High School Graduation Test score of 235 or
• higher may be used to exempt Reading and Writing portions of the COMPASS; placement testing
• required only for math
• Acceptable ASSET or COMPASS scores from another institution
• Scores from placement testing completed within the last 60 months

Applicants must show a U.S. federal or state-issued government photo I.D. to gain entrance to the testing session. Students who do not possess a photo I.D. may notify the Admissions Office in advance of testing and make arrangements to prove identification through a combination of birth certificate, social security card, credit cards, and other forms of identification. An applicant who does not posses photo identification at the time of testing and who has not made prior arrangements will not be allowed to test.

The Placement Tests
The official placement tests used by Okefenokee Technical College (OTC) and sanctioned by the Technical College System of Georgia are the COMPASS and ASSET, published by ACT, Inc.

The COMPASS test is a computer-based test designed to measure an individual’s skill level in basic writing, reading, numeric, and algebraic skills. The COMPASS test is not timed and takes approximately 1.5 to 3 hours to complete. Scores attained are used for academic placement in programs.

The ASSET is a placement test which is administered in a pencil-and-paper format. As used by OTC, it consists of four sections; writing, reading, numerical, and elementary algebraic skills, with each section having a 25 minute time limit.

Retesting Procedures
Applicants will be allowed to re-test if one of the following conditions is met:

• Completion of high school diploma or GED since initial testing
• Completion of the required remedial courses
• Prior test scores are no longer valid

Ability to Benefit Policy
OTC recognizes that some individuals seeking training do not posses a high school diploma or a General Educational Development (GED). Experience indicates that many of these persons can demonstrate the ability to benefit from the instructional programs offered by OTC. Therefore, OTC has established the Ability to Benefit (ATB) policy and developed procedures to implement this policy.

OTC agrees to apply the ATB policy and procedures in a uniform manner, provide counseling, and recommendation as needed. OTC also maintains accurate and complete records of students admitted on the basis of ATB, and evaluates the effectiveness of the procedures used to identify students who are capable of benefiting from training offered.

Specifically, the ATB requirements are:

1. ATB applicants must meet the same requirements as all other students who apply to OTC, not withstanding the requirement of attainment of a high school diploma or GED
2. Persons applying on the basis of “ability to benefit” must complete the COMPASS test
3. Minimum satisfactory ATB scores are shown below

After testing, students will be referred to a counselor for advisement. Students who do not achieve a satisfactory score on the ATB test will be counseled into the appropriate Learning Support course(s), where areas of low performance can be strengthened. Students who do not score achieve a satisfactory score on the ATB test will be ineligible for Federal financial aid benefits. Counseling services will be provided to each ATB student who enters OTC to encourage each student to develop positive study habits, positive job attitudes, and positive work ethics. ATB students who withdraw from school must schedule an appointment with an advisor before being readmitted to the college.

Advanced Placement
It is the policy of OTC to recognize coursework earned at another institution or through alternative paths, provided it meets established standards of this institution for advanced placement. Credit granted through such a process can provide an applicant an accelerated path to program completion. Advanced placement can be achieved in following ways:

• Credit by Transfer
• Institutional Exemption Examination
• Articulation Credit
• Military Training Credit
• College Board Examination

Advanced placement credit awarded by Institutional Exemption Examination, Articulation Credit, or College Board Examination requires submission of acceptable scores.

Exemption Testing
A student may receive credit for courses by passing an exemption examination. Exemption examinations are given each Wednesday of the last full week of the term.

The following guidelines apply to exemption testing:

• Student must be accepted or enrolled at Okefenokee Technical College and may not be currently enrolled in the class for which exemption is attempted.
• An exemption exam may not be attempted during the same term for which the student withdrew from the course.
• Credit by exam is prohibited for any course in which a grade of “D” or “F” has been earned by the student.
• Student meets any special requirements for a specific test.
• Application for Exemption Exam must be completed and payment of the appropriate fee must be made by 7 p.m. on the day prior to the test. Charges for the exam are not covered by financial aid.
• Examination will be scheduled upon return of completed application with receipt for payment to the Receptionist.
• No more than 10 semester or 15 quarter hours may be earned by institutional credit exam
• An exemption exam can be taken only once

Credit by exam is recorded as “EX” on the transcript and is not included in the calculation of grade point average. Successful completion is defined as 70% or above.

Institutional exemption exams are available for:

* AHS 104 - must provide proof of current American Heart Association Adult Provider (BLS/AED) Certification prior to registering for this test.

** See test administrator for qualifications and restrictions prior to registering for this test.

NOTE: Additional examinations may be developed. Direct inquiries regarding examinations for other courses to the Admissions Director at 912-338-5251.