Scoring

The COMPASS Reading test measures reading comprehension as a combination of referring and reasoning skills. Five types of reading comprehension passages, varying in length , are included: practical reading, prose fiction, humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences. The readings are like those commonly assigned in first-year courses in college. Each passage is accompanied by a set of multiple-choice test items. Test items require students to derive meaning from several texts by (1) referring to what is explicitly stated and determining the meaning of words through context, and (2) reasoning to determine implicit meanings, to draw conclusions, and to make comparisons and generalizations. Because the COMPASS reading test is a computer adaptive exam, passages and questions will be different for each student. Based on students' initial responses to questions, the computer will continue to generate passages and questions until a score is computed, enabling an accurate score to be obtained. Beginning Fall 2005, students must achieve a score of 70 or higher to pass the test.