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Required Tests

Office of Testing and Evaluation

Welcome to the Baruch College Office of Testing and Evaluation Website

The faculty, staff and students of Baruch College are pleased to have you join our community. We are confident you will enjoy being a student at this college.

Your academic career at Baruch begins with CUNY assessment testing followed by orientation. The purpose of the CUNY assessment testing is to help academic counselors and advisors place you into appropriate courses and maximize the information needed to ensure your success at Baruch College.

For your convenience, we have compiled information that answers the most frequently asked questions about the skills assessment testing at Baruch College. More specifically, the Test information link includes important information on the respective tests offered by the Office of Testing and Evaluation.

The Office of Testing and Evaluation oversees six programs at Baruch College:

  • CUNY Assessment Program, including the Ability to Benefit examination

  • CUNY Assessment Test in Writing (CAT-W) Borough Center

  • Skills Course Placement

  • Collegiate Learning Assessment (CLA)

  • Student Course and Faculty Evaluation

  • Conflict Examinations

Entering the College and College Readiness: Skills Assessment Testing Program

CUNY Proficiency Requirements

The City University of New York (CUNY) requires all students to demonstrate proficiency in English (reading and writing) and math in order to enroll in credit-bearing courses in the associated subject. Students may establish proficiency in a variety of ways, including, but not limited to, meeting benchmark scores on the SAT, ACT, and New York State Regents exams.

Starting with the spring 2020 entering class, students who do not meet benchmark scores will no longer be administered a skills certification examination; rather, CUNY will use a proficiency index to determine developmental education assignment. The proficiency index combines overall high school grade point average with SAT and/or New York State Regents exam scores. There are separate proficiency indexes for English and math.

English As A Second Language (ESL) Students

Applicants who have spent at least six months or more in an institution where English is not the primary language of instruction are flagged as potential ESL via the CUNY admissions process. ESL students who meet the CUNY benchmark scores on the SAT, ACT, or New York State Regents will be deemed proficient in English and/or math, regardless of where they attended high school. ESL students who do not meet the benchmark scores in math will be assessed via the proficiency index in math; for English proficiency, ESL students will be evaluated in the following way:

  • ESL students who do not have a New York State English Regents score will not be assessed via the English proficiency index. Students will be required to take the CUNY Assessment Test in Writing (CATW) to determine reading and writing proficiency and appropriate course placement.

  • ESL students who have a New York State English Regents score will be assessed via the English proficiency index. Students who do not meet the English proficiency index benchmark score will be required to take the CUNY Assessment Test in Writing (CATW) to determine appropriate course placement.

  • Please note: ESL Students who are deemed proficient in English and do not have transfer credit for ENG 2100 or ENG 2100T on their Baruch College transcript may be asked to take a placement test to determine the appropriate course placement in English.

CUNY Assessment Test in Writing:

The CUNY Assessment Test in Writing is a 90 minute pen and paper examination. It is used to satisfy Baruch College's and the City University of New York's proficiency requirements. Additionally, this examination is used to place students into the appropriate English/writing courses. Students will compose a response to a short reading selection and a prompt.

The use of a non-electronic dictionary is permitted for this examination.

Study materials are available on the Study Guide page.

The passing score of the CAT in Writing is 56.

Mathematics Placement:

Effective, October 1, 2019, the City University of New York has retired and no longer being administering the CUNY Assessment Test in Math 6 (College Level Math & Placement) examination.

Students enrolling at Baruch College starting in Spring 2020 and later will be placed into the appropriate course in the mathematics course sequence based on the multiple measures placement rubric developed by the Department of Mathematics.

Registration/Rescheduling

The Office of Testing and Evaluation automatically invites all students who are accepted to Baruch College to take any appropriate CUNY Assessment and Placement Tests. Your testing appointment and information about your examinations will be sent to you by postal mail and email..

If you are unable to honor this appointment, you will automatically be rescheduled for the next available test date (usually within four weeks). If you are outside of the New York City metropolitan area, you can also contact our office if you wish to request a specific date from our testing schedule.

Please note if your test date is within four weeks of the beginning of the semester or you have already missed three appointments, we will no longer automatically reschedule your examination. You must contact the Office of Testing and Evaluation directly by phone at 646 312 4305 to request an appointment.

Retesting

Students may not retest on the writing test; however, students who score a 48 or higher on the writing test may be eligible to file an appeal of their score, within six weeks from the date of examination.

Test Ticket & ID Policy

All examinees who are scheduled to take a skills and/or placement test must present a valid ticket issued by the Baruch College Office of Testing and Evaluation for admission to the session. Additionally, all examinees must present valid photo identification. Failure to present both a ticket and photo identification will result in access being denied to the examination.

Tickets received via email, must be printed with the barcode visible.

No duplicate tickets will be generated on the day of the examination. Examinees who have lost or have not received their ticket for an examination must contact the Office of Testing and Evaluation at least two business days in advance of the scheduled examination session. Appropriate arrangements will be made.

Special Arrangements for Testing / Disabled Students

Accommodations based on disabilities will be granted to comply with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act. Students who wish to request such accommodations should consult with the Office of Services for Students with Disabilities in advance of their testing appointment for assistance.

They can be contacted at:
Baruch College
Student Disability Services
55 Lexington Avenue, Box 2-271
New York, NY 10010

Tel. #: 646-312-4590
Fax #: 646-312-4591

Punctuality Policy

All examinees must be punctual to their scheduled session. Examinees that arrive late may not be granted access to the Test Center.

Students who arrive late may visit the Office of Testing and Evaluation to schedule a new appointment.

Policy on Reference Materials:

The use of a non-electronic dictionary may be used only during the CUNY Assessment Test in Writing.

The use of any prohibited devices/resources may result in your examination being voided.