• In order to be considered for financial aid, a student must be a high school graduate or have received a General Education Diploma (GED). The Ability to Benefit (ATB) exam is offered as an alternative to meeting this requirement

  NOTE: Please be advised that due to a change in federal regulations, ATB testing will be discontinued beginning July 1, 2012.

• ATB Check-In Form and Calendar:
  The ATB Check-In Form is made available at the Main Campus Matriculation/Assessment Office (E1-183).

• Sample Test Questions:
  Each student should review the English and Math sample test materials in preparation prior to participating the ATB exam. Sample test questions are available in the next section, "ATB Exam Components".

• ATB Information:

  • ATB Exam Results: ATB Exam results cannot be transferred from one educational institution to another.
  • ATB Testing Policy: Within any three-month period, ATB participants may be permitted an Initial ATB Test and one ATB Retest. There must be a 2-week waiting period between the Initial ATB Test and ATB Retest. If the student does not pass the ATB Retest, the student must wait 3 months from the date of the Initial ATB Test date. The student may not use ATB test results for English, Reading, and Math course placements.
  • Passing: Scores from two different ATB administrations cannot be mixed or combined. A student must pass all three sections (Accuplacer -Reading Comprehension (RC), Sentence Skills (SS), and Arithmetic (AR)) during a single test session.



• Assessment Lab Process:

  • ATB exams are offered only once a month and on a first-come, first-serve basis. (Please refer to the ATB Check-In Form & Calendar). No appointments. Upon reaching capacity, admittance time will vary. Space is limited, maximum capacity of 45 seats at the Main Campus Assessment Lab. Students are encouraged to participate as soon as possible as attendance peaks during the first two weeks prior to each semester/session.
  • No admittance for students without a valid Photo ID. Photocopies of Photo ID's are not accepted as a valid Photo ID.
  • No Calculators, Dictionaries, PDA's, Cell Phones, iPods, MP3 Players, or any other electronic devices allowed.
  • Students will be verbally informed of ATB results. Generated ATB Exam results will only be provided to students that pass the ATB exam.



• ATB Exam Calendar:

  • ATB Exam Check-In Form (January 2012 to June 2012 Calendar) (pdf)



• What you need to bring to participate in the ATB Exam:

  • A valid Photo ID (No admittance without a valid Photo ID. Acceptable Photo ID: Driver License, Student ID Card or Passport). Photocopies of Photo ID's are not accepted as a valid Photo ID.

  • Proof of Student ID Number
    

  • Two #2 pencils




• ATB Exam Duration:

  • Although the ATB Exam is untimed, allow at least 2 hours for the English and Math sessions.

  • Upon reaching room capacity, students will be turned away.

• Students with Disabilities: If a student has a verified learning or physical disability, the student may contact the Disabled Students Program & Services (DSPS) at (323) 265-8787, or visit their office (Building E1-160), to determine eligibility for alternative test-taking arrangements.

III. ATB Exam Components:

East Los Angeles College provides Computerized ATB Exam instrument (Accuplacer).

ATB (Reading Comprehension (RC), Sentence Skills (SC), and Arithmetic (AR))

• The English portion is divided into two sections:
  • Reading Comprehension (RC) - There are 20 questions of two primary types in the Reading Comprehension test.
    • The first type of question consists of a reading passage followed by a question based on the text. Both short and long passages are provided. The reading passages can also be classified according to the kind of information processing required, including explicit statements related to the main idea, explicit statements related to a secondary idea, application, and inference.
    • The second type of question consists of sentence relationships. Two sentences are presented followed by a question about the relationship between these two sentences. The question may ask, for example, if the statement in the second sentence supports that in the first, if it contradicts it, or if it repeats the same information.
  • Sentence Skills (SS) - consists of 30 multiple-choice grammar questions.
    • The first type is sentence correction questions that require an understanding of sentence structure. These questions ask you to choose the most appropriate word or phrase to substitute for the underlined portion of the sentence.
    • The second type is construction shift questions. These questions ask that a sentence be rewritten according to the criteria shown while maintaining essentially the same meaning as the original sentence.
    • Within these two primary categories, the questions are also classified according to the skills being tested. Some questions deal with the logic of the sentence, others with whether or not the answer is a complete sentence, and still others with the relationship between coordination and subordination.

      ATB Reading Comprehension & Sentence Skills Sample Test Questions 

  • Arithmetic
    • The Mathematics ATB section consists of Arithmetic. There are 3 math levels via the accuplacer, but ATB examinees will only be tested in Arithmetic.
      • Arithmetic (AR) - consists of 17 multiple-choice questions.
        • This test measures your ability to perform basic arithmetic operations and to solve problems that involve fundamental arithmetic concepts. There are 17 questions on the Arithmetic tests, divided into three types.
          1. Operations with whole numbers and fractions: Topics included in this category are addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, recognizing equivalent fractions and mixed numbers, and estimating.
          2. Operations with decimals and percents: Topics include addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division with decimals. Percent problems, recognition of decimals, fraction and percent equivalencies, and problems involving estimation are also given.
          3. Applications and problem solving: Topics include rate, percent, and measurement problems; simple geometry problems; and distribution of a quantity into its fractional parts.

          ATB Arithmetic Sample Test Questions.

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