HCC

COLLEGE PLACEMENT TEST

MATHEMATICS
PLEASE READ BEFORE TAKING THE MATHEMATICS
PORTION OF THE COLLEGE PLACEMENT TEST
It is highly recommended that you review this packet BEFORE you take the College
Placement Test for mathematics.

Attached you will find the following documents:

1) A description of the mathematics components of the CPT.

2) Sample questions which are intended to be representative but not an exhaustive list.
Please see the resources listed on page 5 for in depth study and further review.

3) The Curriculum Flow Chart showing the mathematics course sequence offered at HCC.

Please be aware that your score on the CPT will determine your placement in the HCC
mathematics course sequence. There are no re-takes except for extenuating circumstances.

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I have read and understood the above statements relating to the mathematics portion of the
College Placement Test.

Signature

Date

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 Accuplacer CPT Mathematics Test
There are three Accuplacer CPT Math tests: Arithmetic, Elementary Algebra, and College Level
Math. All students will take two of these tests, starting with the Elementary Algebra test.

If the score on the Elementary Algebra test is less than 72, the student has placed into remedial
math and will take the Arithmetic test to help further determine placement into MAT 00024 or
below.

If the score on the Elementary Algebra score is at least 72, the student has placed into college-
level math, and will take the College Level Math test to further determine placement into MAT
1033 or higher.

The following describes the topics covered on each of the three math exams.

Arithmetic Test (AR)

The Arithmetic test measures students’ ability to perform basic operations and to solve problems
that involve fundamental arithmetic concepts. Students are administered 17 questions on this
test, which covers three content areas:

1. Whole Numbers and Fractions

a. addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division
b. recognizing equivalent fractions and mixed numbers
c. estimating

2. Decimals and Percents

a. addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division with decimals
b. recognition of decimals, fraction and percent equivalencies
c. percent problems and estimating problems

3. Applications
a. rate, percent, and measurement problems
b. simple geometry problems.
c. distribution of a quantity into its fractional parts.

Elementary Algebra Test (EA)

The Elementary Algebra test measures student’s ability to perform basic algebraic operations and
to solve problems that involve elementary algebraic concepts. Students are administered 12
questions on this test, which covers three content areas:

1. Integers and Rationals

a. computations with integers and negative rationals
b. the use of absolute values
c. ordering

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2. Algebraic Expressions
a. evaluations of simple formulas and expressions
b. adding, subtracting, multiplying and dividing monomials and polynomials
c. evaluation of positive rational roots and exponents
d. simplifying algebraic expressions
e. factoring

3. Equations, Inequalities, and Word Problems

a. solving linear equations and inequalitites
b. solving quadratic equations by factoring
c. solve verbal problems presented in an algebraic context, including geometric
reasoning and graphing
d. translation of written phrases into algebraic expressions.

College Level Math (CLM)

The College Level Mathematics tests measures students’ ability to solve problems that involve
college-level mathematics concepts. Students are administered 20 questions on this test, which
covers six content areas:

1. Algebraic Operations
a. simplification of rational algebraic expressions
b. factoring and expanding polynomials
c. manipulating roots and exponents

2. Solutions of Equations and Inequalities

a. solving linear and quadratic equations and inequalities
b. systems of equations
c. other algebraic equations

3. Coordinate Geometry
a. plane geometry
b. the coordinate plane, straight lines, conics, sets of points in the plane
c. graphs of algebraic functions

4. Functions
a. polynomial and algebraic functions
b. exponential and logarithmic functions

5. Trigonometry
a. trigonometric functions

6. Applications and other Topics

a. complex numbers
b. sequences and series
c. determinants
d. permutations, combinations, and factorials
e. word problems

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 MAT 0012
COLLEGE HILLSBOROUGH COMMUNITY COLLEGE
PREP MATH
5 credits
MATHEMATICS CURRICULUM FLOWCHART

MGF 1119 MAT 0024

INTRODUCTORY COLLEGE
MATH PREP ALG
3 credits 5 credits
Non college credit

Elective credit only

AAS programs only

MAT 1033
INTERMEDIATE
General Education
ALGEBRA
3 credits

STA 2023 MGF 1106 MGF 1107

MAC 1105
ELEMENTRY MATH FOR LIBERAL MATH FOR LIBERAL
COLLEGE ALGEBRA
STATISTICS ARTS I ARTS II
3 credits
3 credits 3 credits 3 credits

MAC 2233 MAC 1140

CALCULUS PRECALCULUS
FOR BUSINESS ALGEBRA
3 credits 3 credits

MAC 1147
PRECALCULUS
ALG / TRIG
5 credits

MAC 1114
TRIGONOMETRY
3 credits

MAC 2311
CALCULUS I
5 credits

MAC 2312 MAS 2103

CALCULUS II LINEAR ALGEBRA
5 credits 3 credits

MAP 2302
MAC 2313
DIFFERENTIAL
CALCULUS III
EQUATIONS
5 credits
3 credits

THT - 11/01
 CPT Math Test Resources

Sample questions for the CPT Arithmetic, Elementary Algebra, and College Level Math tests are
at the end of this guide. These questions are intended to be a representative but not exhaustive
list. You may find the following additional resources helpful in preparing for the math portion of
the CPT:

Online Resources for CPT Math

• www.math.com.
Comprehensive website that reviews principles from basic mathematics to calculus.

• www.mymathtest.com.
Test created by the Nassau Community College that parallels the format of the
Accuplacer mathematics exam.

• www.onlinecollegeprep.com/FreeArithmetic/index.html
Offers instruction and tests for arithmetic topics.

• www.onlinecollegeprep.com/placementtest/intro/PlacementTest.htm
Placement test covering arithmetic through intermediate algebra.

• www.aims.edu/student/assessment/study_guides.htm
Aims Community College Assessment Center. Provides several study guides in Adobe
Acrobat and Rich Text Format, as well as links to several tutorials.

• www.algebrahelp.com
Site for reviewing algebra skills.

Campus Bookstore
• CPT Review Booklet for Mathematics, Valencia Community College

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 CPT Arithmetic Test
Sample Questions

1 2
1. 3 +4 =
2 3
5 3 5 1
A. B. 7 C. 7 D. 8
6 5 6 6

2
2. 9× 4 =
3
13 14 2
A. 42 B. 1 C. D. 36
14 27 3

3 1
3. 3 ÷2 =
5 2
1 2 11
A. 7 B. 9 C. 1 D. 1
5 3 25

4. All of the following are equivalent to 40 percent of N , EXCEPT:

40 2
A. 0.4N B. N C. 40 N D. N
100 5

5. 0.4999 ×16.00027 is approximately equal to

A. 0.08 B. 0.8 C. 8 D. 80

6. What is 40% of 85?

A. 21.25 B. 36 C. 34 D. 212.5

7. 15 is what percent of 60?

A. 90% B. 25% C. 40% D. 9%

8. John learned that after overhauling the carburetor in his car he would use only 80% as much
gas. Last month, before overhauling his carburetor, he used 125 gallons of gas. Assuming
that John drives the same number of miles next month, how many gallons of gas can he
expect to save next month after overhauling his carburetor?
A.20 B. 25 C. 45 D. 100

9. Debra took a tests that consisted of 150 questions and she got 78% correct. How many
questions did Debra miss on the test?
A. 28 B. 33 C. 24 D. 117

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 1 1 1
10. Sara spends of her income for transportation, of her income for food, and of her
4 6 3
income for rent and utilities. What fractional part of Sarah’s income is left for all of her
other expenses?
1 3 1 3
A. B. C. D.
4 13 8 4
2
11. Sam and Mary each owned one-half stock in a printing company. Sam sold of his stock
5
to Mary. What fractional part of the printing business does Mary now own?
7 9 3 6
A. B. C. D.
10 10 7 7

12. A car traveled at 65 miles per hour for a total of 390 miles. How many hours did the car
travel?
A. 7 B. 39 C. 25,350 D. 6

13. If the area of a rectangle is 126 square inches and the length is 14 inches, then what is the
width of the rectangle?
A. 112 in. B. 9 in. C. 18 in. D. 49 in.

14. The perimeter of a rectangle is 60 inches. If the width of the rectangle is 12 inches, then
what is the length of the rectangle?
A. 18 in. B. 5 in. C. 48 in. D. 24 in.

1
15. Sam has a budget of $45 to spend on entertainment for the weekend. If he spent of his
3
2
budget on Friday and of his budget on Saturday, how many dollars does he have left over
5
to spend on Sunday?
A. $12 B. $33 C. $9 D. $36

CPT Arithmetic Sample Questions

Answer Key:

1. D 6. C 11. A
2. A 7. B 12. D
3. D 8. B 13. B
4. C 9. B 14. A
5. C 10. A 15. A

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 CPT Elementary Algebra Test
Sample Questions

1. Evaluate: −26 + 10 =
A. 4 B. -16 C. 16 D. 36

32 + 22 ⋅ 5 − 25
2. Evaluate: =
8−4÷2+ 2
A. 3 B. 15 C. 6 D. 24

3 ⎡ 2 1 ⎛ 3 1 ⎞⎤
3. Evaluate: − ⎢ − ⎜ − ⎟ ⎥ =
5 ⎣ 3 2 ⎝ 4 2 ⎠⎦
1 3 17 13
A. − B. − C. − D. −
40 5 40 40

4. Factor: 15 x − 3
A. 12x B. 3 ( 5 x − x ) C. 3 ( 5 x − 1) D. 3 ( 5 x − 3) )

5. Simplify: (5x 2
− 2 x + 5) − ( 2 x 2 + 3x − 7 ) =
A. 7x 2 + x + 12 B. 3x 2 + x − 2 C. 3 x 2 − 5 x + 12 D. 3 x 2 − 5 x − 2

6. Simplify: ( −6 a b ) ( 2 a b ) =
2 3 4 2

A. −12a 6b5 B. −12a 8b 6 C. −4a 6b5 D. −12a −2b

3
⎛ 2 x7 y 2 ⎞
7. Simplify: ⎜ 3 ⎟
=
⎝ 4 xy ⎠
x18 y 3 x6 x18
A. B. C. D. 8x18 y 6
2 8 y3 8 y3

8. Simplify: ( 3x − 5 ) ( 2 x + 7 ) =
A. x + 2 B. 17 x + 35 C. 6 x 2 + 11x − 35 x D. 6 x 2 + 11x − 35

9. If −6 ( 2 x + 1) = −4 x + 10, then x =
1
A. −2 B. − C. −1 D. 24
4

10. If 2 x + 2 ≥ 5 x + 11, then

A. x ≤ −3 B. x ≥ −3 C. x ≥ 12 D. x ≥ 3

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11. Which of the following is a linear factor of 2 x 2 − x − 6 ?
A. 2 x − 3 B. x + 2 C. 2 x + 3 D. x − 3

12. If x 2 − 2 x − 8 = 0, then x =
A. −4 or 2 B. −2 or 4 C. −1 or 8 D. −8 or 1

6 x3 − 4 x 2 + 10 x
13. Simplify: =
2x
A. 6 x 3 − 4 x 2 + 5 B. 3 x 3 − 2 x 2 + 5 x C. − x 2 + 10 D. 3 x 2 − 2 x + 5

x2 − x − 6
14. Simplify: =
x2 − 2x − 3
A.
x−6
B.
x+2
C.
2
D.
( x + 3)( x − 2 )
x −3 x +1 x ( x − 3)( x + 1)
15. Choose the equation that is equivalent to the verbal description:
The difference between a number, x, and five less than twice the number is 9.
A. x − ( 5 − 2 x ) = 9 B. x + ( 5 − 2 x ) = 9 C. x − ( 2 x − 5) = 9 D. x + 2 x − 5 = 9

CPT Elementary Algebra Sample Questions

Answer Key:

1. C 6. A 11. C
2. A 7. C 12. B
3. D 8. D 13. D
4. C 9. A 14. B
5. C 10. A 15. C

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 CPT College Level Math Test
Sample Questions
(Courtesy of Mongtomery College, Rockville Mathematics Department)

( x + y) + ( x − 3y) =
2 2
1.
A. 2 x + 8 xy + 10 y 2
2
B. 2 x 2 + 10 y 2 C. 2 x 2 + 7 y 2
D. 2 x 2 − 8 y 2 E. 2 x 2 − 4 xy + 10 y 2

x−5
2. If f ( x ) = and g ( x ) = x 2 − 2 x, then g ( f ( −1) ) =
2
A. 1 B. 3 C. 15
D. 9 E. −3

3. A rectangle has a length of N − 3 and a width of 3 N 2 + 4 N . What is its perimeter?

A. 3 N 3 − 5 N 2 − 12 N B. 3 N 3 + 4 N 2 − 3 C. 3 N 2 + 5 N − 3
D. 3 N 3 − 12 N E. 6 N 2 + 10 N − 6

8x x2 − 4
4. ⋅ =
3x − 6 2 x + 4
4 4x ( x − 2) 4 x 3 − 16 x
A. − ( x − 1) B. C.
3 3( x + 2) 6 x 2 − 12
4 x2 + 8x − 4
D. x E.
3 5x − 2

5. Which of the following could be the graph of y = cos x for 0 ≤ x ≤ π ?

A. B. C.
1 y 1 y 1 y

0 1 2 3
x x
0 1 2 3 0 1 2 3 -1

D. E.
1 y 1 y

0 1 2 3 0 1 2 3

-1
-1

1 1
6. ⋅ =
sec x sin x
A. cot x B. cos x C. tan x
D. sin x cos x E. csc x sec x
10
 y
7. Which of the following equations could represent this graph?
A. y = 3x 3 − 18 x − 12 B. y = x 2 − 4 x
0
C. y = x 3 D. y = −2 x − 4
E. y = − x + 3 x − 4
3 2

4
8. Simplify
4 + 14
1 8 + 2 14
A. B. 8 − 2 14 C.
1 + 14 15
1 − 14 2 2
D. E.
−13 3

9. Which of the following is NOT equal to zero?

⎛π ⎞ ⎛π ⎞ ⎛π ⎞
A. cos ⎜ ⎟ B. tan ( 0° ) C. cos ⎜ ⎟ − sin ⎜ ⎟
⎝2⎠ ⎝4⎠ ⎝4⎠
D. sin −1 (π ) E. cos −1 (1)

10. The x-value(s) of all intersection points of y = 6 − 2 x and y = x 2 + 3 is (are):

A. −1 only B. −3 only C. 1, −3
D. −1, 3 E. 1, 3

11. sin θ ( csc θ − sin θ ) =

A. cos 2 θ B. tan θ − sin 2 θ C. sec θ − sin 2 θ
D. cot θ − sin 2 θ E. sin 2 θ

12. log x + log 20 = 2. Then x =

1
A. B. 80 C. 5
10
D. −18 E. 1

13. x 2 + 1 is a factor of f ( x ) . Which of the following is TRUE?

A. f ( −1) = 0 B. f ( x ) has a y-intercept of −1
C. f ( i ) = 0 where i = −1 D. f ( x ) has an x-intercept of 1
E. f ( 0 ) = 1

14. 2 −5 ⋅ 64 2 3 =
1
A. 512 B. C. 16
512
1
D. 1 E.
2

11
 3x 4
15. What is the least common denominator for and ?
x −9 2
2x + 6
A. 2 ( x 2 − 9 ) B. 3 x ( 2 x + 6 ) + 4 ( x 2 − 9 ) C. 2 ( x − 3)
D. 2 ( x + 3 ) ( x − 3)
2
E. (x 2
− 9) ( 2x + 6)

16. Which of the following could be the graph of y = − ( x + a ) where a > 0 ?

2

A. B. C.
y y y
x
0
0

x
0

D. y
x
y 0

0 E.

17. Find the equation of the line passing through ( 2, −4 ) and parallel to 3 x + 2 y = 4 .
3 3 2 8
A. y = − x + 1 B. y = x−7 C. y = − x −
2 2 3 3
3 3
D. y = − x − 1 E. y = x + 8
2 2

18. Solve tan 2 x = 1 where 0 ≤ x ≤ π .

π π 3π
A. x = B. x = , C. x = 1, −1
2 4 4
π
D. x = 0 E. x =
4

1 3
19. Solve for y : +a =
y +1 y +1
2 2−a
A. B. C. 2a − 1
a a
D. 2 − a E. a − 3

20. Solve 2 x − 8 < 10

A. x < 9 B. −9 < x < 9 C. x < 1
D. x > 9 E. −1 < x < 9

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CPT College Level Math Sample Questions
Answer Key:

1. E 6. A 11. A 16. A
2. C 7. A 12. C 17. D
3. E 8. B 13. C 18. B
4. D 9. D 14. E 19 B
5. D 10. C 15. A 20. E

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