All students who do not have prior college level English and Math must submit scores from a placement assessment test for the purpose of placing a student in certain classes. A student who has completed the Application for Admission process may take the Compass test on campus at New River. There is no charge for the first Compass test and a student should allow 1-3 hours for testing.  Students will need to contact the local campus testing Program Coordinator: Beckley (304-929-5005), Greenbrier Valley Campus (304-647-6560), Nicholas County Campus (304-872-1236) and Mercer County students should contact (304-818-2012) for more information on scheduling the Compass Test. The placement tests we accept at New River are ACT, SAT, Accuplacer and Compass.

American College Test (ACT)

The following table shows what classes you may/must take based on your ACT scores. If you took your ACT before 1989, this table does not apply to you and you should see an admissions counselor about placement based on your scores.

The SAT Reasoning Test (formerly Scholastic Aptitude Test and Scholastic Assessment Test- SAT):

The following table shows what classes you may/must take based on your SAT scores. If you took your SAT before 1995, this table does not apply to you and you should see an admissions counselor about placement based on your scores.

COMPASS Test

If you have not taken the ACT or SAT, you may take the COMPASS test on our campus as a substitute. There is no charge for the first Compass test. There is a $10.00 charge for each additional attempt. The following table shows what classes you may/must take based on your COMPASS scores. A student must wait 60 days in between each attempt at taking the Compass.