ACCUPLACER^® Practice Test

ACCUPLACER practice questions with answers and explanations:

1. A student gets an 85% on a test with 20 questions. How many questions did the student solve correctly?
   • 15
   • 16
   • 17 — Correct answer
   • 18
   Explanation: To get 85% of a number, multiply it by 0.85:

   \(0.85 \times 20= \dfrac{85}{100}\times \dfrac{20}{1}\)

   This can be simplified to:

   \(\dfrac{17}{20}\times \dfrac{20}{1}=17\)

2. On Monday, Robert mopped the floor in four hours. On Tuesday, he did it in three hours. If his average rate of mopping was \(p\) square feet per hour on Monday, what was his average rate on Tuesday?
   • \(\frac{4}{3}p\) square feet per hour — Correct answer
   • \(\frac{3}{4}p\) square feet per hour
   • \(\frac{5}{4}p\) square feet per hour
   • \(p+1\) square feet per hour
   Explanation: If \(s\) is the size of the floor in square feet and \(r\) is the rate on Tuesday, then, based on the information given, \(p=\frac{s}{4}\) and \(r=\frac{s}{3}\). Using the \(p=\frac{s}{4}\) equation to solve for \(s\), we find that \(s=4p\). Substituting this value of \(s\) into the equation \(r=\frac{s}{3}\), we get \(r=\frac{4}{3}p\).
3. How could the following function be rewritten to identify the zeros?
   \(y=3x^3+3x^2-18x\)
   • \(y=3x(x+3)(x-2)\) — Correct answer
   • \(y=x(x-2)(x+3)\)
   • \(y=3x(x-3)(x+2)\)
   • \(y=(x+3)(x-2)\)
   Explanation: The function can be factored to identify the zeros. First, the term \(3x\) is factored out to the front because each term contains \(3x\). Then, the quadratic is factored into \((x+3)(x-2)\).
4. What is the central idea of this passage?
   When selecting a career path, it’s important to explore the various options available. Many students entering college may shy away from a major because they don’t know much about it. For example, many students won’t opt for a career as an actuary because they aren’t exactly sure what it entails. They would be missing out on a career that is very lucrative and in high demand. Actuaries work in the insurance field and assess risks and premiums. The average salary of an actuary is often around six figures. Another career option students may avoid, due to lack of knowledge of the field, is a hospitalist. This is a physician that specializes in the care of patients in a hospital, as opposed to those seen in private practices. The average salary of a hospitalist is often in the low-to-mid range six figures. It pays to do some digging and find out more about these lesser-known career fields.
   • To compare the salaries of actuaries and hospitalists.
   • To encourage researching a career as an actuary.
   • Lesser-known careers offer high salaries.
   • To encourage researching lesser-known careers — Correct answer
   Explanation: Choice D is correct. The passage begins by pointing out that it is important to explore various career options and continues with examples of careers that students may shy away from due to lack of knowledge. To support the idea that these careers should be explored, the author provides attractive details, such as high salaries, for these careers. The passage ends by stating that it pays to look into lesser-known careers.
5. What change should be made to the sentence below?
   Once an arborist identifies the tree’s specific malady, they get to work treating it as a doctor would treat a sick human being who has come down with an illness.
   • No change
   • Remove “a doctor would treat.”
   • Remove “who has come down with an illness.” — Correct answer
   • Delete both highlighted portions.
   Explanation: Choice C is best, as it removes the portion of the sentence that becomes redundant after the phrase “a sick human being” is used. Choice A leaves in the redundancy of “who has come down with an illness,” Choice B removes all context for the phrase “a sick human being,” and Choice D makes the sentence read as if an arborist treats trees with the same treatment used on human beings.