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Skills Assessment

As a new Seneca student, you'll need to write the Skills Assessment.

As soon as you receive the Admissions Handbook:
Book your Skills Assessment appointment!

If you have already taken English and Communications courses at Seneca, please let our staff know. If you have a learning or physical disability requiring special accommodation, please contact the Test Centre and let one of our representatives know. They will also be happy to answer any questions.

Purpose

The assessment is a tool to determine academic placement. Be sure to act quickly. Getting your first-semester timetable depends on a completed assessment. The results of this assessment won't affect your admission to the College.

Outcome of the Assessment

Once you're assessed, you will:

  • Be enrolled in the English and Communications/Mathematics subjects appropriate for your level
  • Get immediate feedback on your English and Mathematics skill levels
  • Get advice about English and Mathematics services to support your study progress

What to Bring

  1. PHOTO IDENTIFICATION (for example, your driver's license, passport, or student card). 
  2. Your Seneca College Student IDENTIFICATION NUMBER 
  3. Pen, pencil, eraser

Timing

The assessment will last approximately three (3) hours.

What is involved?

  1. A Short Essay (handwritten)
    To measure your ability to write a formal essay, you'll have 45 minutes to write a 300-word essay based on a short article.
     
  2. Computerized Placement Tests
    • Reading Comprehension
      You'll read different pieces of writing and answer questions based on the content to measure your comprehension.
    • Arithmetic *
      This test involves operations with whole numbers, fractions, decimals, percents and problem solving.
    • Elementary Algebra *
      This tests your understanding of integers and rational numbers, algebraic expressions, equations, inequalities and word problems.

      * (not for Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering Technology Students)
  3. For Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering Technology students only - Canadian Achievement Test 3rd Edition - CAT3 - Mathematics.
    This multiple choice test will take 40 minutes.

Note: Dictionaries and calculators are not allowed in any of the tests.

Contact Us

Please feel free to contact us with any questions or concerns regarding your Skills Assessment:

Confidentiality

All personal information collected by Seneca College is protected under the Freedom of Information and Protection of Individual Privacy Act of Ontario. The personal information collected during this assessment, both written and computerized, is collected under the legal authority of the Colleges and Universities Act, regulation 770. The information will be used to assess your skill levels in English and Mathematics. It will be made available to appropriate College faculty and administrators in order to ensure appropriate subject placement, provide advisement about academic services and academic progress, and conduct research into academic assessment, advisement and academic success.