• The Office of Testing Services provides a secure, professional testing environment that promotes honesty and integrity and enables your success. We are committed to maintaining compliance with the nationally recognized, professional testing standards and practices, safeguarding confidentiality of student records and creating an optimal testing experience.

  • After you receive your letter of admission and accept your admission to the College, the Office of Testing Services will contact you directly if you are required to take a writing placement exam. Please note that the CUNY Assessment Test for Reading and Mathematics is no longer administered.




  • CUNY Assessment Test in Writing


    New Students


    The CAT in Writing is a 90-minute written essay test in which students are asked to respond to a reading passage that they see for the first time when they sit for the test. Only students designated as ESL (non-native English speakers) will be required to take this exam.



    The CATW is a standardized writing test that measures your ability to do college-level writing in English and assess your readiness for introductory college courses. In the test, you are required to read, understand and respond to a passage of 250-300 words. The CATW is designed to test your ability to think and write in English, similar to the way you will be asked to think and write throughout your college career. It consists of a reading passage (the text) and writing instructions. You must read the passage and instructions and then write an essay responding to the passage while following the instructions.

    You may bring a non-electronic dictionary to the test (paperback is recommended), bilingual if preferred.

    For students who are already enrolled in LaGuardia, you will need to take the CATW if you are enrolled in the following remedial writing courses: 
    • ENA 101 (Composition I Accelerated)
    • ENC 101 (Composition I: An Introduction to Expository Writing)
    • ENA 99 (Basic Writing), ENG 99 (Basic Writing I)
    • ENZ 99 (Basic Writing II: ACT Preparation Workshop)
    • ESA 99 (Basic Writing for NNS of English)
    • ESC 99 (ESL Selected Readers)

    All basic writing classes are tested at both midterms and finals testing period. (Students who pass during midterms do not retest at finals).

    Scores are provided to English department one to two weeks after the testing period.

    Exemptions



    Students are considered proficient in writing if they can document any one of the following:
    • SAT I verbal score of 480 or higher or Critical Reading score of 480 or higher
    • ACT English score of 20 or higher
    • N.Y. State English Regents score of 75 or higher
    • CUNY Assessment Test in Writing score of 56 or higher

    Note: To be eligible to register for the first college-level composition course (ENG 101), students must be proficient in writing.
    • Students with a 3-credit college-level English course with a grade of “C” or better from an accredited college or university are considered proficient in writing.
    • Students with a 3-credit college-level math course with a grade of “C” or better from an accredited college or university are considered proficient in math at all colleges.

    All students who wish to transfer from a CUNY associate program to a CUNY bachelor’s program must meet the college’s proficiency requirement in reading, writing and mathematics to be admitted:
    • Students with a 3-credit college-level English course with a grade of “C” or better from a CUNY college are considered proficient in reading and writing.
    • Students who have successfully completed Elementary Algebra or a 3 credit college-level math course at a CUNY college are considered proficient in math.

  • Students writing