English Placement Test (EPT)

Purpose of the EPT

The EPT is designed to assess the level of reading and writing skills of entering undergraduate students so that they can be placed in appropriate courses. Those undergraduate students who do not demonstrate college-level skills will be directed to courses or programs designed to help them attain these skills. The test is not a condition for admission to the CSU, but it is a condition of enrollment. Students may take the EPT only once. It may not be repeated.

English Placement Test (EPT)
You are exempt from EPT if you can present proof of one of the following:

  • Placement in the "Ready for College" or "exempt" category on the Early Assessment Program (EAP) English taken in conjunction with the 11th grade California Standards Test in English Language Arts
  • A score of "Ready for CSU or participating CCC college-level English courses - Conditional" on the CSU Early Assessment Program (EAP) taken in grade 11, provided successful completion of the Expository Reading and Writing Course (ERWC), AP English, IB English or an English course approved for extra honors weight on the University of California "a-g" Doorways course list.
  • A score of 500 or above on the verbal section of the College Board SAT I: Reasoning Test taken between April 1995 and January 2005
  • A score of 500 or above on the "critical reading section" of the College Board SAT Reasoning Test taken March 2005 or later
  • A score of 22 or above on the ACT English Test taken October 1989 or later
  • A score of 3 or above on either the Language and Composition or Literature and Composition examination of the College Board Advanced Placement Program
  • Completion (grade of "C" or better) of ENGL IA, College Composition, or its equivalent at another college

PENALTIES: Students who have not taken the EPT and are not exempt from the requirement will not be allowed to register for any classes. The college requires students to take this test their first quarter at CSUB; Students who do not complete this requirement will not be allowed to register for any courses in the University for their second quarter.

REGISTRATION and EPT/ELM TEST DATES: For test dates and to register to take the EPT and/or the ELM at CSUB see our On-Line Registration page.

To register to take the tests at another CSU campus see the EPT/ELM Information Bulletin.

OUT-OF-STATE: Students can arrange to take the EPT and ELM tests outside of California. Contact Educational Testing Service (ETS) at (925) 808-2142 and ask about "Out-of-State testing for the EPT/ELM program". ETS is the company that publishes and scores the tests. They can arrange for them to be given at a high school or college in your area. You will be asked to pay the administrative costs of the exam to pay the proctors.

FEES: The cost of each exam (ELM or EPT) is $18, paid at the time of the exam. If both tests are taken, the cost is $36. You must present a check or money order on the day of the test, payable to "ETS". Cash will not be accepted.

PHOTO ID: you will NOT be admitted without a photo ID

How are the EPT scores interpreted?
Each student who takes the EPT will receive their official test results in the mail from the Educational Testing Services (ETS). Students may contact the English Department or their advisor for placement in the appropriate course. On the local level, we occasionally use only the scores on the objective portion of the test for placement, but students must be prepared for their total scores (and their placement) to change when we receive the essay scores from ETS.

WHAT THE TEST WILL COVER:

To find out more about what's on the test, see Focus on English, a publication of the California State University System. (Requires Adobe Acrobat)

See the CSU English Success Website for test review questions.

Additional details may be found at the official CSU EPT/ELM Website.