Put to the test: AWC center gives 11,544 exams in fall

If you’ve ever had to take an employment test or certification exam, chances are you took it at the AWC Testing Services Center.

Nearly every student at Arizona Western College has used the testing center’s services at some point, said Bryan Doak, vice president of student services, during a board meeting. For the fall of 2017, more than 11,500 tests were taken.

“The bulk of the testing that they do is placement testing,” Doak said.

But the center also offers other tests and proctoring for other institutions, said Leticia Martinez, director of the AWC Testing Services Center.

There are exams for employers, General Equivalency Diploma, student make-up (for excused absences), professional licensure, employment certifications, and others, Doak and Martinez explained.

The center administered 8,225 placement exams; 1,806 instructional tests; 701 GED reviews; 539 professional certification exams; 122 College-Level Examination Program/DANTES Subject Standardized Tests; and proctored 151 exams for others.

For the first placement test, there is no cost to the student, Doak said.

However, for GED or professional certification exams, community members or students taking those tests do pay for them, Martinez noted.

The exams can be expensive. For example, one DSST exam costs $85, which AWC covers for one test. CLEP exams cost $85 as well. Military service members who meet certain guidelines may have one exam attempt per exam title funded by DANTES, according to the DSST website.

The placement company the center uses, Accuplacer, will update its placement tests next January, in the middle of the academic year, Doak and Martinez said. However, the college will not switch to the new test until the fall of 2019, in order not to change the exam in the middle of the academic year.

“The exams are being redesigned to help institutions place students in classes that better match their skill level,” Martinez said during the presentation.

English and math faculty are reviewing the new exam and other instruments to determine the placement tool for Fall 2018.

The center offers testing sites throughout Yuma and La Paz counties, Doak said.

“We do this as a service for our communities,” he said. “Or else they would have to drive to Phoenix.”

To arrange outside testing or employment certifications, businesses may contact the center at (928) 344-7641.