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United States · Placement test

The ACCUPLACER Writing test

It isn’t an essay. The ACCUPLACER Writing test has 25 multiple-choice questions that ask you to revise and edit longer passages with problems written into them. Some questions are about ideas and organization, others about grammar, usage and punctuation, and sometimes the best answer is to change nothing. Scores run from 200 to 300.

Free practice test

Updated October 2026 · Written from official sources, listed at the bottom of this page

What does the ACCUPLACER Writing test cover?

Every question belongs to a set built around one passage. There are no stand-alone questions.

CategorySkills
Expression of ideasAdding or cutting ideas and support, keeping focus, logical order, introductions, conclusions and transitions, precise and concise wording, style and tone
Standard English conventionsSentence structure, usage and punctuation

Grammar and punctuation on the test

The conventions questions cover:

  • Fragments and run-ons
  • Parallel structure and misplaced or dangling modifiers
  • Shifts in verb tense, voice or pronoun
  • Subject-verb and pronoun agreement, unclear pronouns
  • Its and it’s, their and there, and other confused words
  • Colons, semicolons and dashes, commas in a series, apostrophes
  • Commas around extra information, and punctuation that shouldn’t be there

What Writing score bands show

ScoreTypical skills
221 to 230Fix a simple error, such as a shift in verb tense
231 to 240Delete an off-topic sentence, add a basic transition such as however
241 to 250Place a sentence logically, clear up a vague pronoun
251 to 260Fix a comma splice, choose between there and their
261 to 270Pick the best evidence, cut hidden wordiness, punctuate extra clauses
271 to 300Choose a sentence’s best place among several, combine sentences for a complex effect

At 200 to 220, College Board says a student is beginning to show the foundational skills.

Writing test or WritePlacer essay?

They’re different tests. WritePlacer is an essay of about 300 to 600 words, scored 1 to 8. Your college decides whether you take one, both or neither. The older Classic test that Writing was compared with was called Sentence Skills.

WritePlacer essay examples →Next-Generation and Classic tests →Reading test →

Writing practice

Start with College Board’s Writing sample questions and the Study App. Our practice test includes Writing questions with explanations.

Official sample questions →Our free practice test →
Sources: College Board and 2 more. Checked October 2026.

Rules and fees can change, so check the official site before your test.

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