COMPASS Retesting Policy

Students who are admitted to the college through Provisional Admission are eligible to retest once in each content area after waiting a minimum of 30 days from their original test date. In order to retest, students will need to:

• Complete the Compass Retest Registration form. The form can be located on all campuses of Athens Technical College's Testing Offices or via the testing services link on the college’s website.
• Pay a retesting fee. The fee for retesting is $15 per content area to the site in which you wish to retest.
• The completed registration form and payment must be received by the appropriate testing site no later than a minimum of 24 hours prior to the desired testing date.

Students admitted to the college under the Provisional Admission status who do not meet regular admission status after retaking the COMPASS exam will be placed in the appropriate learning support courses that correspond to their highest placement test scores for each content area.

Students who retake the placement exam and fail to meet minimum admission requirements in any content area will be referred to the adult education centers in their counties of residence for remediation in the appropriate content area(s). Students may retest again upon completion of remediation. Students who fail to meet minimum admission requirements in any content area upon retest must:

• Complete a minimum of 40 hours of classroom preparation in the specified content area(s) through their local Adult Education program.
• Acquire a minimum of eighth grade level score on the Complete Test of Adult Basic Education (TABE) level D in the specified content areas. Instructors at the local Adult Education program administer this test.
• Receive a testing report form from the Adult Education program documenting the results. This form is required for submission to subsequent retest session.

High School Students: Currently enrolled high school students who are applying for programs and courses offered through the ACCEL, Dual Enrollment-HOPE, or Joint Enrollment programs must score in the dual enrollment admission range in all basic skills areas in order to gain admission to Athens Technical College. Applicants who score below the dual enrollment admission range must improve their scores in all areas of weakness before they may be considered for admission while in high school. Currently enrolled high school students who do not score in the dual enrollment admission range on all basic skills areas on their original placement test will be allowed to retest in the identified area(s) of weakness after waiting a minimum of 30 days since their previous placement exam. Students are encouraged to engage in self-study prior to retest to improve their chances of success.

After the initial retest, if a high school student who is applying for Dual Enrollment or ACCEL fails to achieve the minimum scores in all required areas, and should they seek subsequent retesting they must meet the following requirements:

• Students must wait a minimum of 30 days from their previous test date

• If the student scores below the adult education level in two or more areas on two administrations of the exam, then the student is not eligible for retesting due to the adult education clause; therefore that student would not be eligible for admission through the Dual Enrollment or ACCEL Programs.

• If the student has successfully completed all high school coursework for the semester during which the last retest was given, (Successful completion is defined as earning a minimum grade of C in all courses attempted that school term), the high school will need to provide official notification to the college verifying the student's successful performance for the semester in which the last retest was administered.  

Upon meeting these requirements, high school students will be eligible to retest a subsequent time each semester as long as they remain eligible for Dual Enrollment or ACCEL admission to the College. Students should only register for retesting in the content areas that do not fall within the dual enrollment admission range for the program they are seeking to complete.

High school seniors who are not applying for dual enrollment status will be permitted to retest after 30 days have passed since their original test date.