Please note: ACT retired the original COMPASS placement test at the end of 2016 and no longer administers it. Many colleges have since moved to other placement tools (such as ACCUPLACER or their own institution-specific assessments), while some schools still use retained COMPASS-style question banks for course placement. If you were told to take "the COMPASS test," confirm with your school's admissions or testing office which placement test they currently use — the practice questions below are based on the classic COMPASS format (Reading, Writing Skills, and Math) and are useful general practice for college placement exams even where the original COMPASS test itself is no longer offered. Practice with the free COMPASS practice test on PracticeTestGeeks (100+ questions with answer explanations).
Compass Reading Practice Test 1
Compass Reading Practice Test 2
Compass Math Pool Test 1
Compass Math Pool Test 2
Compass Math Pool Test 3
Compass Writing Skills Practice Test 1
Compass Writing Skills Practice Test 2
Compass Writing Skills Practice Test 3
For a fuller set of questions on this topic, see our political compass test resource.
For a fuller set of questions on this topic, see our exam compass resource.
Interactive COMPASS resources on PracticeTestGeeks, free to start:
Try these questions from our free COMPASS practice tests. The correct answer and an explanation follow each question.
A circle has the equation x² + y² = 25. What is its radius?
Answer: B. 5
In the standard form x² + y² = r², we have r² = 25, so r = √25 = 5.
Determine whether the underlined portion of the sentence is correct or whether it needs to be revised. F̲o̲r̲ ̲h̲o̲m̲e̲s̲ ̲i̲n̲ ̲t̲y̲p̲i̲c̲a̲l̲l̲y̲ ̲c̲o̲l̲d̲e̲r̲ ̲g̲e̲o̲g̲r̲a̲p̲h̲i̲c̲ ̲r̲e̲g̲i̲o̲n̲s̲, it is particularly important to have effective and efficient heating systems.
Answer: C. For homes in typically cold geographic regions
The word 'colder' is a comparative adjective, implying a comparison to something else. However, the sentence describes regions that are inherently cold, not necessarily colder than some other implied region. Using the absolute adjective 'cold' is more appropriate and concise in this context, as 'typically cold' accurately describes the nature of the regions without an unnecessary comparison.
Determine whether the underlined portion of the sentence below is correct or whether it needs to be revised. A consummate gentleman S̲t̲e̲f̲a̲n̲'s̲ ̲e̲t̲i̲q̲u̲e̲t̲t̲e̲ ̲a̲n̲d̲ ̲s̲o̲c̲i̲a̲l̲ ̲g̲r̲a̲c̲e̲ ̲w̲a̲s̲ ̲u̲n̲m̲a̲t̲c̲h̲e̲d̲.
Answer: C. Stefan possessed unmatched etiquette and social grace.
The original sentence suffers from a dangling modifier, as 'A consummate gentleman' incorrectly modifies 'Stefan's etiquette and social grace' instead of Stefan himself. Additionally, 'etiquette and social grace' is a compound subject requiring the plural verb 'were,' not 'was.' Option C corrects both issues by making Stefan the direct subject and clearly stating what he possessed, thus eliminating the dangling modifier and the subject-verb agreement error.
If x = y, what does 4(x-y) + 7 =?
Answer: B. 7
Given that x = y, the term (x-y) in the expression becomes (x-x) or (y-y), which simplifies to 0. Substituting this into the expression, we get 4(0) + 7. This simplifies further to 0 + 7, which equals 7.