Guided Placement
Guided placement information for English, ESL, and Math
Congratulations! English and math assessments are no longer required. Instead, Cypress College uses Guided Placement.
The Guided Placement is a quick 5-10-minute questionnaire that helps transfer and degree seeking students select the best English, ESL, and/or math options. Cypress College uses Multiple Measures, including your major, overall high school GPA, and some quick information about math courses you took in high school. Students seeking certificates may not need English, Math, or other General Education courses, which you can check using Program Mapper. If you have additional questions, you may make an appointment with a counselor through our Counseling Center.
Directions for the Guided Placement for English, ESL, and Math
You may take the Guided Placement any time before registering for your English, ESL, and Math courses. Watch the one-minute video for directions for accessing the guided placement.
- Go to myGateway and log in with your student ID and password
- Scroll down the left navigation list to select Cypress Tools
- Select Cypress College Guided Placement
- Complete the Guided Placement tool.
English Placement
Most U.S. high school graduates are ready for ENGL 100 C College Writing (4 units), the English course requirement for all associate degrees and transfer. Some students will benefit from one-unit of additional support by taking ENGL 101 C Enhanced College Writing (5 units), which also meets the English course requirement for all associate degrees and transfer. Students may also benefit from enrolling in ESL 110 C College Composition for Non-Native Speakers (5 units). This transfer-level composition course is designed to give non-native speakers of English additional support. If you are an English as a Second Language (ESL) learner who would like to explore additional ESL options, you will be given ESL course options in the Guided Placement tool, including ESL 110 C. See English as a Second Language (ESL) Placement section below or the ESL Guided Placement page for more information.
English Placement
| High School Performance Metric for English | Recommended AB 705 Placement for English |
| HSGPA ≥ 2.6 Success rate = 78.6% | Transfer-Level English Composition No additional academic or concurrent support required |
| HSGPA 1.9 – 2.6 Success rate = 57.7% | Transfer-Level English Composition Additional academic and concurrent support recommended |
| HSGPA < 1.9 Success rate = 42.6% | Transfer-Level English Composition Additional academic and concurrent support strongly recommended |
English as a Second Language (ESL) Placement
All ESL or multilingual speakers who have not earned a U.S. high school diploma (or equivalent) should use the college’s Guided Placement tool to determine the best ESL course to begin their journey at Cypress College.
In the Guided Placement tool, students are provided with ESL course descriptions, a sample reading and a sample writing for each course level. Students will then be asked to select the course that best matches their skills. Visit the ESL Guided Placement page for more information.
Math Placement
All incoming students will be placed into transfer-level math based on their major of study, overall high school math courses, and GPA.
Cypress College has developed two types of math courses: stand-alone courses and paired support courses that supplement the material of the stand-alone course. If a student is placed into the stand-alone course, but would prefer to have the support of the paired course they can always opt to take that course instead.
For a brief overview of the available math course options and how they apply to different majors of study, please review the listed math recommendations, which are guides only, and not meant to replace the Guided Placement all new students need to complete.
Math Placement for SLAM (Statistics and Liberal Arts Math)
Students in SLAM majors that had a 3.0 GPA or higher, and have completed Intermediate Algebra (Algebra II) in high school may select one of the following courses:
- MATH 120 C Introduction to Probability & Statistics (4 units)
- MATH 115 C Finite Mathematics (4 units)
- PSY 161 C Probability and Statistics-Social Sciences (4 units)
- PSY 161 HC Honors Probability and Statistics-Social Sciences (4 units) – Honors Program application required
- SOC 161 C Probability and Statistics-Social Sciences (4 units)
- SOC 161 HC Honors Probability and Statistics-Social Sciences (4 units) – Honors Program application required
Students in SLAM majors that had less than a 3.0 GPA and have or have not completed Intermediate Algebra (Algebra II) in high school may select a one of the following courses with the additional support course:
- MATH 120 PC Introduction to Probability and Statistics, and MATH 012 C Skills for Probability Statistics (6 units)
- MATH 115 PC Finite Mathematics, and MATH 011 C Skills for Finite Math (6 units)
- MATH 130 PC Survey of Calculus, and MATH 013 C Skills for Survey of Calculus (6 units)
SLAM majors include the following program areas:
- Business & Computer Information Systems
- Career Technical Education
- Health Science
- Kinesiology
- Language Arts
- Social Sciences
- Visual and Performing Arts
| High School Performance Metric for Statistics/Liberal Arts Mathematics | Recommended AB 705 Placement for Statistics/Liberal Arts Mathematics |
| HSGPA ≥ 3.0 Success rate = 75% | Transfer-Level Statistics/Liberal Arts Mathematics No additional academic or concurrent support required for students |
| HSGPA from 2.3 to 2.9 Success rate = 50% | Transfer-Level Statistics/Liberal Arts Mathematics Additional academic and concurrent support recommended for students |
| HSGPA < 2.3 Success rate of 29% | Transfer-Level Statistics/Liberal Arts Mathematics Additional academic and concurrent support strongly recommended for students |
Math Placement for B-STEM (Business, Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics)
Students in B-STEM majors that had a 3.4 GPA or higher, and have completed Intermediate Algebra (Algebra II) or high school Calculus or passed the AP Calculus AB exam may be eligible to select one of the following courses:
- MATH 130 C Survey of Calculus (4 units)
- MATH 130PC and MATH 013 C Survey of Calculus and Skills for Survey of Calculus (6 units)
- MATH 141 C College Algebra (4 units)
- MATH 141PC and MATH 014 C College Algebra and Skills for College Algebra (6 units)
- MATH 150 AC Calculus I (4 units)
- MATH 150 BC Calculus II (4 units)
Students in B-STEM majors that had less than a 3.4 GPA in high school or did not pass Intermediate Algebra (Algebra II) or higher in high school may select one of the following courses with the additional support course:
- MATH 141 PC with MATH 014 C College Algebra and Skills for College Algebra (6 units)
- MATH 130PC with MATH 013 C Survey of Calculus with Skills for Survey of Calculus (6 units)
B-STEM majors include the following program areas:
Note: Business majors appear under both SLAM and B-STEM because the major includes options from both areas.
| High School Performance Metric BSTEM Mathematics* | Recommended AB 705 Placement for BSTEM Mathematics |
| HSGPA ≥ 3.4 OR HSGPA ≥ 2.6 AND enrolled in a HS Calculus course Success rate = 75% | Transfer-Level BSTEM Mathematics No additional academic or concurrent |
| HSGPA ≥2.6 or Enrolled in HS Precalculus Success rate = 53% | Transfer-Level BSTEM Mathematics Additional academic and concurrent support recommended for students |
| HSGPA ≤ 2.6 and no Precalculus Success rate = 28% | Transfer-Level BSTEM Mathematics Additional academic and concurrent support strongly recommended for students |
Math Placement for Psychology and Social Sciences
Students in Psychology and Social Science majors that had a 3.0 GPA or higher while in high school may choose one of the following courses:
- MATH 120 C Introduction to Probability and Statistics (4 units)
- PSY 161 C Probability and Statistics-Social Sciences (4 units)
- PSY 161 HC Honors Probability and Statistics-Social Sciences (4 units) – Honors Program application required
- SOC 161 C Honors Probability and Statistics-Social Sciences (4 units)
- SOC 161 HC Honors Probability and Statistics-Social Sciences (4 units) – Honors Program application required
Students in Psychology and Social Science majors that had less than a 3.0 GPA while in high school may choose one of the following courses with the additional support course:
- MATH 120 PC Introduction to Probability and Statistics and MATH 012 C Skills for Probability and Statistics (6 units)
- PSY 161 C Probability and Statistics-Social Sciences (4 units)
- SOC 161 C Honors Probability and Statistics-Social Sciences (4 units)
Psychology and Social Science majors include the following program areas:
Math Placement for Teachers
Students whose major is Elementary Teacher Education, that had a 3.0 GPA or higher while in high school may select the following course:
- MATH 110 C Math for Prospective Teachers (4 units)
Students whose major is Elementary Teacher Education, that had less than a 3.0 GPA while in high school may select the following course with the additional support course:
- MATH 110 PC Math for Prospective Teachers and MATH 009 C Skills for Math for Elementary Teachers (6 units)
AP Exams, Dual Enrollment courses, Transferring from another university
If you took and passed an AP Exam or transferring in from another university, you will still need to take the Cypress College Guided Placement. You will have questions about AP Exams, Dual Enrollment courses, and transferring from another university.
CLEP Exams and IB Courses
If you took and passed a CLEP Exams and IB Courses, you will still need to take the Cypress College Guided Placement. However, if you feel you met the competency on the English or Math recommended courses, you may make an appointment with a counselor through our Counseling Center for your next step!
Have more questions about your placement?
You can always talk to your major counselor or talk to one of our available walk-in or virtual counselors. Counselors are available for appointment, walk-in. Counselors can hold online or in-person meetings regarding your placement. We are here to help!
For more information, visit our Counseling Center.
AB 705 and AB 1705
State law AB 705 and AB 1705 recently changed the way that students are placed into their English or Math courses. Non-transferable English and Math courses have been eliminated. Instead, this law demonstrated that your success in English and Math is tied to your high school GPA rather than a test! This change benefits student by expediting their ability to take the necessary courses needed to graduate or transfer.
Location
Student Center, 2nd Floor, Building 19
Contact Information
T: (714) 484-7223
E: tdowdle@cypresscollege.edu