Guided Placement

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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. 

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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
• Scroll down the left navigation list to select Cypress Tools
• Select Cypress College Guided Placement
• Complete the Guided Placement tool.

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English Placement

Most U.S. high school graduates are ready for ENGL 100 C Writing Compensation (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 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.

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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.

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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! 

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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. 

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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.

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