Students who have a foreign high school diploma applying for New York State (NYS) Financial Aid are required to meet the New York State Ability to Benefit (ATB) test standards by passing the following ATB test sections:
Ability to Benefit (ATB) Test Score Chart
Effective October 2020| TEST SECTION | REQUIRED PASSING SCORE | MAXIMUM SCORE | NUMBER OF QUESTIONS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reading | 233 | 300 | 20 |
| Arithmetic | 230 | 300 | 20 |
| Writing | 235 | 300 | 25 |
Steps to Register
- Confirm eligibility with a financial aid representative.
- The Testing Office will contact you to set up an appointment to take the ATB test.
Note: In some cases, students can receive test accommodations. Some examples of test accommodations are: extended time, readers/scribes, spell checker. Before scheduling a test appointment, register your need for accommodations with the Office of Accessibility.
ATB Test Preparation Resources
- What’s on the test?
- Reading Sample Questions
- Arithmetic Sample Questions
- Writing Sample Questions
- FREE interactive Accuplacer Study App (Select Accuplacer)
How long do the tests take?
The tests are untimed. Students should allow at least 30-40 minutes for each test section (i.e. Reading, Arithmetic, and Writing test sections combined average total time 90-120 minutes). Please arrive on time. Latecomers will not be admitted.
What should I bring to the test?
- Students MUST show valid (unexpired) photo identification in order to test. Valid photo ID must be issued by the government or a school, must be an original document, must have a recognizable photo, must match the name in your student record, must be readable text with western alphabet characters. Acceptable forms of ID are: High School/College ID, Driver’s License or State ID, Permanent Resident Card, Passport, Military ID. We cannot accept pictures/photocopies of your physical ID. Students with BMCC virtual IDs must present their ID by logging into the SafeTrust Wallet app. Screenshots are not accepted.
- Your appointment confirmation email.
What should I not bring to the test?
All electronic devices (i.e. cellphones, tablets and/or smart watches) are not permitted. Such devices must be completely turned off and put away until the test has ended. No food or beverages are permitted in the testing sessions, but are allowed during breaks in between test sections. Class notes/individual scrap paper/books/dictionaries/thesauruses/translators are not allowed.
What rules and policies should I be aware of for the test?
CUNY Legal Affairs outlines CUNY’s Academic Integrity policy which prohibits all forms of academic dishonesty with penalties including suspension or expulsion from CUNY. Students are required to read and acknowledge the CUNY Academic Integrity policy prior to testing. Please click here to review the policy.
After completing the test
Students will receive test scores after finishing the test:
- Students that pass the test should check with the Bursar’s Office and/or Financial Aid Office to confirm financial aid award disbursement or email TAP@bmcc.cuny.edu.
- Students that do not pass the test will be notified via email by the Testing Office of their retest eligibility based on these retest rules.
- What does my score mean?
- Follow these steps to request/share a copy of my score report using the Accuplacer student portal. To find your test results select: City University of New York-Central for the student institution. If the school you wish to send a copy of your scores is not listed in the share individual score report ‘institution(s)’ dropdown menu, then contact us for assistance at Testing@bmcc.cuny.edu.
