Compass is an untimed placement exam that helps City Colleges of Chicago determine courses that best suit students ability to perform academically. This test consists of a reading, writing, and math portion. Each student is notified whether they pass or not the same day he or she submits their exam.

Compass offers post secondary education through the Star scholarship for those who obtain a 3.0 gpa an ACT of a 17 or simply have passed the Compass exam. Students will be attending a two year college of their choice for free. Simply for passing reading and writing students have the opportunity to take dual enrollment.

Senior Brahim Aich, took dual enrollment classes during his junior year. This allowed him  to earn college credit. He was able to knock out some basic classes that require less money for college.

“This was an eye-opening experience because of the difficulty of college. One must be mentally prepare for upcoming challenges”, said Aich.

Unlike Aich, senior Maria Reyes plans to take dual enrollment this upcoming spring so she can earn college credit. Saving up a few bucks is important for these students, it creates less pressure later on in the future.

“After passing the reading and writing portion of the compass, I have really realized that earning college credit is important because it is less money to pay for college”, said Reyes.

This test is also very fundamental for students who are trying to be place in the courses they belong. What a student least wants is to be placed in a remedial course in which is a class he or she is not getting credit for and has to pay.