The English Placement Essay
The English Placement essay is designed to measure your reading and writing skills to determine the best beginning English course for you.  The English Placement essay offers you an opportunity to complete a reading and writing assignment that closely resembles the kind of writing assignments you will have in your English composition courses.  You will be asked to read an article, write a brief summary of the article, write an essay responding to a specific prompt, and write a reflective paragraph or two about your writing.  English faculty who teach the courses assess your writing to determine which one of the several beginning English composition courses best suits your needs.  The English placement essay is not a "test" that you can pass or fail.  It simply determines the beginning point of instruction so that students can succeed in their required college writing courses.

Online English Essay (OEE)
The online essay gives you several days to complete the reading and writing assignment, allowing time to think about the topic, to compose in stages, and to revise, proofread, and edit as you would do for a course assignment.  You can write your essay using your word processing program and simply copy-and-paste into the online submission text box.  To write the essay online, follow these simple steps:

1. Go to the English placement web site at http://www.uc.edu/englishplacement
2. Read the information about the Online English Placement Essay.  This is not a short, timed writing, but an assignment that you can complete over five days.
3. From this site, go to the "login page."  Follow the directions on the page for login and password. Please Note: Login and password for the OEE are different from your Bearcat Online login and password.  Please read the instructions carefully.
4. Once you are logged in, register for one set of dates.  You can change your registration until you have opened the reading or prompt for a session.

• April 2-6
• April 16-20
• May 7-11 
• May 28-June 1 
• June 10-14

Make-up Online Essay Dates
PLEASE NOTE: Do not plan to take these make-up sessions if your orientation begins earlier than the date listed below for each session.  Scores will not be available until the date listed, and you will not be able to register for classes at orientation.

June 18-22	You may register for these dates if your orientation begins on July 1 or later
July 9-13	You may register for these dates if your orientation begins on July 20 or later
July 23-27	You may register for these dates if your orientation begins on August 3 or later

Alternative to the Online English Essay
The English Departments strongly recommend that students write the English Placement Essay online.  However, if you do not have access to a computer with internet capability, you should come to Quick Start on Saturday, June 6, 2009 to write your essay on campus.

Students who are unable to complete the essay online or at Quick Start should arrive at orientation by 8:30 a.m. so that testing can be completed before Bearcat Bound Orientation program begins

PLEASE NOTE: Students must have English Placement scores in order to register for classes at orientation.  Students who write the English Placement Essay after orientation may not be able to schedule classes for Fall Quarter at Bearcat Bound Orientation.  In most programs, students may take their required English Composition courses either Fall and Winter or Winter and Spring Quarters of their first year.

For additional information about UC English Placement, please visit http://www.uc.edu/englishplacement

Cincinnatus Scholarship
If you attended the Cincinnatus Scholarship Competition and you completed the Cincinnatus essay, you will not be required to write another English placement essay.  Your Cincinnatus essay will be used in place of the English placement essay to determine your initial English course placement.  Eligible high school seniors who completed their UC admissions application by December 15, 2008 were invited to the Cincinnatus competition.

Advanced Placement (AP) and Post-Secondary Enrollment Option Program (PSEOP)
You are exempt from taking the English Placement essay, if you have a score of 3 or higher on your Advanced Placement (AP) English Language & Composition or English Literature & Composition exam or if you have a grade of "C" or higher in a PSEOP English Composition class.  Other AP/PSEOP credits will be evaluated at a later time.  Please bring all available transcripts with you when you come to Bearcat Bound Orientation to give to your advisor.

The Reading Test
Only students accepted in the Center for Access and Transition (CAT) are required to take this placement test.  This is a 50 minute reading test that measures college level reading competency.  This test is comprised entirely of multiple-choice questions with only one correct answer.  This placement test is not available online.  CAT students will need to come to campus at Quick Start on Saturday, June 6, 2009 or Bearcat Bound Orientation to take this test.  Students in the Center for Access and Transition may write the English Placement Essay at Quick Start or online.