Writing Placement - The Writing Program

Montana Tech can use several different methods to place you in an appropriate writing course:

ACT, SAT, or International Baccalaureate test score.
AP or dual enrollment credits (email your scores, grades, or in-progress schedules to admissions@mtech.edu).
Transfer credits or a writing placement score from another college or university.
Score on the College Success writing test or another accepted writing placement exam.

If you do not have any of the above, you may take a placement test called College Success. Montana Tech uses this placement instrument to determine the writing course in which you will have the greatest success.

Students pursuing Associate of Applied Science degrees and certificates at Highlands College may be required to take WRIT 100 Composing Mindfully: Writing Fundamentals for the trades to complete their program requirements. A placement test score is not necessary in these instances.

College Success Writing Assessment

Please bring your photo ID and have your Montana Tech Student ID number and mtech.edu email address ready at your assessment. If you have not yet applied, start your application here.

You can take the College Success Math Assessment during the same testing period if required. Click here to learn more about math placement.

The Writing Assessment consists of one 90-minute session in which you will write an essay based on a prompt that is randomly provided. There is a one-time testing fee of $25. Students can take the College Success Writing Assessment mulitple times to potentially improve their placement scores.

Study Materials

Placement Levels

Students can place into the following courses based on their scores

WRIT 100 Composing Mindfully: Writing Fundamentals
WRIT 101 College Writing I or WRIT 121 Introduction to Technical Writing without co-requisite