Who Needs to Complete Writing Placement

You will need to take the Writing Placement Exam unless you

  • Scored a 4 or 5 on the AP English Language and Composition Exam OR
  • Earned approved transfer credit fulfilling the CW General Education requirement OR
  • Took the SAT before March 2016 and scored 1460 or higher on the combined Critical Reading and Writing sections

These credits and scores fulfill the CW General Education requirement. If you have already fulfilled the CW requirement, you don’t have to do the Writing Placement Exam, and you don’t have to take College Writing. The placement assignment lists in OWL are not customized for individual students, so if you know you have fulfilled the CW requirement, you can ignore what it says in OWL about writing placement.

Writing Placement Access

Writing placement is offered online along with the math and foreign language placement exams. To access writing placement, you need to log in to OWL, select "Assignment Listfrom the Course Home Page, and choose "Writing Placement Exam." If you have problems accessing the Writing Placement Exam, you should submit a help request in OWL. If you can't log in to OWL, select Login Help.

Deadlines and Results

  • You may complete writing placement at any time, and you will receive a score in OWL when you finish.
  • If you score between 90 and 124, you are encouraged (but not required) to start with Writing, Identity, and Power before taking College Writing.
  • If you score between 125 and 180, you are encouraged to take College Writing only.
  • Scores below 90 indicate an incomplete exam. Please contact @email for assistance.

Technical questions about the exam should be submitted as help requests through OWL. If you cannot login to OWL, select Login Help.

For more information about writing placement at UMass Amherst, please contact @email.

Writing Placement FAQs

Exemption and Waiver FAQs

All undergraduates at UMass Amherst must satisfy the College Writing (CW) General Education requirement to complete the bachelor’s degree. While most students fulfill the CW requirement after completing writing placement and College Writing, some students fulfill the CW requirement through Advanced Placement scores or transfer credit. Other students fulfill the CW requirement through a CW waiver, which involves completing writing placement and writing an additional essay. Contact @email for information about applying for a CW waiver.

Students who have fulfilled the CW requirement before coming to UMass Amherst do not need to take the writing placement questionnaire or College Writing.

You can contact @email if you have questions about fulfilling the CW requirement.