Computer Competency Exam Self-Assessment

Volunteer State Community College | Student Services Division

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Prior to taking the computer competency exam, students are asked to perform an initial self-assessment to see whether or not they are good candidates for taking the exam.   This self-assessment can be accomplished by viewing the list of skills and knowledge required to pass the exam and by taking the practice test. 

If you need assistance, please visit the Open Lab in the Mattox Business Building Room #111.

Steps In The Self-Assessment:

1. Make sure you can perform the skills tested on the exam
   Take the practice test
   Browse the FAQ

Skills Areas Tested On The Exam
The Computer Competency Exam covers five essential areas of computer skills in which students need to be able to demonstrate competency:

• MS-Word
  MS-PowerPoint
  MS-Excel
  The Internet
  Basic Computer Concepts

Self Assessment:

MS-WORD:
Students should be able to perform the following tasks in MS-Word:

1. Open a document

2. Edit/Enter text

3. Cut/Paste, Copy/Paste

4. Find/Replace

5. Adjust line spacing

6. Change font, formatting

7. Use the spell checker

8. Use the thesaurus

9. Use the grammar checked

10. Change font/formatting

11. Insert date or date field

12. Set/Adjust tab setting

13. Add Bullets/Numbering

14. Add/Edit document Header/Footer

15. Insert page break

16. Insert page numbering

17. Change margins

18. Adjust page setup

19. Insert/Format a table

20. Preview a document

21. Print a document

22. Save a document

23. Insert a comment

24. Insert/Edit footnotes/endnotes

MS-POWERPOINT:
Students should be able to perform the following tasks in MS-PowerPoint:

1. Create a blank presentation

2. Use the AutoContent Wizard

3. Create a presentation using a design template

4. Change views

5. Add a new slide

6. Add/Edit a Header/Footer

7. Add Text/Bullets

8. Format a slide

9. Promote/Demote text

10. Insert an image

11. Create a text box

12. Apply slide animations

13. Apply slide transitions

14. Change slide layout

15. Print handouts

16. Print notes

17. Save/Save As

18. Set up timings

19. Save for another computer

20. Save as a web page

MS-EXCEL:
Students should be able to perform the following tasks in MS-Excel:

1. Delete Rows/Columns

2. Edit text

3. Edit numbers

4. Format cells

5. Apply Borders/Shading

6. Align cells

7. Adjust Row/Column Height/Width

8. Auto format worksheet

9. Adjust print area

10. Print a worksheet or workbook

11. Insert formulas

12. Edit formulas

13. Create a chart

The Internet:
Students should be able to perform the following tasks on the Internet:

1. Navigation

2. Refresh a page

3. Return to home page

4. Change your home page

5. Use favorites

6. Add to favorites

7. Stop page loading

8. Search the Internet

9. Enter a URL

10. Check browser settings

Basic Computer Concepts:
Students should be familiar with the following computer concepts:

1. Know proper email netiquette

2. Understand the difference between CC and BCC

3. Understand the definition of a computer

4. Know the purpose of RAM memory

5. Identify different ways to access the Internet

6. Understand the purpose of a link on a webpage

7. Know what the HTML language is used for

8. Understand email attachments

9. Understand Windows file-naming conventions

10. Recognize that email attachments that may be infected with a computer virus

11. Know what a boot sector virus is

12. Define a Trojan virus

13. Recognize the symptoms of a computer virus

14. Recognize a virus hoax email message

15. Select appropriate methods for performing backups of computer files

FAQ:

1. How well do I have to do on the exam?
   The exam is a pass/fail exam for which a score of 70% or better is passing.

2. Can I re-take the exam if I don't pass it?
   Yes.  You will be permitted to re-take the exam once. If you do not pass the exam with a score of 70% or better, you will be required to take the course CIS100.

3. How long is the exam?
   You will be given 60 minutes to complete the exam.  Our testing software indicates that this exam should be able to be completed in 45 minutes or less for a student who is competent in the skills covered by the exam.

4. What's covered on the exam?
   See the information above.

5. Can I take a practice test?
   Yes, you will need a SAM Practice test CD in order to take the practice test which you can obtain from the Testing Center in the Wood Campus Center, Room 217. The CD has some questions and is designed to show you how SAM works.

6. What if I don't want to take the exam?
   You may elect to take our computer literacy course, CIS 100 - Computer Technology And Applications. 

7. How do I arrange to take the exam?
   Contact the Testing Center at 615.230.3484 or via email at CCE.Managers@volstate.edu.

8. As an RODP student how do I schedule the exam?
   Contact the Testing Center at 615.230.3484 for more details or contact them via email at CCE.Managers@volstate.edu.

9. Do I get college credit for passing this test?
   No. The Computer Competency Exam is one means of demonstrating computer literacy. It does not give you college credit for CIS 100..

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