Proficiency Assessment Info
Policies
All business majors are required to satisfy the Information System Proficiency requirement for graduation. This must be done before taking IS/ACCT290 in one of the following ways:
1. Pass the IS proficiency exam prior to taking IS/ACCT 290 (65% is considered a passing grade for this test).
2. Pass IS/IT 101 or IS/IT 260 prior to taking IS/ACCT 290.
The IS proficiency exam is over Microsoft Office Excel and Access (2007). As a core business class IS/ACCT290 (Management/Accounting Information Systems) assumes a basic knowledge of this software, it is in everyone's best interest to make sure students enrolling in this class have the necessary skills to succeed, before taking the class. To this end a test must be passed before enrolling in IS/ACCT 290 if you have not taken preparatory classes (IS/IT 101 or IS/IT260). Each student will have two attempts to pass the test. If the test is not passed the student must enroll in IS260 or IS101 to better prepare themselves for the challenges of IS/ACCT 290. (Note: IS 260 is recommended as it counts as a business elective and IS 101 does not)
Where do I take the test?
The test is available in the Testing Office ( Science Building, NOT the testing lab in Ezell) and an examination time can be scheduled at your convenience.
How much does it cost?
$15
How do I prepare for the test?
Under the 'test details' section below you will see a number of skills listed for Excel and Access. These are the skills that will be assessed on the IT Proficiency test. If you do not know how to do some of these tasks it is your responsibility to bring yourself to a level of understanding appropriate to the test. Possible sources of assistance include but are not limited to: use the help function in excel and access, Google it, get an instructional book, ask a friend.
Test Details
Description of the Examination
The Information Systems Competency examination covers material that is usually taught in an introductory college-level business information systems course. Questions test knowledge, terminology, and basic concepts about Microsoft Office Excel 2007 and Microsoft Office Access 2007, as well as the application of that knowledge. The examination does not emphasize the details of hardware design and language-specific programming techniques. The focus is on concepts and techniques applicable to the specified products. Knowledge of arithmetic and mathematics equivalent to that of a student who has successfully completed a traditional first-year high school algebra course is assumed.
The examination contains approximately 100 questions to be answered in 90 minutes. Some of these are pretest questions and will not be scored. The time candidates spend on tutorials and providing personal information is in addition to the actual testing time.
Knowledge and Skills Required
Questions on the Information Systems Competency examination require candidates to demonstrate knowledge of the following content. The percentages next to each main topic indicate the approximate percentage of exam questions on that topic.
Microsoft Office Excel 2007 - 60%
- Worksheet vs. Workbook
- Short-cut keys and basic navigation
- Formula Bar
- Columns vs. Rows
- Entering Text, Numbers and Dates
- Working with Columns and Rows
- Working with Cells and Cell ranges
- Data Types
- Working with Formulas
- Aggregate Functions
- SUM
- COUNT
- MAX
- MIN
- Working with Worksheets
- Editing Worksheets and Workbooks
- Previewing and Printing
- Formatting
- Data
- Cells
- Worksheets
- Copy/Paste
- Applying styles
- Themes, Backgrounds, Borders
- Conditional formats
- Cell References
- Autofill, Seriesfill
- Logical Functions
- IF Function
- Date Functions
- Financial Functions
Microsoft Access 2007 - 40%
- Database Concepts
- Creating Databases, Tables, Columns
- Copying Records
- Navigation of Datasheets
- Creating Simple Queries, Simple Forms, Simple Reports
- Managing Databases
- Compacting and Repairing
- Backing up and Restoring
- Guidelines for Database Design
- Guidelines for Setting Field Properties
- Viewing and Modifying Field Data Types and Formatting
- Creating and Editing in Datasheet View
- Creating a Table in Design View
- Modifications to Table Structures
- Adding Records
- Importing Data from Excel, Text
- Defining Table Relationships
- One-to-Many Relationships
- Referential Integrity
- Updating Databases
- Queries
- Creating and Running
- Updating Data
- Creating Multitable Query
- Sorting With Queries
- Filtering Data
- Defining Record Selection Criteria for Queries
- Defining Multiple Selection Criteria for Queries (IF, AND Logical Operators)
- Creating Calculated Fields
- Using Aggregate Functions
- Working with the Navigation Pane