COM-FSM Placement study plan
COM-FSM Placement · Give each week a clear focus.
8 weeks · About 6 hours per week
English / Writing Skills & Sentence Skills / Language Usage
Identify the eight parts of speech in 20 mixed sentences with 90% accuracy
Distinguish complete sentences from fragments and run-ons in a 15-item set
Write 10 original sentences that each contain a subject and a working verb
Label the subject, verb, and object in 15 sentences
Your checkpoint
A one-page grammar diagnostic log listing every error type you made on a 25-item self-made sentence-identification quiz, with a corrected version of each item
English / Writing Skills
Apply subject-verb agreement rules to 20 sentences containing interrupting phrases and indefinite pronouns
Correct 15 pronoun-antecedent agreement errors
Maintain consistent verb tense across a 150-word paragraph
Form and punctuate the past, present, and future perfect tenses in 12 sentences
Your checkpoint
A 200-word original paragraph, revised twice, with a tracked list of every agreement and tense fix you made
Sentence Skills / Language Usage
Combine 15 pairs of choppy sentences using coordination and subordination
Punctuate 20 sentences using commas, semicolons, and colons correctly
Repair 12 misplaced or dangling modifiers
Rewrite 10 wordy sentences to cut at least 25% of the words without losing meaning
Your checkpoint
A 20-item self-graded punctuation and sentence-combining exercise with a written rule cited for each correction
Reading Comprehension
State the main idea of 8 short passages in one sentence each
Identify the topic sentence and supporting details in 10 paragraphs
Answer 15 explicit-detail questions by locating and quoting the supporting line
Distinguish fact from opinion in 15 statements drawn from short texts
Your checkpoint
A main-idea log for 8 passages, each with your one-sentence summary plus the exact sentence from the text that supports it
Reading Comprehension
Draw 10 valid inferences from short passages and justify each with textual evidence
Identify an author's purpose and tone in 12 passages
Determine the meaning of 15 unfamiliar words from context clues
Summarize 5 passages in three sentences or fewer
Your checkpoint
A timed 20-minute reading set (3 passages, 12 questions) scored and reviewed, with a written explanation for every wrong answer
Mathematics
Solve 20 arithmetic and order-of-operations problems without a calculator
Convert among fractions, decimals, and percents in 20 items
Solve 15 ratio, proportion, and percent word problems
Set up and solve 12 linear equations in one variable
Your checkpoint
A 25-item mixed arithmetic and pre-algebra quiz completed in 30 minutes, with all work shown and errors reworked
Mathematics
Compute perimeter and area of rectangles, triangles, and circles in 15 problems
Interpret and calculate averages, medians, and simple probabilities in 12 items
Translate 10 word problems into equations before solving
Check answers by estimation on 10 problems and flag unreasonable results
Your checkpoint
A one-page formula and strategy sheet in your own words, plus a 15-item geometry and data quiz scored at 80% or better
English / Writing Skills & Reading Comprehension & Mathematics & Sentence Skills / Language Usage
Complete a full-length timed practice test covering all four domains
Categorize every missed question by domain and error type
Re-teach yourself your three weakest error categories using corrected examples
Write a timed 25-minute essay or paragraph with a clear thesis and edited grammar
Your checkpoint
A full practice test score report with a per-domain accuracy table and a one-page correction sheet for every missed item
Milestones
Week 2: Score at least 80% on a 25-item grammar and sentence-structure self-quiz covering parts of speech, fragments, run-ons, and agreement
Week 4: Summarize 8 short passages with correct main ideas and cite supporting evidence for each; score at least 75% on a combined punctuation and reading diagnostic
Week 6: Score at least 80% on a timed 20-minute reading set and at least 75% on the 25-item arithmetic and pre-algebra quiz
Week 8: Reach at least 75% overall on the full-length timed practice test with no single domain below 70%