What Every Baruch Undergraduate Student Needs to Know About CIS 1000
Baruch College is no longer teaching CIS 1000, Problem-Solving Techniques Using Microcomputers (1 hour; 1 credit). Instead, all students who wish to register for CIS 2200, Introduction to Business Computing, and/or Statistics 2000, Business Statistics I must first pass the SimNet Assessment Test. This test is a hands-on computer evaluation of your Microsoft Excel Skills. Once you pass the SimNet Assessment Test, your student records will be updated, and if you have met all other necessary requirements you will be permitted to register for CIS 2200 and Statistics 2000.
Important Information About SIMNET
A new version of the Simnet exam will be available at the end of September 2006. Practice materials for this exam will not be available before Monday, September 18, 2006. In order to be fully prepared for the exam it is highly recommended that students purchase the Simnet Enterprise Edition CD, which is available at the Baruch College Bookstore. Once you login using your individual passcode you will be able to access learning modules and practice exams (after Monday, September 18, 2006) for the Simnet exam (Excel) and several other important Microsoft Office 2003 applications. This CD is highly recommended for Freshman Seminar, Freshman Learning Communities and new transfer students. This CD serves as a pre-test practice and review guide, as a post-test study guide for those who need to retest, and as an excellent reference for learning and practice other Microsoft concepts (e.g. Access 2003 Basic, Fundamental Computer Concepts, PowerPoint 2003 Basic, and Word 2003 Basic) throughout your college career.
Does everyone have to take the test? Both CIS 2200 and Statistics 2000 are part of the pre-business core requirements for entrance into the Zicklin School of Business, so you must pass the SimNet Assessment Test if you wish to pursue the BBA degree. Furthermore, you are required to take and pass the SimNet Assessment Test as part of your Tier I graduation requirements regardless of your degree or major if you entered Baruch as a freshman in Fall 2001 or later, or if you enter Baruch as a transfer student starting Fall 2003. The only students who might not have to take the test are those who entered Baruch College with transfer credit for CIS 2200 or CIS 1357. If you are a transfer student, the preliminary evaluation for the BBA degree that you received at orientation or the official evaluation you get from the Registrar's Office indicates whether or not you were given credit for CIS 2200 or CIS 1357. Check your preliminary or official evaluation to see if you have met this requirement.
How do I get to take the test? The Office of Testing and Evaluation will invite you to register for a specific time to take the SimNet Assessment Test some time during this academic year. If you have not yet received an invitation, don't panic; you may not be scheduled until later in the year. The test will be administered in a designated lab in the Vertical Campus. Please make sure that you bring your Baruch College student ID to the examination. No one will be admitted or tested without his/her ID card. The testing session lasts approximately one hour and fifteen minutes.
What do I need to do to prepare for the test? In order to be fully prepared for the examination, we strongly recommend that you review Excel concepts before taking the exam. A textbook, I-series Excel 2002 Introductory, by Stephen Haag and James T. Perry, is available at the Baruch College Bookstore and is specifically designed to assist you with the SimNet Assessment Test. This book serves as a pre-test study guide, as a post-test study guide for those who need to retest, and as an excellent reference for working with Excel throughout your college career.
What if I don't pass the assessment test? Students will have only three chances to pass the assessment test. If you do not pass your assessment test on your first attempt, you will be given a printout of your test results that will refer you to specific sections of the recommended text so that you can prepare for the re-test. You can practice with SimNetXP learning software on computers in the open computer lab on the 6th floor of the Library building before you are re-tested.
Are there any sample or practice tests I can look at to get a better idea of what to expect? The following pages on this site will provide you with some examples of the types of questions that will be asked on the Assessment Exam and a sneak preview of how the test looks.
Good luck!
