Minimum competency testing, in which passing a uniform test is necessary (but not sufficient) for promotion or graduation, has been carried out in a number of colleges, including the City University of New York (CUNY). Competency programs usually have three basic components: placement testing, remedial instruction, and exit testing. Competency…

The origins, accomplishments, problems, and implications of competence-based reforms in higher education are examined. Competence-based education is defined as that form of education that derives a curriculum from an analysis of a prospective or actual role in modern society and that attempts to certify student progress on the bases of…