A study was conducted at Stark Technical College to compare a normative-referenced test for mathematics placement with a criterion-referenced test that had been used by the college. The study sought to compare statistically the scores of 165 students on the Mathematics Inventory Test (MIT--a criterion-referenced test that had been developed locally to place entering students into the appropriate level of math) with their scores on the nationally administered Comparative Guidance and Placement (CGP) test. Study findings revealed: (1) students had very similar mean scores (20.5 on the MIT and 20.1 on the CGP) and median scores (19 and 20, respectively) on the two tests; (2) for students placed in Basic Tech Math, MIT and CGP scores were similar (MIT, 14.0; CGP, 15.4), as were the scores for students placed in Tech Math 1 (MIT, 30.6; CGP, 27.4); (3) the predictive validity of the normative-referenced test was significantly greater than that of the criterion-referenced test in predicting the grade point average of the students placed in Basic Tech Math and Tech Math 1. Study conclusions stress the advantages of normative testing for mathematics placement at the college. (HB)