At Colorado Mountain College (CMC), academic advising is based upon a comparison of students' basic skills with the skill requirements of individual courses. Students who enter CMC to obtain a degree must take placement tests in writing, reading, math, and study skills before they can enroll in classes. The placement test battery includes a writing sample; the Stanford Diagnostic Reading Test; a CMC-developed math test; and the Learning and Study Strategies Inventory test. An academic adviser uses placement test scores to advise students not only as to the appropriate math and composition classes, but also to help students select all of their other classes. Course selection is facilitated by an advising matrix, which indicates the reading level of course textbooks, prerequisite courses, and recommended minimum writing and math levels. The advising matrix is constructed from information provided by instructors on the requirements for the successful completion of their courses. Each term, instructors are surveyed regarding prerequisites, written work, tests, quizzes, homework, projects, oral work, experiments, textbooks, writing skills, reading skills, math skills, and lecture style. Their responses are entered into a database program, and the resulting advising matrix can be printed out in either a short or long version. Once the matrix is ready, brief training sessions are required to explain its purposes and uses to advisors. Attachments include testing and advising flow charts; instructions for constructing the Advising Matrix; sample letters to instructors and an instructor questionnaire; copies of the long and short forms of the advising matrix; and information on finding the reading level of textbooks. (AJL)