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TAP Preparation & Courses

Students enrolling in a teacher preparation program at NLU must take and pass the Illinois Test of Academic Proficiency (TAP) one full term prior to student teaching per the recent Illinois legislation.

NLU offers intensive courses that serve as a targeted review of the skills necessary to pass. It’s highly recommended that you take all three courses if you are new to the TAP. Three courses are available, one for each TAP sub-area, which you can take individually or as a set: Math, Language Arts/Writing, and Reading Comprehension. Each face-to-face course has three sessions total, one per week. Each session lasts three hours. If you register for all three courses, you will take nine hours a week. The online courses last four weeks and are self-paced.

Benefits of the TAP Courses

  • Computer-based practice tests simulate the TAP test to assess the student’s progress throughout the course.
  • Step-by-step instructions, guided practice, and additional resources and study material.
  • Courses are aligned with NLU term starts to allow students time to take and pass the TAP before their program begins the next term.
  • NLU's TAP preparation courses have a test pass rate up to 15% higher than the Illinois average.
  • TAP course fees can be applied as tuition credits when NLU receives the TAP test score and the student has completed all three TAP preparation courses.  Tuition credits can be applied to any NLU course and cannot exceed fees paid for the preparation courses. Tuition payments and credits are handled by the Office of Student Finance.

Course Registration & Schedule

Search for courses:

View the NLU Course Schedule to find out when and where TAP courses are offered.To search in the course catalog, first select the desired term. On the next page, select "UL- University Library" under College menu, and click "Search." TAP courses are LIBR 401 (Mathematics), LIBR 402 (Reading Comprehension), and LIBR 403 (Language Arts).

Register:

Connect with an enrollment specialist to register for the courses or learn more. Call 888-658-8632 (option 2) or visit www.nl.edu/requestinfo. The face-to-face TAP course costs $150 per sub-area course, or $300 for all three, and the online costs $100/course, or $200 for all three.

Online Practice Tests

The Longsdale online course contains practice tests for the Reading, Language Arts, and Mathematics areas of the TAP. Contact Library & Learning Support to obtain the School Number and School Key needed to create an account. Call 800-443-5522 x 3374 or email lls@nl.edu

Access the Longsdale Online Practice Test

TAP Resources Guide

This guide provides additional free materials to help you prepare for the Test of Academic Proficiency, including print materials, PDF, and MS Word packets relating to each TAP standard, as well as videos, practice tests, test-taking strategies, and much more.

TAP Resource Guide



Locations

  • CHICAGO DOWNTOWN CAMPUS

    NLU’s Chicago campus on South Michigan Avenue occupies five floors of the historic Peoples Gas Building. This landmark building, across the street from the Art Institute of Chicago and Grant Park, is easily accessible by train, bus and car and is surrounded by restaurants, parking lots/garages and shops.

    122 S. Michigan Avenue
    Chicago, IL 60603
    (888) 658.8632
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  • ELGIN

    Conveniently located in a fast-growing business district off I-90 and Route 31, NLU Elgin features 10 classrooms with high-tech media equipment; a computer lab with high-speed Internet access; two conference rooms; and comfortable student lounges. Parking is free at this recently remodeled and upgraded teaching site, which now includes wireless Internet access.

    620 Tollgate Road
    Elgin, IL 60123
    (888) 658.8632
    Info » | Directions »

  • NORTH SHORE

    Opened in the summer of 2006, NLU North Shore at Skokie is a state-of-the-art modern campus located just off the Edens Expressway near the Old Orchard Shopping Center. The campus includes 44 wireless classrooms equipped with high-tech media equipment; four computer labs with high-speed Internet access, including a walk-in lab in the library; six conference rooms; a public café for beverages and snacks; a student welcome center; a library for research and study; and multiple, comfortable student lounge areas.

    5202 Old Orchard Road
    Skokie, IL 60077
    (888) 658.8632
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  • LISLE

    Located just minutes from the East-West Tollway (I-88), NLU Lisle features 42 wireless classrooms equipped with high-tech media equipment; four computer labs with high-speed Internet access, including a separate walk-in lab in the library; a café for beverages and snacks; a student welcome center; a library for research and study; conference rooms; and six comfortable student lounge areas with wireless access.

    850 Warrenville Road
    Lisle, IL 60532
    (888) 658.8632
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  • WHEELING

    Located in one of Chicago's major northwest suburbs, the newly renovated NLU Wheeling includes 20 classrooms with high-tech media equipment, four conference rooms, four computer labs with high-speed Internet access, large student lounge areas with wireless capabilities and interactive video capabilities, and an extensive research library. The site also houses the university library research collection.

    1000 Capitol Drive
    Wheeling, IL 60090
    (888) 658.8632
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  • FLORIDA (TAMPA)

    Established in 1988 and located in one of Tampa's major business districts, NLU's Florida Regional Center serves students in 13 counties in central Florida. In addition to its classrooms, the National Louis University Tampa Regional Center features a computer lab, student lounges, and conference room.

    5110 Sunforest Drive, Suite 102
    Tampa, FL 33634
    (800) 366.6581
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