Criteria for placement tests on math skills of adult basic education (ABE) students are needed to develop tests that are not too "school-like" because the ABE students are often blocked by math anxiety due to past negative school experiences, students may encounter language problems that affect their math skills, simple math problems do not measure practical problem-solving skills, and a placement test having only right and wrong answers does not provide insight into mathematical procedures of adults. These are the criteria: (1) adult students should be enabled to show the best they can; (2) language in a placement test should not hamper the student from doing the math test; (3) adults, in particular second language learners, should have a chance to apply their own mathematical procedures and the algorithms they are accustomed to; and (4) the test should yield qualitative information about adults' mathematical skills in order to enable teachers and program developers to set up adequate and well-tuned programs for ABE students. (Contains two illustrative sample problems and example student solutions.)(SLR)