Community Colleges have an open-door policy that publicly states all are welcome but after acceptance, the student encounters the hidden locked door of placement testing. For some students, placement testing is the key that unlocks the door and provides them access to their path toward their academic journey. But for most students, placement testing stops the student from gaining the key to open the door and instead offers them an alternative path requiring multiple hurdles to be circumnavigated before finding the gateway to their academic journey. Colleges across the country are seeking to find ways to effectively open the door for all students. One institution favors preparedness over placement to provide equal opportunity to all. This research seeks to examine how their preparedness model impacts students' self-efficacy and math anxiety. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]