Mathematics Placement

First-year students will need to take a mathematics placement assessment—either the ALEKS exam or a departmental calculus exam. 

Transfer students who have not successfully transferred credits for a college-level math course will need to take the ALEKS Math Placement exam online before their advising appointment. You will receive a letter with details.

ALEKS Exam

If you took the ALEKS exam then the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science recommends the following minimum ALEKS scores for the courses listed below.  If you have scored below the cutoff listed we strongly recommend you spend time in the Prep and Learning portion of the ALEKS system and take the exam again before attempting these courses.

Can I retake the ALEKS PPL Assessment?

Yes, you may take up to 4 Placement Assessments. However, to make each attempt worthwhile, it is important that you spend time working in your ALEKS Prep and Learning Module between Placement Assessments so that you can improve your skills.  You are required to spend 5 hours working with the Prep and Learning Modules before retaking the assessment.

In addition, for your second and later attempts, you will need to use a custom Lock-Down browser along with a webcam for monitoring.  You will find detailed instructions on the ALEKS site when you begin your second attempt.  For more information, you can also watch this short video about the Lock-Down browser.

Can I retake the ALEKS Placement Assessment immediately?

You must wait 48 hours between Placement Assessments, and you must spend some time in the Prep and Learning review modules as discussed above. There is generally no benefit to re-taking the Placement Assessment immediately after completing a prior attempt. You cannot improve your results by simply re-taking the Placement Assessment without spending time in the Prep and Learning Module to refresh material that you may have forgotten.

Departmental Exam

If you took a calculus course in High school then you should take the departmental, calculus-based exam.  We will consider your score along with your high school transcript and make a recommendation for an appropriate mathematics course.  This recommendation will be available to you when you come to campus to register for classes. You can access the exam on AMOS.