Challenging Your Placement

Students who wish to challenge their placement may do so by taking an appropriate placement test. Placement exams will be given at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, August 23, 2008 in Esbenshade 382.There are two options:

• Level 3 to Level 2

If your intended major requires Ma 121 Calculus I and your placement level is 3, you should take Ma 110 College Algebra and Trigonometry. You may challenge this Level 3 placement by taking a 25-question calculus readiness test. The test does not cover the content of a typical pre-calculus course but instead emphasizes word problems, graphing and graphical interpretation, numerical awareness, the formulation of new concepts, and the application of formulas to new situations. The test has 5 elementary trigonometry questions designed only to indicate whether a student has a minimal grasp of trigonometry. Students who score 15 or better on this exam may move to Ma 121 Calculus. A sample version of this exam is available here.

• Level 4 to Level 3

If your intended major requires Ma 117 Concepts of Calculus, Ma 121 Calculus I, or Ma 251 Probability and Statistics, and your placement level is 4, you should take Ma 011 Intermediate Algebra. You may challenge this placement by taking a 25-question exam that covers the arithmetic of rational numbers, operations with algebraic expressions, linear equations and inequalities, absolute values, quadratic equations, systems of equations, estimation, approximation, and problem solving. Students who score 15 or better on this exam may take a Level 3 course. A sample version of this exam is available here.