Math Placement Exam FAQ's

Though we call it a Math Placement Exam, this is not a test. What you will be taking is a placement assessment.

A placement assessment is designed to determine what a student knows and what a student needs to work on. At the end of the ALEKS PPL Assessment, a student will have a much better sense of his/her strengths and weaknesses in math. Students then have a chance to brush up on topics that may have been forgotten or haven’t been practiced for some time.

ALEKS PPL is a web-based program that uses artificial intelligence to map a student’s strengths and weaknesses. The placement assessment is up to 25 questions and generally takes 60-90 minutes to complete. After the placement assessment, an individualized Prep and Learning Module is available for students to refresh their knowledge on forgotten topics. Students then have the opportunity to reassess and improve their placement.

ALEKS consists of three parts:

• An Initial Placement Assessment
• The Prep and Learning Module, an individualized, self-paced online review
• Access to 4 additional Placement Assessments

All students who wish to take any of the following courses: Algebraic Reasoning (Math 100), College Algebra (Math 115), Investigations in Mathematics (Math 110), Business Calculus (Math 133), and Calculus I (Math 150).

The placement assessment is used to determine the appropriate mathematics course for you at this time. 24 hours after completion of the placement assessment your scores will become part of your academic profile. If you are new to USD, schedulers will use this information to place you in the appropriate mathematics course. If you are a continuing USD student, this score will enable you to register yourself for the appropriate mathematics class after consultation with your academic advisor.

Your placement into a math course depends on your score on the placement exam, so every student should plan to take the assessment as soon as possible. However, you are welcome to take the assessment at any time.

No. There are no required plug-ins or applets required with your use of ALEKS PPL. As long as you have access to the internet and are using an updated browser, you should not experience difficulties in taking your placement assessment. For a list of preferred browsers, please review the ALEKS system requirements on the ALEKS support site.

ALEKS PPL is an online, adaptive system that covers a broad spectrum of mathematics topics. The length of the placement assessment will vary, but can be up to 25 questions. You will see some, but not all, of the math you have learned in high school. It is a placement assessment, not a preview of math courses at University of San Diego. It is designed to identify if you are prepared for a particular course. After you take your first placement assessment, you will have the opportunity to review and master additional topics to reassess and improve your placement.

Topics covered:

• Real numbers (including fractions, integers, and percentages)
• Equations and inequalities (including linear equations, linear inequalities, systems of linear equations, and quadratic equations)
• Linear and quadratic functions (including graphs and functions, linear functions, and parabolas), exponents and polynomials (including integer exponents, polynomial arithmetic, factoring, and polynomial equations), rational expressions (including rational equations and rational functions
• Radical expressions (including higher roots and rational exponents)
• Exponentials and logarithms (including function compositions and inverse functions, properties of logarithms, and logarithmic equations)
• Geometry and trigonometry (including perimeter, area, and volume, coordinate geometry, trigonometric functions, and identities and equations).

ALEKS will begin with a brief tutorial to make sure you are comfortable with the math palette tools before your placement assessment begins. The tutorial shows you how to enter different types of answers, how to use the ALEKS calculator, and how to graph. If you aren’t sure how to input an answer, or need help while you are taking the ALEKS Placement Assessment, select the Help button below the answer pallet tools. Going to the tutorial during your Placement Assessment will NOT impact your Placement Assessment results.

ALEKS is not a multiple-choice placement assessment. It is open-response and requires you to work out solutions with a paper and pencil, then enter them into ALEKS. Be sure to have scratch paper with you.

ALEKS will provide an on-screen calculator if you need one to complete a particular problem. Otherwise, you may not use a calculator.

You may only use a pen or pencil, paper, and the resources provided within ALEKS. You should not receive assistance from friends, family, other websites, textbooks or any other resource not provided by ALEKS. Using outside resources will lead to improper placement and potentially course failure. It is a violation of USD's Honor Code.

Because ALEKS is adaptive, once you submit an answer, you cannot change it. Be sure to carefully check your answer before submitting your response. You are also not able to return to a question after you have skipped it.

It is likely that you will be asked questions on material you have not yet learned. On such questions it is appropriate to answer, I don't know. On any question that you have familiarity with, however, it is important to do your best. I don't know is interpreted by ALEKS to mean that you do not know how to solve the topic, and this will be reflected in the placement assessment results. There is no penalty for incorrectly answering a question on the placement assessment, it only helps ALEKS understand what you know and don’t know.

Yes, you have 3 hours to complete a placement assessment once it has begun. However, the test usually takes no more than 1 hour.

If you do not complete the assessment in the allotted time, you will be given a placement result, but it will not be a true reflection of your abilities.

Begin the ALEKS PPL Assessment

• You will receive your score immediately upon completion of your placement assessment.
• Your ALEKS score can be viewed by re-entering ALEKS using the same access link for which you took the placement assessment.
• Your scores are automatically added to your student profile, which is accessible by your advisor. Please note that this process can take up to 24 hours to update after taking the assessment.

Your placement result (overall score) is a number between 0 and 100. It represents the percentage of topics ALEKS has identified you have mastered.

Your placement result does not expire.

This is a perfect opportunity to take advantage of the Prep and Learning Modules offered within ALEKS PPL. An individualized study plan will be created based on your performance on the Initial Placement Assessment. ALEKS will identify what you know and what you are ready to learn next so you can brush up on lost knowledge. For more information on how you can retake the assessment, see below.

No, you must achieve the minimum placement result to take each corresponding class.

Make sure to check the correct Course Catalog year (i.e., the year in which you declared your major) for your major by going to the Course Catalog website and looking at either this year's Course Catalog or the Archived Catalogs of Record list.

Congratulations! Continue to use your Prep and Learning Module to improve your chances for success. The placement result required is the minimum preparation for your course. Take advantage of the individualized review and learning features in ALEKS to get a better grade in your class.

The short answer is yes but to do so, please follow the following steps:

1. You must spend 5 hours in your learning module on ALEKS. This module is put together by ALEKS to help you with the areas that it found you needed support on after your initial placement.
2. You need to wait at least 48 hours after you first took the ALEKS placement tool.
3. If this is your third time taking the placement exam, please send an email to mathplacement@sandiego.edu.

You must wait 48 hours between placement assessments. 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.

You will have six months of access to your Prep and Learning module. Access to the prep course will not begin until you select start on the top of your screen. DO NOT select into the Prep and Learning Module until you are ready to start working.

Access to a Prep and Learning Module is included along with the additional placement assessments.

While working in a Prep and Learning Module, you will periodically complete a Knowledge Check to make sure you have mastered the topics you gained in Learning Mode. If you do not show mastery during the Knowledge Check, the topics will be added back into your Learning Pie so you can review them again.

No. You must complete a new placement assessment to change your placement result. Select the placement tab in the upper right corner of the ALEKS page to start a new placement assessment.

No. You may only use one Prep and Learning Module. If you are unsure which module to select, use the module recommended by ALEKS or consult with your advisor.

Simply close the browser, or log out and log back in. ALEKS will resume the placement assessment exam exactly where you left off, with no loss of your previous answers.

Please see this check the ALEKS Technical Support page or submit an ALEKS Customer Support Request.