UA ALEKS Online Math Placement Test

The University of Arizona requires the ALEKS Placement Exam to assess a student's prerequisite knowledge for placement into a UA math course at or below the Calculus I (Math 124/125) level, as well as courses in other areas (ENGR, MCB, LING, PHYS, CHEM). All incoming freshmen and international students need to take this test, and should talk to a Math advisor at orientation about any college level transfer credits.

Additional information about the UA ALEKS Online test and procedures is available through the ALEKS FAQs. Please read though the information below before accessing the UA ALEKS Online Placement test or ALEKS Learning Mode. There is also a practice test.

About the UA Placement Test

UA is using two different ALEKS assessment tests. It is the student's responsibility to determine which placement test to take. However, there are some general recommendations.

• Prep for Calculus
Students who are interested in taking Calculus I (UA Math 124 or 125), or who are in a major that requires Calculus I, should take the Prep for Calculus ALEKS Placement Exam. Sufficient scores may place students into Calculus I (Math 124 or 125), or Preparation for Calculus (Math 120R). Review test topics (exclude limits). Scores are listed below.
• Prep for College Algebra
Students who have no interest in taking Calculus I and who are in a major that does not require calculus, should take the Prep for College Algebra ALEKS Placement Exam. Sufficient scores may place students into Math 105, 109, 111, 112, 113, 115A (after completing MIS 111), 160, and 263. Review test topics. Scores are listed below.

Testing Dates and Fees

Students should test at least one week prior to their orientation or registration date. There is a $20 fee charged to your UA bursar's account for each test completed. Incoming freshmen and International students pay for the first test as part of their new student fees, but are charged for any additional testing.

• Current Students:October 5 through January 16 for Spring Registration
• Spring Incoming Freshman and International students: December 1 through January 16
  Students attending Spring Freshman Orientation should test as Freshman
  Students attending International Orientation should test as International Students
• Spring Incoming Transfers student: November 13 through January 16
• Fall 2010 incoming students cannot test until May 2010. Please return to this website at that time.

Access the UA Placement Test

Please note that the test is not available at this time. Contact ALEKS for customer support and technical questions or problems.

Please carefully follow the instructions below. If you do not place into UA Math (45% on Prep for College Algebra or 50% on Prep for Calculus), you should review and/or consider using Aleks Learning Mode. Freshman and international students will have several opportunities to talk to a math advisor at orientation. All students are expected to adhere to the UA Code of Academic Integrity when taking this test.

Students are to take this test without the assistance of any persons, textbooks, online materials, or any other assistance, as if it were a proctored test. The only calculator allowed is the built in calculator provided with the ALEKS program, and other calculators are not allowed. Any violation of this will be considered cheating and a violation of the UA Code of Academic Integrity.

1. Read through the ALEKS FAQ's, testing fee information, and the UA Study on transitional mathematics. Most questions you have will be answered here.
2. Before completing the UA ALEKS Assessment:
   • Make sure you know which test to take. In general, Prep for Calculus is required for students who wish to take Calculus.
   • You must have a UA Net ID and Password .
   • Download the ALEKS Plug-in. You should restart your computer after downloading the plug-in.
   • Make sure you have at least 2 hours to dedicate to testing. Review the necessary scores in the table below.
3. If you have technical problems while testing, see the Troubleshooting and ALEKS Customer Support information.
   For other questions, please refer to the information in the , FAQs , or you can contact the Math Department .


Print these steps before continuing to the test. After testing, it is the student's responsibility to check for his/her updated placement in Studnet Link under Academic. It may take up to 72 hours to process. Wait 72 hours before contacting the Math Department about your placement.

At this time, the test is only available to Current UA students. See testing dates above if you are a Spring or Fall incoming student.

4. To take the test you will need to click on the down arrow on the right (below) to proceed. Once you log in, you will need to select option 1, Take the Placement Test, on the left (not Learning Module), and click on the green Assessment box. You will be directed to a link to Proceed to ALEKS Testing. If you are prompted for an access code, this means you selected Learning Mode and not Placement Test.
   
   Correctly identify yourself as one of the following students: Incoming freshmen, not yet completed a full semester at UA Incoming undergraduate transfer student, not yet completed a full semester at UA Incoming undergraduate international student, not yet completed a full semester at UA Current undergraduate student, already completed at least one full semester at UA Other student (graduate student, non-degree seeking student, UA summer of Excellence Student, etc.)
   
   

   You will be charged a $20 fee if you take the assessment more than once.
   
   Proceed to ALEKS testing

   You will be charged a $20 fee for completing this assessment.
   
   I need to register for a UA math course at or below the Calculus I (Math 124 or 125) level, and...
   Choose one of the following... have not completed a college level math course within the past 18 months. have completed a college level math course within the past 18 months. have completed a college level math course within the past 18 months and testing is required.

   You will be charged a $20 fee if you take the assessment more than once.
   
   Proceed to ALEKS testing

   
   You will be charged a $20 fee for completing this assessment.
   
   

   You will be charged a $20 fee for completing this assessment.
   
   Proceed to ALEKS testing

You should not be prompted for an access code of any kind. If you are prompted for an access code, you are trying Learning Mode and need to go back to Placement Testing using the back arrow on your browser.

5. After testing:
   • If you are satisfied with your placement, then nothing further is required. If you want to improve your placement, you will need to review or use Learning Mode before testing again.
   • Your UA Math Placement Test score and list of eligible math courses should be available in your Student Link account under, Academic, within a few days of completing the exam. Test results will be entered into the UA system at 5:00 pm Monday through Saturday beginning May 1, 2009 and corresponding codes should be available in Student Link the following morning. Exams taken on the weekend or after 5pm on Saturday will not be processed until Monday night, and corresponding codes will not be in Student Link until Tuesday morning. Please wait at least 72 hours before contacting the Math Department for your results.

Options for Students Who Do Not Place Into UA Math

If you have more than one math requirement for your major, you need to try to establish a placement as soon as possible.
• Consider the Summer Transitional Math Workshop to improve your UA placement with the assistance of tutors and online support. The workshop begins July 1.
• Try ALEKS Learning Mode, and retest.
• Review on your own and retest.
• Take a summer review math course. If the course is from outside Arizona, make sure you have it evaluated by the Math Department.
• Students who are unable to place into UA Math through the Transitional Math Workshop or Learning Mode should consider taking Pima Math 122, Intermediate Algebra. Pima is a separate institution with separate tuition, but offers sections of this course on the UA campus. See the Pima CC website, or contact Pima CC at 520-206-6468.
• If you only have one math requirement for your major, some students take it at home after their first year at UA. Make sure you have the course evaluated through the Math Department.

Placement Using ALEKS

These recommendations are for students who have completed the UA Web Auth ALEKS assessment and are different from the ALEKS practice test recommendations. Eligibility requirements for all UA courses that require placement is available on the Math Placement main webpage.

Students with transfer credit should also contact a math advisor.

There is no math placement code requirement for PHIL 110.

Prep for College Algebra Test Placement and Recommendations

Prep for Calculus Assessment Placement and Recommendations