Placement Testing
Determining Proper Placement for MATH or STAT Courses:
There are many ways to determine correct placement for your MATH and STAT courses. Our goal is to ensure you start in the correct course, which sets you up for success. Starting in a higher course when you lack the foundational understanding to do well can lead to ongoing struggles in future classes. We want you in the right class at the right time, so you can perform your best and learn the skills you need to be successful!
Students can place into MATH or STAT course using things like:
- Prior coursework (including transfer courses or two semesters of high school Calculus with a grade of 'A' or 'B'),
- ACT or SAT Math test scores,
- AP, CLEP, or IB test scores.
You can find cut-off test scores for ACT or SAT here, and you can find guidelines for AP, CLEP, or IB scores here. If you have prior coursework in high school or college that could help determine placement, please work with your academic advisor.
If none of these apply to you, a placement test is another way to determine which course is best for you. We currently offer the ALEKS test, and the information below can help you determine the next steps you should take.
The ALEKS test is computer-based and adaptive, and it covers a broad spectrum of mathematical skills ranging from beginning mathematics to algebra to calculus.
ALEKS PPL Test
The ALEKS test is computer-based and adaptive, and it covers a broad spectrum of mathematical skills ranging from beginning mathematics to algebra to calculus.
This test is provided by McGraw Hill and administered in the testing center on our Moscow campus or at testing centers around the country that are certified by the National College Testing Association (NCTA). The test costs $20, which includes five attempts. These five attempts can be any combination of at-home practice or official proctored attempts. There is also a proctoring fee charged by most testing centers.
Frequently Asked Questions
The ALEKS test has online study lessons and practice tests that you can use to prepare. You will do them on the ALEKS website. More details are provided in the instructions for each specific test, found below.
You can also come to the Mathematics Assistance Center during operating hours and ask questions of the on-site tutors.
Bring your VandalCard or another photo ID to verify your identity. You can also bring a pen or pencil. We will provide calculators and scratch paper, if needed. No outside resources are allowed.
You must schedule an appointment with the testing center you plan to use. For the Moscow campus, you can do that here. For testing at other NCTA-certified centers, visit each testing center's website for scheduling instructions.
If you are taking the ALEKS test on the Moscow campus, go to the testing center located at Mary Forney Hall, room 301. The address is 1210 S. Blake Avenue.
The best way to prepare is by using the provided practice materials on the ALEKS website. However, topics covered could include:
- Real numbers (including fractions, integers, and percentages)
- Equations and inequalities (including linear equations, linear inequalities, system of linear equations, and quadratic equations)
- Linear and quadratic functions (including graphs and function, 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 radical 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)
You can request an official score report on the day you take your test. Then, the testing center should enter your score directly into Banner, our online Student Information System. Once they do so, you can register for any MATH or STAT courses indicated by your score.
If you take the ALEKS at a different certified testing center than the one at the Moscow campus, they will need to communicate your score to our testing center. As long as you follow all the instructions below before taking the test, this process should happen automatically. However, it's good to verify with the testing center before you leave, when you take your test.
You can find placement score cut-offs here.
A score is valid for one year. If it has been longer than that, you will need to test again.
No. Getting a high enough score on the test may waive prerequisites and allow you to start in a higher math course, but no credit will be received from taking the test.
Ready to take the ALEKS test?
IMPORTANT NOTE: Unproctored, at-home test attempts will not count for placement. They only count as practice. However, they do count towards the five total tests you can take with each purchase. We recommend taking up to three at-home practice tests, then using the other attempts for proctored attempts in a testing center.
Testing at the Moscow Campus
- Create and pay for an account with your U of I username and password here. (link to https://secure.aleks.com/shiblogon/sso?sso_account=0bba0ae&class_code=ARTLC-ND44M )
- Use the ALEKS prep resources to prepare at home and consider taking a couple practice tests.Make sure you do not take more than 4 practice tests, since you are limited to five attempts in total, including your final proctored ALEKS test.
- When you are ready, schedule an appointment here with the U of I testing center.(link to https://www2.registerblast.com/uidaho/exam/list ).There will be a $15 proctoring fee.
- When you finish your test, ask the testing center staff to enter your score in the system.
- If you plan to test right before a semester starts, book an appointment early.The seats fill up quickly.
Testing Away from the Moscow Campus
- Create and pay for an account with your U of I username and password here. (link to https://secure.aleks.com/shiblogon/sso?sso_account=0bba0ae&class_code=ARTLC-ND44M )
- Choose a nearby testing center from the list of places certified by the National College Testing Association (NCTA).Find a list of centers here.(link to https://www.ncta-testing.org/list-of-certified-centers-by-state )
- Schedule an appointment directly with the center you choose.They may have a proctoring fee.Each center is different.
- Before you take your test, contact the U of I testing center to let them know when and where you plan to take the ALEKS.They will communicate directly with that center to ensure:
- They have the correct U of I log-in information,
- They know the U of I required proctoring rules, and
- They know where to send your official results.
Skipping this step means your score may not be accepted for placement at University of Idaho.
Questions?
If you have any questions, please contact the Department of Mathematics and Statistical Science at 208-885-6742.