ALEKS Math Placement

You take the placement at one of CSI testing locations for a proctored placement. At the Testing Center they will bring up the ALEKS Assessment page. You will need to pay a $25 fee to register and take the ALEKS PPL assessment. You may have up to 4 proctored attempts, but between attempts there is a mandatory number of hours spent on the Modules before being able to take another placement attempt. Between attempts you must also use the Prep and Learning Modules for 3 hours between first and second attempt and again for 5 hours and then 10 hours between subsequent attempts. You take an assessment to begin with, which will count toward placement, and then the second assessment is taken at home but does not count for placement. After that the next three assessments are all taken at the testing center and will count for placement.

The Placement Assessment results will be used to determine the most appropriate courses for each student. After taking a Placement Assessment, students should meet with their advisor to review their results and enroll in the best classes based on their scores and major.

This is a “Placement Assessment,” not a test. The difference is that 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 their 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ALEKS PPL should be taken by CSI students that do not have other scores, scores that are out of date, or students’ that want to improve their math placement before taking a math class.

You do not have other scores such as the ISAT, SAT Math or ACT Math. The Placement Assessment is used to determine the mathematics course in which you will have the greatest success. Upon completion of the Placement Assessments, see an academic advisor. Your advisor will review your scores and help make appropriate recommendations for course registration.

There is currently a $25 fee for the use of ALEKS that the student pays.

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 30 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 CSI. 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 palette 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 paper and pencil, then enter them into ALEKS. At the testing center, you are allowed scratch paper for the placement assessment.

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.

Because ALEKS is adaptive, once you submit an answer, you cannot change it. Be sure to carefully check your answer before submitting your response.

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 will have up to 3 hours to complete the Placement Assessment. Most people need 60-90 minutes to complete the Assessment, and it will need to be completed in one sitting.

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

Course placement is determined as follows:

You will receive your score immediately upon completion of your Placement Assessment. Your ALEKS score can also be viewed by re-entering ALEKS using the same access link for which you took the Placement Assessment.

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.  After using the Prep and Learning modules for at least 3 hours, you will be able to retake the assessment.

No, you must achieve the minimum placement result to take each corresponding class. However, as described above you can use the Prep and Learning modules for at least 3 hours and then retake the placement 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. Between each attempt, you must spend at least 3 hours in the Prep and Learning Modules.

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.

You can retake the Placement assessment up to three additional times to improve your score. (The highest score will be used for math placement). Students are required to work in the Prep and Learning Modules for 3 hours, 6 hours and 9 hours between each assessment to increase success.

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.