Math Placement

Depending on a student’s major requirements, they may be required to take a mathematics assessment to determine their first mathematics class. Appropriate placement into a first college mathematics course is extremely important to ensure student success in their first course and in future mathematics courses. It also ensures students do not waste valuable time and money taking a course they have already mastered. The assessment called ALEKS is free, available online, and takes about 1-2 hours to complete. It can be taken multiple times, and upon completion, personalized learning modules will provide the student with the opportunity to improve their score in subsequent attempts.

Students are required to take the placement assessment if their major requires MATH 125: Precalculus, MATH 131: Discrete Mathematics, or MATH 225: Calculus I, and they do not already have College in High School or AP credit for one of these courses. For all other required freshman level mathematics courses, the first mathematics course is determined according to the student’s high school transcript. In some cases, students may be placed into the prerequisite course ESAP 110: Beginning Algebra or MATH 120: Intermediate Algebra, prior to taking additional required mathematics courses. Neither of these classes fulfill any Rock Studies requirements, and all students are encouraged to place out of these courses through use of the ALEKS learning modules and retaking the assessment.

Note: Students majoring in Chemistry, Computing, Cybersecurity, Engineering, Mathematics, or Physics are required to take a mathematics class in their first semester, and they should complete the assessment at least two weeks prior to orientation so that a complete course schedule can be created. Otherwise, their schedule will remain incomplete, and they will not be enrolled in a math course until completion of the assessment. Graduation may be delayed for these students if they do not enroll in a mathematics course in their first semester.

How to take the assessment

First, access the ALEKS assessment here. To begin, enter your SRU email and password to register. If you need help finding your SRU email and/or password, click here. This will take about 5 minutes.
Next, select the SRU Math Assessment cohort having dates corresponding to the semester when you expect to take a math class.
- You will have three hours to complete the assessment. Most students finish in 75 minutes.
- The assessment is adaptive, so you cannot go back and change your answers.
- You may use scratch paper during the assessment, but no calculators or external resources are permitted.
Be honest when taking the assessment. The goal is to place you into a course for which you are prepared, and to avoid wasting your time and money.
If you need technical support contact ALEKS customer support. You may be able to take the assessment on campus if needed. For details contact mathplacement@sru.edu

How to interpret your placement assessment results

Course Placement Based on ALEKS Score
ALEKS Score	Course
75-100	MATH 225: Calculus I
60-74	MATH 125: Precalculus
30-59	MATH 120: Intermediate Algebra
0-29	ESAP 110: Beginning Algebra

Your score is available immediately after the assessment and it will be linked with your SRU registration profile within 24 hours.
If your assessment score indicates your schedule needs to be changed, contact your department chairperson or academic advisor. Contact information for faculty members can be found by finding your department here.
You will also be presented with a chart describing the topics you have mastered and those you have not. Your account includes access to prep and learning modules, and the ALEKS assessment provides a recommendation for which module will help you the most. Alternatively, you may select the prep and learning module associated with the class you are trying to place into. After working through them, you can retake the assessment and try to improve your score.
- Approximately 60% of students place into a higher course after spending 6- 8 hours in the learning modules.
- The modules can also be used to help you prepare for your upcoming math course, or during the course to review topics as needed. You will have access to them for up to one year.
You may take the assessment up to 3 times. There is a mandatory 48-hour wait between attempts. Also, you must spend 3 hours working in the learning modules between attempts.

How non-STEM majors will be placed

You do not need to take the assessment if:
- Your major does not require one or more of the following mathematics courses: MATH 125: Precalculus, MATH 131: Discrete Mathematics, or MATH 225: Calculus I. Check your major’s course requirements by first selecting your department here.
- You have taken a college level math course that is posted on a college (not high school) transcript with a grade of C or better.  This must be a prerequisite or required math course for your intended major.
If you do not take the assessment, then placement will be determined according to your high school (or college) transcript(s).
- In some cases, students will be placed into the prerequisite course ESAP 110: Beginning Algebra. This course does not satisfy any Rock Studies requirements, and all students are encouraged to place out of this course through use of the ALEKS assessment and learning modules.
MATH 120: Intermediate Algebra does not fulfill the Rock Studies math requirement and should only be taken by students who wish to take MATH 125.
Exploratory majors interested in the sciences should take MATH 125 or MATH 225 if qualified.

Additional details

Incoming students majoring in Chemistry, Computing, Cybersecurity, Engineering, Mathematics, or Physics are required to take a mathematics class in their first semester, and they should complete the assessment at least two weeks prior to orientation so that a complete course schedule can be created.
- If a student is unable to take the assessment prior to orientation, or is unsure if it is necessary, then the student can discuss the matter with their advisor at orientation. If it is necessary, then the student’s schedule will remain incomplete until completion of the assessment.
- Incoming students who improve their ALEKS score and place into a higher-level math class than originally scheduled should contact their department chairperson or advisor. Contact information for faculty members can be found by clicking here and selecting your department.
Current students or transfer students cannot register for MATH 125: Precalculus, MATH 131: Discrete Mathematics, or MATH 225: Calculus I without having the appropriate ALEKS score. Assessment scores will be linked with the student’s registration profile within 24 hours of taking the assessment, at which point they will be able to register for any eligible courses.
- Current students who have already taken a math class at SRU are ineligible for the ALEKS placement assessment. This also applies to students who have dropped or withdrawn from a math course at SRU.
If you receive an AP exam score that impacts your math placement, contact your department chairperson. You will only receive credit if your AP Calculus score was 4-5 on the AB exam, 4-5 on the BC exam, or 3-5 on the AB subsection of the BC exam. Contact the chairperson of your department if an adjustment to your schedule is appropriate.
You do not need to take the assessment if:
- Your major does not require one or more of the following mathematics courses: MATH 125: Precalculus, MATH 131: Discrete Mathematics, or MATH 225: Calculus I. Check your major’s course requirements by first selecting your department here.
- You have taken a college level math course that is posted on a college (not high school) transcript with a grade of C or better.  This must be a prerequisite or required math course for your intended major.
In some cases, students may be placed into the prerequisite course ESAP 110: Beginning Algebra or MATH 120: Intermediate Algebra, prior to taking additional required mathematics courses. Neither of these classes fulfill any Rock Studies requirements, and all students are encouraged to place out of these courses through use of the ALEKS learning modules and retaking the assessment.
- Students who take ESAP 110 will need 123 credits to graduate.
- MATH 120 does not fulfill the Rock Studies math requirement and should only be taken by students who wish to take MATH 125.

FAQ

What do I do if I have technical difficulties with ALEKS? First review the section above titled “How to take the assessment” and ensure you have followed each step. In some cases, clearing your browser’s cache and rebooting your computer will solve the problem. If that did not fix the problem, then contact ALEKS customer support here. Alternatively, some students find it’s easiest simply to try again on a family member or friend’s computer. Please contact us at mathplacement@sru.edu if ALEKS customer support is unable to resolve the problem. You may be able to take the assessment on campus if needed.

Can my assessment score be used to waive a course requirement? No, it is only used for placement purposes and cannot award credit for a class.

I am an incoming student who needs to take the assessment prior to orientation. Do I need to take the assessment even if I am enrolled in AP Calculus? Yes. Otherwise, it is possible that the student doesn’t find out until summer that they did not score well enough to earn college credit, and at that point the desired courses may be full.

What if I receive AP credit after taking the assessment? You will only receive credit if your AP Calculus score was 4-5 on the AB exam, 4-5 on the BC exam, or 3-5 on the AB subsection of the BC exam. Contact the chairperson of your department if an adjustment to your schedule is appropriate.

If I have already started taking a mathematics class at SRU, can I later use ALEKS to place out of a course? No. Once a student takes a mathematics course at SRU, their placement is final, and they cannot retake the ALEKS assessment to skip a course in their sequence. This also applies to students who have dropped or withdrawn from a math course at SRU. For example, a student who takes MATH 120: Intermediate Algebra and ultimately needs MATH 225: Calculus I cannot later decide to retake the assessment to place out of MATH 125: Precalculus (which is the prerequisite course for MATH 225). Similarly, the same student could not withdraw from Math 120 after starting the course, and then attempt to place out of it by taking the assessment.

What if I have disability accommodations? Please contact mathplacement@sru.edu if you need accommodations. The assessment usually takes about 75 minutes, but we allow up to 2 hours to accommodate those who need additional time.

How do I find my SRU password? If you need help finding your SRU email and/or password click here.

Can I use a calculator on the assessment? ALEKS will provide an on-screen calculator if you need one to complete a particular problem. Otherwise, calculators are not permitted.

How many questions are on the assessment? The assessment has 30 questions.

How many times can I attempt the assessment? Each student has 3 attempts.

What is a learning module? An ALEKS learning module is a web-based program that uses artificial intelligence to map a student's strengths and deficiencies. It presents questions based on a student's deficiencies and offers explanations to these questions.

I have (mostly) completed my prep and learning module. How do I move on to the module for the next course? Well done! Email us at mathplacement@sru.edu and we can move you up a level. Please understand that this resets your ALEKS account: it will erase all progress in your old prep and learning module, and you will be required to retake the ALEKS assessment before picking a new one.

Contact us

If you need help finding your SRU email and/or password click here.
If you need technical support, contact ALEKS customer support.
If you are an incoming or transfer student who has improved their score and placed into a higher-level math course than you were originally scheduled, contact your department chairperson or adviser. Their contact information can be found on your department webpage, which you can select from here.
For any remaining questions, contact mathplacement@sru.edu. Our team will usually respond to your email within 24 hours, except possibly on weekends or holidays.

Mathematics and Statistics

Math Placement

Mathematics and Statistics

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