Skip to Content
 

Math Placement

Overview

The Landmark College Math Placement Assessment process uses the ALEKS Placement, Preparation and Learning Assessment (ALEKS PPL ©2016 McGraw-Hill Education) to determine readiness for mathematics courses.

Waivers for the Math Placement requirement are available if you have official AP calculus or statistics in High School, international baccalaureate (IB) in math or if you will be transferring a college math course (with grade of “C” or higher). Please contact Kathleen Fortier, Office Manager for Academic Affairs at 802-387-6712 or [email protected] if you feel that you qualify for a math waiver. Please do this prior to attempting ALEKS.

Be honest. It is important that the Placement Assessment is taken seriously, and each student gives it an honest effort so that the Placement Assessment truly reflects their current level of knowledge and math preparedness. There is no benefit to getting outside help on the Placement Assessment—the only result will be that a student enrolls in a class that is too difficult, or not challenging enough, potentially costing time and money. Therefore, while taking the Placement Assessment, students should not consult any outside sources for help (friends/family, Internet searches, textbooks, notes, etc.).

ALEKS PPL is a Web-based program to map a student’s strengths and weaknesses. If you spend more than 15 minutes on one problem, then you should skip it. The Placement Assessment is up to 30 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.

ALEKS consists of three parts:

  1. An initial Placement Assessment (48 hour time limit)
  2. The Prep and Learning Module, an individualized, self-paced online review, optional and encouraged
  3. Access to two additional Placement Assessments that are available after practice in Prep and Learning Module, optional, and encouraged

Landmark College encourages each student to spend time in the Prep and Learning Module, even if the desired score is achieved, because time spent in ALEKS will ultimately lead to better preparation and improved grades.


Common Questions & Answers

  • The Placement Assessment is used to determine the mathematics course in which you will have the greatest success. Upon completion of the Placement Assessments, your scores are sent to your academic advisor. Your advisor will review your scores and help make appropriate recommendations for course registration.

  • All students who do not already have college math credit or if you have official AP calculus or statistics in High School, international baccalaureate (IB) in math.

  • Plan to take the Placement Assessment one week prior to your registration appointment.

  • 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 their 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 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 Landmark College. 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 onscreen 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 the institution’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.

  • 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.

  • No, you are free to complete the Placement Assessment at your own pace. The system will allow you to access your Placement Assessment for 24 hours. If you need to exit the Placement Assessment for any reason, you will be able to log back in and pick up where you left off.

  • If the Placement Assessment is unproctored, you will have to restart the Placement Assessment. If the incomplete Placement Assessment is proctored and timed, you will be given a placement result, but it will not be a true reflection of your abilities.

  • 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 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.

    Your scores will be verified by the math coordinator before you register.

  • 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.

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

  • 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.

  • Yes, you may take up to 3 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.

  • You must wait 24 hours between Placement Assessments. There is generally no benefit to retaking the Placement Assessment immediately after completing a prior attempt. You cannot improve your results by simply retaking the Placement Assessment without spending time in the Prep and Learning Module to refresh material that you may have forgotten.

  • You will have one year 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 two 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 a specific amount of time prior to each Placement Assessment to increase success.

    • 2nd attempt—required to complete 3 hours of work in the Prep and Learning Modules before attempting assessment.
    • 3rd attempt—required to complete 3 additional hours of work in the Prep and Learning Modules before attempting assessment.

  • 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 exactly where you left off, with no loss of your previous answers.

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

    Final course placement is determined by a combination of prior math course history, best ALEKS score, and/or interview with the Math Coordinator. The chart represents the initial placement based solely on your best ALEKS score.

    Course # Course Name ALEKS Score Range
    MAT 0291 Essential College Math 0-10
    MAT 0392 Prealgebra/Statistics/Math Ideas 11-20
    MAT 1541 Intermediate Algebra 21-30
    MAT 1641 College Algebra 31-40
    MAT 2731 Intro to Calculus 41-60
    MAT 2732 Calculus I 61-100
Back to top