NOTICE: NEW INCOMING STUDENTS – For Spring 2025 registration, ALEKS will be available from October 14, 2024, until January 19, 2025. Review your RTUM checklist for details and additional information below.
What is the ALEKS Math Placement Assessment?
ALEKS (Assessment and Learning in Knowledge Spaces) is a web-based assessment system that uses artificial intelligence to create an adaptive test in order to determine a student's mathematical knowledge. The results from the ALEKS assessment are used to determine the appropriate math course for a student to take based on his/her prerequisite knowledge. The ALEKS Assessment covers a broad range of material from basic Algebra to Precalculus. The ALEKS assessment subscription is available to students for 1 year and the scores will be valid for up to 18 months.
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)
The assessment will have a maximum of 30 questions and it will take approximately 90 minutes to complete. During the proctoring session, you will have a maximum of 2 hours to complete the ALEKS assessment. After you complete the assessment, you will immediately receive your ALEKS score. The score will be visible in CaneLink within 48 hours of completing the assessment. If the desired placement is not achieved, the ALEKS Prep and Learning Modules will be available for you to review, learn material, re-take the assessment and improve your ALEKS score.
ALEKS Prep and Learning Modules
Your ALEKS subscription will include 6 months access to a recommended ALEKS Prep and Learning Module.
Once you complete the ALEKS Math Placement Assessment, you will be able to access the ALEKS Prep and Learning Modules.
You will also get a breakdown of your performance on each topic.
If you would like to improve your ALEKS score and repeat the assessment, you will need to spend at least 5 hours on the recommended Prep and Learning Module before each repeat. Starting from your first log-in, you will have 6 months to access your ALEKS Prep and Learning Module. Please do not begin working in your module until you know you will have time to dedicate to this. If you do not complete the required 5 hours in the Prep and Learning Module within the 6 month subscription, you will not be able to repeat the assessment.
Based on your ALEKS score, you will be directed to one of the following modules:
- Prep for College Algebra (recommended if you are trying to enroll in MTH 101)
- Prep for PreCalculus (recommended if you are trying to enroll in MTH 107 or MTH 108)
- Prep for Calculus (recommended if you are trying to enroll in MTH 140, MTH 151 or MTH 161)
The recommended module will be based on the following criteria:
ALEKS Placement Score (%) → Prep and Learning Module
0 - 39% → Prep for College Algebra
40 - 60% → Prep for PreCalculus
> 60% → Prep for Calculus
Once you spend a minimum of 5 hours in the recommended ALEKS Prep and Learning Module, you will be allowed to repeat the ALEKS Math Placement Assessment. Your progress in the module does not affect your ALEKS score. You must repeat the assessment.
To access the ALEKS Prep and Learning Modules, go to the page with your LEARNING PIE and click on START MY PATH/CONTINUE MY PATH. The link to the modules will be on the upper left hand side of the page.
From the Learning Pie, you can then select the topic you would like to work on.
You will need to spend 5 hours on the Prep and Learning Module before repeating the ALEKS Placement Assessment.
Quick Facts about the ALEKS Prep and Learning Modules
- There is no fee for the ALEKS Prep and Learning Modules.
- You will have 6 months of access to the recommended ALEKS Prep and Learning Module from the time that you first start using it.
- You will be required to spend a minimum of 5 hours in the recommended ALEKS Prep and Learning Module before repeating the ALEKS assessment.
- If you do not complete the required 5 hours in the Prep and Learning Module within the 6 month subscription, you will not be able to repeat the assessment.
- Your progress in the Prep and Learning Module will not count towards your placement score. You must complete a new placement assessment to change your ALEKS score and placement result.
For more information, see ALEKS FAQs.
