Chemistry Placement

IU Indianapolis student chemistry placement examination access

Who is required to take the chemistry placement exam (CPE)?

• In general, all new entering students, including transfer students, must take and pass the chemistry placement exam to enroll in CHEM-C 105.
• Students without CHEM-C 101 (or equivalent*) credit are required to take and pass the chemistry placement exam to enroll in CHEM-C 105.
• Students with CHEM-C 101 (or equivalent*) credit (with a grade of C or higher, not C–) within the past 18 months are not required to take the chemistry placement exam.
• Students with a grade of C– or below in CHEM-C 101 (or equivalent*) must retake CHEM-C 101 and earn a grade of C or better (not C–) before they are allowed to enroll in CHEM-C 105.
• Students with CHEM-C 101 (or equivalent*) credit (with a grade of C or higher, not C–) from more than 18 months ago are required to take and pass the chemistry placement exam to enroll in CHEM-C 105.
• Students who have credit in chemistry courses higher than CHEM-C 101 (except CHEM-C 110) within the past 18 months are not required to take the chemistry placement exam.
• If a student took CHEM-C 105 more than 18 months ago and wants to repeat the course, they must take and pass the chemistry placement exam before they are allowed to retake the course.
• Students with a score of 3 or better on the AP chemistry exam do not need to take the chemistry placement exam to enroll in CHEM-C 105.

*CHEM 111 credit from Ivy Tech is preferred as a prerequisite for CHEM-C 105 at IU Indianapolis. CHEM 101 at Ivy Tech only covers about 1/3 of the content compared to CHEM-C 101 at IU Indianapolis.

How long is the chemistry placement exam score good for?

12 months.

Who is required to take and pass CHEM-C 101 first before taking CHEM-C 105?

• If a student does not have at least one year of high school chemistry and two years of high school algebra, they must enroll in CHEM-C 101.
  • The widely available course Integrated Chemistry and Physics (ICP) does not meet the requirement for one year of high school chemistry.
• Students who do not pass the chemistry placement exam.

What are the placement requirements for enrolling in CHEM-C 105?

The placement process involves achieving qualifying scores/grades on both the CPE (or CHEM-C 101) and the math placement (ALEKS and MTHHS/SAT/ACT or appropriate math courses).

1. Recommended to take CHEM-C 105:
   A chemistry placement exam score that is ≥ 20 (out of 40) and an ALEKS math score that is ≥ 62 with an SAT/ACT score that is ≥ 520/19.
   OR
   A chemistry placement exam score that is ≥ 20 (out of 40) and a MTHHS score that is ≥ 30 (or 25 if an incoming first-year student’s grades of last semester in high school are not available yet).
   OR
   A chemistry placement exam score that is ≥ 20 (out of 40) and a grade of C or better (not C–) in MATH 11100/15300/15900 (not MATH 11800 or 13000).
   OR
   A grade of C or better (not C–) in CHEM-C 101 and an ALEKS math score that is ≥ 62 with an SAT/ACT score that is ≥ 520/19.
   OR
   A grade of C or better (not C–) in CHEM-C 101 and a MTHHS score that is ≥ 30 (or 25 if an incoming first-year student’s grades of last semester in high school are not available yet).
   OR
   A grade of C or better (not C–) in both CHEM-C 101 and MATH 11100/15300/15900 (not MATH 11800 or 13000).
   
   
2. Student’s academic advisor conditional placement: If the math placement requirement is met, but the chemistry placement exam score is not met.
   If a student has a score that is ≥ 62 on ALEKS math placement and has the satisfactory SAT/ACT math scores, or they have a MTHHS score of 25/30 or higher, but their CPE is 18 or 19 (out of 40), then enrollment in C105 will be permitted with the approval of the student’s academic advisor. The advisor should consider performance in the prerequisite courses stated above and the likelihood of success based on the student’s recent academic performance, especially in STEM courses.
   
   
3. Chemistry department conditional placement: Neither chemistry nor math placement requirement (as described in in #1) is met:
   If the CPE score is 18 or 19 (out of 40) and the ALEKS math placement score is between 40 and 62 (or their MTHHS score is 20 or below), the student should complete MATH 11100 first, and it is also strongly recommended to take CHEM-C 101 before taking CHEM-C 105. However, if both the student’s academic advisor and the chemistry department approves, enrollment in C105 will be permitted after passing MATH 11100 with a grade of C or better (not C–). This has a low probability of the student being successful.
   
   
4. Required enrollment in CHEM-C 101: If the CPE score is ≤ 17 (out of 40) and the ALEKS math placement score is ≥ 40 (or the MTHHS score is 15/20 or higher), the student will enroll in CHEM-C 101.
   
   
5. If the ALEKS math placement score is < 40 (or the MTHHS score is below 15) regardless of the CPE score, the student should take the appropriate math course(s) prior to enrollment in either C101 or C105 (it depends on student’s CPE score which one they should take after passing MATH 11100 with a grade of C or better).

What is the chemistry course authorization request link for academic advisors?

Students are not allowed to fill out this form by themselves. They must contact their academic advisor and ask the advisor to fill out this form on their behalf.

Placement exam instructions for students

The chemistry placement examination (CPE) is an assessment to evaluate readiness for college-level chemistry courses. Directing students to courses where they will be better able to succeed is a priority for the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology. Success in science curricula depends upon matching your level of content expertise to the expectations in the entry-level courses as you transition to study here. Our assessment involves review of prerequisites, prior chemistry courses, chemistry placement scores, and ALEKS mathematics placement scores. Your conversation with an academic advisor is essential to weigh these various components for the optimum placement.

The CPE is an open-book, 45-minute 40-question online tool to evaluate readiness to begin the main science major sequence, CHEM-C 105 and CHEM-C 106. You cannot receive assistance from any person during the examination to ensure accuracy of the placement process. The exam can be taken on any computer with reliable internet access, but mobile devices or pads are not suitable for testing. You will be allowed only ONE attempt at the CPE. You must use a valid IU username to be credited with taking the exam. There will be a practice exam that you must complete prior to taking the CPE. The student connects to the address:

https://iu.instructure.com/enroll/LJJW4K 

In this process, you may be asked for an access code and you should enter “cpe4258” in the box. This access code will be valid through January 2026. Click on the Enroll in Course button. You should also click on the Announcement to see if there are any specific updates or news relating to the placement process.

Your score will be provided to you at the conclusion of the exam. This data will be uploaded to your IU Indianapolis placement score record and will become available to advisors who can assist as needed in determining the appropriate chemistry class.

Be sure to log off at the completion of the exam.