Placement info for advisors—fall 2020

All new entering students, including transfer students, regardless of prior college chemistry credit at the 100 level, must take this exam in order to enroll in CHEM-C 105. Continuing students without CHEM-C 101 (or equivalent) credit are also required to take the exam in order to enroll in CHEM-C 105. Continuing students with CHEM-101 credit (with a grade of C or higher, not C–) within the past three semesters are not required to take the chemistry placement exam (CPE).

What are the prerequisites for CHEM-C 105?

The minimum prerequisites for enrollment in CHEM-C 105 are one year of high school chemistry and two years of high school algebra. If these prerequisites have not been met by the student, then the student 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. Credit earned by completion of CHEM-C 101 (or a higher level chemistry course, except CHEM-C 110/115) with a grade of C or better (not C–) within the past 18 months meets the chemistry prerequisite requirement. Students who completed CHEM-C 101 more than 18 months ago must take and pass the chemistry placement exam before they are allowed to take CHEM-C 105.

What are the placement exam scores needed to enroll in the chemistry options?

The placement process involves achieving qualifying scores both on the CPE and the math placement exam (MPE) based on ALEKS and SAT/ACT math scores.

1. Recommended to CHEM-C 105: A CPE score of 20 or higher and an ALEKS MPE score of 62 or higherwith an SAT/ACT score of 520/19.

2. Student’s advisor conditional placement: If the math placement score is met, but the CPE score is not met. If the score on the math placement score is 62 or higher, and the CPE is 18 or 19, then enrollment in C105 will be permitted with the approval of the student’s advisor. The advisor should consider performance in the prerequisite courses stated above and the likelihood of success based on recent academic data.

3. Chemistry advisor conditional placement: Neither score meets the CPE/MPE targets in #1. If the CPE score is 18 or 19 AND the ALEKS MPE score is 40 to 62, student should complete MATH 11100 first, and it is strongly recommended to take CHEM-C 101 before taking CHEM-C 105. However, if both the student’s academic advisor and the chemistry department advisor approve, enrollment in C105 will be permitted. This has a low probability of the student being successful.

4. Required enrollment in CHEM-C 101: If the CPE score is 17 or lower AND the ALEKS MPE score is 40 or higher, the student will enroll in CHEM-C 101.

5. If the ALEKS MPE score is lower than 40 regardless of the CPE score, the student should take the appropriate math course(s) prior to enrollment in either C101 or C105.

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.

Placement exam instructions for students

The chemistry placement examination 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.

Important information at a glance:

• The chemistry placement examination is an open-book, 45-minute, 40 question online tool to evaluate readiness to begin the main science major sequence, CHEM-C 105–106.
• You cannot receive assistance from any person (or online tool or mobile app) 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 chemistry placement exam.
• You must use a valid IU username to be credited with taking the exam.

The following URL is the link for the chemistry placement exam for spring 2021: 

https://iu.instructure.com/enroll/D6X3WM

In this process, if you are asked for an access code, you should enter “cpe4208” in the box. Click on the Enroll in Course button. You should also click on 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 IUPUI 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.

Contact information

Marie Nguyen
Lecturer and Academic Advisor
Department of Chemistry
(317) 274-6894
mlnguyen@iupui.edu