Undergraduate Overview
Placement Testing
Placement tests (mathematics, chemistry, English as a Second Language, and world languages) are administered by the IUPUI Testing Center from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., Monday through Friday, and 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday. Students are responsible for scheduling their placement tests when they reserve their New Student Orientation. Reservations can be made with a valid username and passphrase online through the self-service system at welcome.iupui.edu or by calling the Office of Orientation Services at (317) 274-4240 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. Placement tests should be scheduled at least two weeks prior to orientation to ensure that the students' placement test results will be available for advising purposes. (Results are valid for up to one year.)
Each placement test will take approximately 45 minutes to 1 hour to complete. (For more information on placement testing, see the IUPUI Testing Center Web site at tc.iupui.edu.) Students obtain their placement test results from their academic advisors at the New Student Orientation program. If students have not taken the placement tests or their results are not available, they may be limited to a restricted list of courses that do not require placement tests.
All beginning undergraduate students whose programs require mathematics are required to take placement tests in mathematics before enrolling for the first semester at IUPUI. Some applicants may be directed by the Office of Admissions to complete placement tests before the office will finalize an admission decision. The placement test results indicate the students' level of preparedness and the proper or recommended course placement for mathematics. Mathematics placement scores are good for one year from the test date.
Students who have not yet successfully completed one college-level English composition course (ENG W131) are required by the Department of English to reflect on their writing experiences using structured materials before attending New Student Orientation. This guided self-placement (GSP) process offers students a structured opportunity to participate in selecting an appropriate writing course. For more information on the guided self-placement process for English writing courses and preparing for placement tests, students can visit the IUPUI Testing Center website (http://tc.iupui.edu/testing) or the website for the Writing Program (http://english.uc.iupui.edu).
Students who have successfully completed college-level work in English (with a grade of C or above in ENG W131 within the last two years) and mathematics (with a grade of C or above in MATH 11000 or equivalent courses within the last two years) are exempt from the guided self-placement process and taking math placement tests. Students may call the Office of Orientation Services at (317) 274-4240 to determine whether they are exempt from any or all of the placement tests.
Placement tests for world languages (French, German, and Spanish), and chemistry are also available. Students who plan to take these subjects in their first semester should be tested prior to New Student Orientation. Reservations can be made with a valid username and passphrase online through the self-service system at welcome.iupui.edu or by calling the Office of Orientation Services at (317) 274-4240. Call (317) 274-6872 for more information about the chemistry placement test.
Completing your placement tests to the best of your ability is important. Retakes will only be granted for extenuating reasons, and students must receive an academic advisor’s signature. The most recent score will be taken when determining student placement. (For more information about preparing for placement testing, please see http://www.act.org/compass/sample/math.html.)
- Testing for Students Whose Native Language is Not English/English for Academic Purposes (EAP) Placement Testing
- Accommodations for Placement Testing
- Cost for Placement Testing
- External and National Testing