IUPUI Campus Bulletin 2010-2012

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.

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, students can visit the IUPUI Testing Center Web site (http://tc.iupui.edu/testing) or the Web site 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) and mathematics (with a grade of C or above in MATH 111 or equivalent courses) are exempt from the guided self-placement process and taking 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.