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Math Placement Test

Academic Integrity

It is important that your score represents your own work and your work alone. In addition to the obvious moral implications, cheating on a math placement test is unwise as it only places you into a course you are unprepared to take. ALEKS PPL is taken in LockDown Browser, a web browser that does not allow other windows to be open, and it uses the remote proctoring system Respondus Monitor. Cheating on ALEKS PPL is a violation of the Radford University honor code, and violations will be reported to the Office of Student Standards and Conduct. Furthermore, you will receive a score of zero on the math placement test, meaning that you must take one of our Foundational Math courses MATH 100, 116, 121, or 125.

    If you are blind or visually impaired and have accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act, please email math-placement@radford.edu about taking ALEKS PPL. 

    You may take ALEKS PPL online at home on your own comptuer using our remote proctoring system, but you also have the opportunity to take it on one of our campus computer labs, either at our main campus in Radford or at the Radford University Carilion campus in Roanoke. The test is adaptive so that your next question will depend on your answers to your previous questions. You will be asked a maximum of 25 questions, but you may be asked fewer than this. The time limit is 2.5 hours, but you may finish earlier than that.

    Taking ALEKS PPL online

    You may take our math placement test ALEKS PPL online if you have access to a computer with the following properties:

    • You must have a Windows or Mac computer that you are able to install LockDown Browser for ALEKS and Respondus Monitor for ALEKS on. (It must be the "for ALEKS" versions of these programs, and you may not run different versions of them simultaneously.) It may be possible to take the assessment on an iPad, but some users have experienced issues with this. Other tablets and Chromebooks are not supported.
    • You must have a camera enabled to use Respondus Monitor.
    • You must have a stable internet connection.

    Learn more about the ALEKS system requirements. If you do not have a computer that meets these requirements, schedule a time to take ALEKS PPL at one of campus computer labs, either on the main campus in Radford or on the Radford University Carilion campus in Roanoke.

    Before you take ALEKS PPL online

    • Please set aside enough time to take the test. The time limit is 2.5, but before you start, there is a short pre-test tutorial to help you know how to input your answers. Many students will finish well before this time limit.
    • Find a place with a stable internet connection and a distraction-free environment.
    • Have your Radford University username and password ready as well as the device you use for Duo two-factor authentication. You will need them to connect your ALEKS account with your Radford University account so that your scores can transfer into our registration system.
    • Have a photo ID ready to show the online proctoring system.
    • Have scratch paper and a pencil available to do the work needed for the questions.
    • The calculator you are allowed to use is built into ALEKS PPL. Therefore, external devices such as calculators and phones are not allowed. 

    When you are ready to take ALEKS PPL online:

    • Log into ALEKS PPL with your Radford University username and password.
    • You will then be asked to create an ALEKS username and password that you will use to login when you return to ALEKS PPL.
    • You will be prompted to install LockDown Browser for ALEKS and Respondus Monitor for ALEKS if they are not already installed. 
    • Before you begin the assessment, you will be asked to enter the "proctoring password" MATH4RADFORD.
    • The assessment consists of up to 25 questions.
    • You have 2.5 hours to complete the assessment.

    After taking ALEKS PPL

    Your score will be available to you immediately after you finish, and it will be uploaded into the Radford University registration system overnight to use for course registration.

    You may not be happy with your initial score. That's okay! ALEKS PPL creates a personalized study plan for you based on your initial assessment to help you improve your skills and prepare you for your upcoming class or to retake the assessment. 

    Retaking the assessment:

    • You may retake the assessment up four times after the initial assessment.
    • You must wait 48 hours AND work 3 hours in your study plan to unlock the next assessment opportunity.
    • Working in your study plan not only helps you with the content, but it also gives you more experience with the user interface of the test. Most students increase their scores by 5-to-10 points on their second assessment, and some have increased by significantly more than this.
    • If you retake the assessment after Quest and improve your score enough to place into a higher MATH course than you are registered for, please contact your academic advisor or email math-placement@radford.edu to adjust your schedule.  

    Taking ALEKS PPL on campus

    You may take our math placement test ALEKS PPL online or at one of our campus computer labs on our main campus in Radford or at Radford University Carilion in Roanoke.

    The time limit of the test is 2.5 hours plus a short pre-test tutorial to introduce the user interface. Do not schedule your appointment for the day you plan to come to Quest. However, you may schedule it for the afternoon before Quest if you are coming from far away for Quest.

    Be sure to bring a photo ID and your Radford University username and password plus the device you use for Duo two-factor authentication. You cannot take the assessment without these.

    Note for students retaking the assessment: You must wait 48 hours AND work 3 hours in your study plan between assessments. Please keep this in mind if you are scheduling to retake the assessment. You do not need to come to campus to work in your study plan; any computer with an internet connection will work for this.

    Please contact math-placement@radford.edu if you have any questions or special circumstances.  

    Schedule ALEKS PPL 

    Several courses have prerequisites that incorporate an ALEKS PPL score, but they also have course prerequisites if you do not place into them. You may take a class lower than your placement score allows, but we recommend that you take the highest class that you can place into if you take a MATH course.

    A score of 46 on ALEKS PPL establishes Foundational Math competency under the REAL Curriculum. This score does not give you credit for any course, but the Foundational Math degree requirement is satisfied without taking a course.

    Some degree programs require MATH 125. If your ALEKS PPL score is high enough to place into a class higher than MATH 125  (61 or greater) contact your advisor or the department offering your program to see if your score can satisfy the degree requirement or if credit for it or higher MATH course is required. Some programs will allow this, but others will not.

    Course ALEKS PPL Score Prerequisite  Or Course Prerequisite
    STAT 130 Understanding Statistics in Society 46 or greater Any MATH course
    STAT 200 Introduction to Statistics 46 or greater Any MATH course
    STAT 219 Statistics for Biology 46 or greater Any MATH course
    MATH 126 Business Calculus 61 or greater C or better in MATH 125
    MATH 138 Precalculus II 61 or greater C or better in MATH 125
    MATH 168 Calculus I with Integrated Precalculus I 61 or greater C or better in MATH 125
    CHEM 111 General Chemistry I 61 or greater CHEM 110
    MATH 171 Calculus and Analytic Geometry I 76 or greater C or better in MATH 138