Mathematics Placement Info for New Students

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To learn more about the Mathematics placement, please click through the questions in the list below. If students are required to take the Mathematics placement, they must complete it before Student Success can make their first semester schedule.
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Are all students required to take the Mathematics placement?

Many new students are required to take the Mathematics placement exam except for those in the following majors list below. If students are not required to take the placement, this does not mean that they will not be required to take a math course; it only means that the math course(s) required for their major do not require the placement.

Students do not need to take the placement if they are in one of these academic programs:

College of Education, Arts, and Humanities

BFA (Art--any concentration)
BA Arabic Language and Cultures
BA English
BA History
AA Interdisciplinary Studies
BA Interdisciplinary Studies
BA Theater
BS Commercial Music Technology
AS Early Childhood Education
AS Preschool Education
BSED Early Childhood and Elementary
BSED Middle Level Education
Placement required for Math Concentration
BSED Secondary Education
Art, English, Health & Phys. Ed., and Social
Studies are exempt. All others required.
BSED Special Education PK-12 (including dual major)

College of Natural Sciences, Technology, and Business

AS Veterinary Technology
BS Communication Studies
BS Veterinary Technology

College of Health and Human Sciences

AS Allied Health
AAS Physical Therapy Assistant
AS Human Services
ASN Nursing
BS Communication Sciences Disorders
BS Criminal Justice
BS Exercise Science
BS Human Services
BA Jurisprudence
BS Psychology
BSW Social Work
BA Sociology
BS Sport Management
RN-BSN

How long will it take to complete the Mathematics placement?

The ALEKS assessment has 25 questions and takes 1-2 hours to complete. Once students start it, they will need to complete it within 48 hours.

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Taking the placements is an important step in setting yourself up for a successful first year. Students should remember the importance of academic integrity when completing the ALEKS assessment and complete it without support or guidance. This will ensure that their placement is accurate. Students ALEKS score, or prior credit with a C- or better in a university prerequisite course, will be used to determine their proper starting point for their PennWest mathematics course. See the table below.

Can students re-take the placement?

Yes! Students who are within 10 points of the required ALEKS score for their first-year mathematics course can re-take the assessment. Student Success will reach out to students if they are eligible to re-take the placement. Second and subsequent attempts require monitoring using Respondus Monitor that requires a lockdown browser and webcam, and the cost is $5 to the student per attempt. Please see the PennWest website for more details.

If students do not get the score they need, they will work with a faculty advisor to identity an alternate math pathway so that they can still achieve their academic goals. In the table below, students can see this might mean taking an additional MATH course.

What is the required ALEKS score for each Mathematics course?

First-year mathematics requirements vary by academic program, but the list below includes the courses with their required ALEKS score. For more information about the Mathematics course for a students major, they can reach out to Student Success or talk to a faculty member in their program.

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Mathematics Course

Minimum ALEKS Score and/or Prerequisite

Math 1040: Mathematics of Finance

30 (or pass MATH 0201 or MATH 1010)

Math 1210: Intermediate Algebra

30 (or pass MATH 0201)

Math 1220: College Algebra

46 (or pass MATH 0210)

Math 1230: Trigonometry

55 (or pass MATH 1220 with a C- or better)

Math 1410: Precalculus

Math 1510: Discrete Structures

55 (or pass MATH 1220 with a C- or better)

Math 1610: Informal Geometry

30 (or pass any MATH course 1010 or better)

Math 2310: Calculus for Business

61 (or pass Math 1220 with a C- or better)

Math 2320: Essentials of Calculus

61 (or pass Math 1220 with a C- or better)

Math 2410: Calculus I

76 (or pass MATH 1230 or MATH 1410 with C- or better)

PSYC 2000: Psychological Statistics

30 (or pass Math 1010 or higher with a C- or better)

STAT 2020: Elements of Statistics

46 (or pass Math 1010 or higher with a C- or better)

Is there support for students with disabilities?

Students with disabilities should make requests and inquiries for accommodations directly to:

California

OSD-Cal@pennwest.edu

724-938-5781

Clarion

OSD-Clr@pennwest.edu

814-393-1877

Edinboro

OSD-Edn@pennwest.edu

814-732-2462

Where do students access the Mathematics placement?

First Year Students

To get started, students need to have access to their MyPennWest platform:

1. Sign into the myPennWest portal. Students who have not set their account up yet can click here, scroll to the bottom of the page, and select “password set-up” under the Admitted Students section.

2. Once logged into myPennWest, students will be able to see the placement testing card. The icon for each placement that a student needs to take is located on this card. See sample below:

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3. Students who do not see the placement card should select the blue “Discover More” button that should be hovering near the middle of the screen, and on the next screen, type “placement” into the Find Card search box.

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Transfer Students

You will need your PennWest student email address and password to create your ALEKS account. Access the ALEKS assessment by clicking here. You may be asked for a cohort or class code. If that happens, please use YDF3M-EAQ4L.

Additional Support

Students who need assistance accessing their placements should reach out to

Claire Pizer: pizer@pennwest.edu or (724) 938-5779

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