Description
All students must meet the University’s Mathematical Thinking requirement. While some students may choose a course outside the Mathematics department to fulfill the requirement, many students will have more extensive mathematical requirements for intended majors or professional programs. For these students, building sequential math competence is a crucial component of their University degree. Accurate course placement is essential for successful transition to the rigors of college math.
New High School Students
Each NHS student who takes a math readiness test is given a recommendation for the appropriate course at which to begin math study. This placement information draws on the “math index” (a combination of the student’s high school percentile rank, high school math record, and ACT math score) and on the math readiness test results. Students who are ready to enter college-level math are placed into a range of 1xxx-level courses offered by the mathematics department; students unready for college level math can gain the needed preparation in 0xxx-level math courses.
New Advanced Standing Students
NAS student orientation records will contain no index or high school-derived math placement information. Many NAS students will be placed into appropriate UM math courses on the basis of math preparation completed at their previous schools. Check the Institute of Technology transfer guide for course equivalencies. Transfer students with one year or more of calculus at another college or university should be referred to an adviser who specializes in math courses or to the Math Undergraduate Office, Vincent Hall 115.
NAS students without previous math work may take math readiness tests at orientation or may be individually placed by the math advising specialist. Students who did not do well in math courses at another institution may need to repeat an equivalent University course for no credit.
Placement Exams
There are three placement exams: “General Math,” “College Mathematical Readiness,” and “Calculus Readiness”. Incoming students take one of these tests online before they arrive, or they take it during orientation. When used in conjunction with other data, such as high school performance and transfer courses, the test can give the adviser some idea of where students should start in math. High school calculus courses are not reliable indicators for math placement at the University of Minnesota.
These one-hour multiple choice exams are available online at http://onestop.umn.edu/placement. To sign on for the test, students will need to use the username and password sent to them with their orientation materials or contact the CLA Student Information Office to be assigned a username (the username is not the student’s x500 internet ID). Calculators may be used during the “General Math” test but may not be used during the “College Mathematical Readiness” test or the “Calculus Readiness” test. Students cannot qualify for course credits by taking these exams.
The placement tests are not aptitude tests. They test whether a student knows certain mathematical concepts and has certain mathematical skills, not whether she or he could obtain that understanding and those skills. Determination and dedication in mathematics courses are critical ingredients for success, but seldom, if ever, do they compensate for lack of prerequisite knowledge and skills.
Placement Exam Results and Interpretation
NHS students who have taken one of the math placement tests in a reasonable time before their orientation date will have a course recommendation on their Placement Report. The results for students who take one of the math placement tests after their Placement Report has been printed will be available to advisers. Advisers can use the Math Placement Charts to determine the appropriate placement.
A high score on a placement test indicates that the student has sufficient prerequisite knowledge to begin the course in question. But it is important that a high score not give rise to overconfidence, since knowledge tested on the placement test is only prerequisite knowledge and not the mathematics that is to be learned in the course.
On the Placement Report, the student will receive a course recommendation based on their test results. They should take the recommended course or any course with a lower catalog number.
Students who score an 8 or lower on the College Mathematical Readiness test should be encouraged to take the General Math test as they may not have the skills necessary for college level math. The General Math test gives a more fine grained assessment of students’ mathematical skills.
Students who score a 6 of lower on the Calculus Readiness test should be encouraged to take the College Mathematical Readiness test for better placement information.
“See adviser” Placement
This notation indicates the lack of index information for placement or a readiness test score too low to provide adequate placement (indicating the student took too advanced a test, e.g., calculus rather than mathematics, or mathematics rather than GC readiness). In either case, the student should take an appropriate placement test or be individually placed by the math advising specialist. If this problem arises in the O/R appointment, the adviser should prepare a schedule of the student’s other classes and then have the student take the correct placement test or refer them to the math advising specialist.
