One Page Year 6 Arithmetic Test
Eliz Cisneroz
The online Math Placement Test is an important tool that determines a student's beginning placement level in math and science courses. No course credit is given for the test, but it can fulfill the basic math skills requirement for the General Education requirements. During the orientation academic advising session, advisors use the placement level to determine which mathematics course sequence students should begin during their first semester at Ohio State.
Students eligible to take the Math Placement Test and have not started classes at Ohio State can complete the assessment online as soon as possible. Plan to test in a distraction-free environment with good internet connection that will be uninterrupted for 75 minutes.
All placement testing is online. Students must obtain a referral from the Math Advising Office. Once the request to take the exam is received, a live link will be sent to the OSU email address of the student. Students must complete the test that day as the link is only valid through midnight.
Incoming first-year Engineering students are required to take the Math Placement Test by Friday, May 24, 2024. Failure to take the Math Placement Test by this date will result in scheduling delays and limitations during your first term of enrollment.
If you would like to request placement exam accommodations, you will need to submit an application and documentation to Student Life Disability Services (SLDS) prior to taking the exam. Typical accommodations may include extended time, alternative formats, and Reader/scribe.
If you are interested in utilizing academic accommodations as an Ohio State student, you will need to complete the registration process and then contact Michelle Salomone at 614-292-3307 or salom...@osu.edu. For more information, contact sl...@osu.edu.
The test has a time limit of 75 minutes. The time remaining will be updated after each question. Note that time continues to run even if students close the browser window, log off their computer, or experience computer problems.
Students may use scratch paper, a pencil, and a scientific graphing calculator. Calculators with computer symbolic algebra or QWERTY keyboards, such as the TI-89 or TI-92, are not permitted.
Make certain to note the placement level code (L, M, N, R, S, T, or U) awarded at the end of the exam. To interpret placement test results and determine the best course of enrollment, please review the outline of Math Placement Test scores and their corresponding math course options.
Students who feel that their performance on the Mathematics Placement Test does not accurately reflect their mathematical skills, and those students who wish to qualify for more advanced courses, have an opportunity to take a Math Proficiency Exam.
Yes. Please take this test with an attitude of full attention. This one-time test is an important indicator that advisors use to enroll you in math courses. Make sure you are in a quiet place, with good internet, where you will not be interrupted for 75 consecutive minutes. The best result on the test is the score that best reflects your skill set. Not realizing that the test was important is not a valid reason to retake this one-time test.
Yes. If your AP math credit is not available at the time of orientation a placement test is necessary. ALL Engineering students must take the placement test - it is mandatory regardless of credit status. Your academic advisor will use your placement test score to place you in a mathematics course. If necessary you can work with your advisor after your AP credit is validated. Please note that AP credit will not be available to the university until after July 15.
Note: If you are not in Engineering and have AP math credit already officially posted to Buckeyelink for your advisor to view by orientation, then no test is necessary. No further contact with math advising is necessary to confirm your status.
Please take the test you have been assigned. When students log in to the placement test, the computer will automatically select the correct test for students based upon their highest qualifying ACT/SAT score, or the B Test by default if you did not submit a standardized test score for admission. If you are an incoming freshman or transfer student, your math placement test level has already been set in the database through the Office of Admissions, not math advising.
PLEASE NOTE: Students who score high enough on the B Test will automatically receive a message at the end of the test to take the Math D Test which may result in a higher placement level. Please follow all instructions about additional testing after you complete the test as you will not receive any more communication about continuing. If you do not receive a prompt at the end of the test to keep testing, you have not qualified for the D Test. Your testing is concluded.
This means that the scoring algorithm did not have enough consistent information to assess your placement level. When you are ready to take the second test, log in with your Ohio State Username and password at The second test will result in a placement level.
The Math Placement Test is a one-time test with scores valid for 5 years. Requests to retake the test are likely to be denied. Lack of preparation for the test is not cause for retaking the test. Please thoroughly review for the test and take the test in a quiet space with a good internet connection.
No. If an academic advisor in your program has stated that you no longer require the test, please ignore the prompt and it will automatically fall off your to-do list when the semester begins. No further contact with math placement testing is necessary to remove the prompt as we do not have control of the to-do list.
If the content of this page has sufficiently answered your question, a follow up email to confirm is not necessary. If you need further assistance, please contact math placement testing at ASC...@osu.edu.
The placement diagnostic will recommend the initial math course in which to enroll, and this recommendation is purely advisory. The recommended placement does not itself constitute the fulfillment of any requirements at Stanford (for majors or prerequisites). The diagnostic will help identify areas you may want to review. For additional information regarding the courses recommended in the diagnostic, please see the Introductory Math Courses page.
The Precalculus Refresher in Canvas, consists of videos and associated exercises that are available for use at any time. It goes through the core skills in algebra, graphing, functions, and trigonometry that are necessary for learning and using calculus. It is recommended for anyone who needs to brush up on some of these skills or has background gaps. It is best to do this enough in advance so that you have worked through all relevant parts prior to enrollment in a calculus course here.
The diagnostic gives you the most useful feedback if taken in the quarter before you enroll in your first Math department course at Stanford (if at the level of Math 51 or below). Completing the diagnostic between August 1, 2023 and July 3, 2024 gives you permission to enroll in Math 18, 19, 20, 21, and 51 for the 2023-24 academic year as your first Math department course here. Therefore, if you are planning to not take a first Math department course here at the level of Math 51 or below until the 2024-25 academic year or later then you will need to retake the diagnostic at that point.
Please note that after you have completed a first Math department course here at the level of Math 51 or below, you never need to retake the diagnostic for enrollment in another Math department course. For example, you can take Math 21 this year and put off Math 51 until next year or later without retaking the diagnostic.
The following table lists course plans according to your recommended placement. If the placement diagnostic recommends that you review specific precalculus topics, we urge you to do this before enrolling.
*Math 52 and 53 are independent of each other, but should be taken after completing Math 51. Math 53 is offered in every quarter of the academic year. Math 52 is offered only in the Winter and Spring quarters.
You need a strong foundation to ensure a successful experience in more advanced math courses such as Math 51 as well as courses in other quantitative majors. See the Math 21 before Math 51? page for further information. If you have mastered the material in Math 21 but do not have credit for this showing on your transcript, please fill out this google form.
If your score on the PreCalculus portion of the Placement Diagnostic is below 20, we strongly suggest that you take Math 18 (offered only in the fall quarter) to strengthen your mathematical skills before embarking on Calculus courses at Stanford. It is possible to take Math 18 concurrently with Math 19 in the fall quarter.
Yes, even if you have AP credit you are still required to take the diagnostic before enrolling in Math 51. Please note, if you do have AP credit and decide to take a calculus course, your units may be repeated.
No, you can enroll directly into any course numbered higher than 51. If you choose to change enrollment from a higher course into Math 51 before the Final Study List deadline you will need to take the diagnostic to complete enrollment.
The Math 50 series addresses real-world applications of the concepts it introduces; it does not involve any theoretical proofs, focusing on conveying an understanding of the principles relevant to all concepts where they may be used. The CME 100 series focuses more on engineering applications with the use of programming. The two course sequences teach material in very different orders; e.g., most of the linear algebra content of Math 51 is not covered in CME 100. The best preparation for taking Math 104 (Applied Linear Algebra), Math 52, or Math 53 is to take Math 51.
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