PlaceU Tests

College Math Placement

Place students with basic math knowledge into the right sequential math course

The College Math Placement Test is a 50-minute exam consisting of 30 randomized open-ended questions. Developed by Jennifer Hegeman and Gavin Waters, faculty at Missouri Western State University, this placement test determines if students:

• Are capable of passing a College Algebra, Finite or Quantitative Reasoning course
• Are capable of passing a Quantitative Reasoning course with a corequisite
• Should enroll in a Developmental Math course

The test was created because its makers saw too few students earning credit in college-level Math courses. A log regression was created based on correlating placement exam scores to course success rates, then used to determine an appropriate weighting process for concepts. This system has led to a major boost in pass rates.

 
Calculus I Placement

Determine student placement in a Precalculus or Calculus course

Use this 33-question placement test to identify which course, precalculus or calculus, is more suitable for students. The test questions were designed by two veteran faculty members at Texas A&M University with experience teaching both Precalculus and Calculus. Their goal was “to develop a reliable, robust measure of the preparedness of incoming students for college-level calculus.”

Texas A&M University has the second largest engineering program in the nation, with over 8,000 undergraduate engineering majors. This test is required for all incoming students who plan to take Calculus for Engineers—and has been extensively reviewed.
 

Test Details

Randomized Questions. Each question has several versions of the same difficulty, so each student gets a different exam of identical difficulty.

Statistics-Based Placement. Based on Texas A&M statistical analysis and student population:

• Students with a score of 28 or higher have a 90% likelihood of passing Calculus I
• Students with a score of 22 or higher have a 70% likelihood of passing Calculus I
• Students with a score below 22 should enroll in a Precalculus course or take a remediation course

Insightful Analytics. Analysis tools in PlaceU can help determine the appropriate cut-off scores for your specific institution.

Test Efficacy

Faculty members at Texas A&M University conducted a statistical analysis of the test scores, as well as statistical analyses of grade outcome and retention results over the past five years. A statistical measure of reliability (Cronbach’s α) was found to be 0.90 or higher. This was true both cumulatively and by year. This indicates the high internal consistency of the placement test both longitudinally and cumulatively and places it in the same range as high-stakes tests such as the SAT and GRE. This statistic was calculated from more than 15,000 exams. In general, good internal consistency among items on a test is indicated when the Cronbach’s α coefficient is greater than 0.8.

Additionally, if the relationship between grades in Calculus I and test scores is expressed as the probability of passing Calculus I given a score range, the result is an accurate prediction regarding the success (retention rate) of how students typically perform in Calculus I.

 
Calculus I, II, III Placement

Accurately place learners with previous calculus experience

Use this 40-question placement test to determine if a student with some calculus knowledge is best suited for Calculus I, II or III. The test was developed by faculty members at Purdue University with in-depth experience teaching this set of calculus courses.

Most students at Purdue who take this exam have AP credit or are transferring from another academic institution. The exam is intended to provide a standard way to inform new students where they would be most successful without spending time repeating courses for which they already have credit.

The test covers topics from all three calculus levels with randomized multiple-choice questions. As a general rule, if a student does well on the entire exam, he or she is ready for a Calculus III or Calculus III honors course. If a student performs less proficiently on the exam, Calculus I may be the better placement—even if the student already has some calculus credits.

A detailed grading rubric is available upon request.