Preparing for the Mathematics Placement Test

This option allows for three free hours of use of the ALEKS program. For more extensive practice, see Placement Test Tutorial. Follow the steps below to log on to the ALEKS website to familiarize yourself with the program and take an assessment that is similar to the Placement Test.
  1. Go to the following website: http://www.aleks.com
  2. Under the column titled "ALEKS for Higher Education," Click on 'Free Trial'.
  3. Click on the green box that says "Try ALEKS now".
  4. Check the User Agreement box, and click 'continue'.
  5. ALEKS will then detect the plug-in, and download it, if necessary.
    Note: If you have any trouble accessing this page, try http://www.aleks.com/plugin.
  6. Enter your personal information, along with the following:
    Choose your market: Higher Education: Math
    Select a Course: Beginning Algebra.
  7. You will then be assigned a login and password - write this down.
    Note: You will have 3 hours of access to the website, to be used within the next 48 hours. You can log out and back in any time using your login and password. Your 3 hours are accumulated only when you are logged in.
  8. Complete the "Answer Editor Tutorial" that shows how to type in responses (the test is not multiple choice).
  9. You will then be given an assessment, similar to the Placement Test, containing approximately 30 questions.
    Note: If you log out at any time, you will always return to the same spot when you log back in.
  10. Upon completing the assessment, ALEKS will show your pie charts and scores in each area.
To Interpret your Assessment results:
  1. Click on a topic from your pie, just to get out of that screen.
  2. Go to 'Report' from the toolbar (this isn't available until after you complete the assessment and go through the pie chart explanation).
  3. Scroll to the bottom, where you will see two percentages - 'readiness' and 'goal.' The 'Readiness' score (the first percent) represents your arithmetic skills and readiness for Algebra. The 'Goal' score (the 2nd percentage) is the one that represents your Algebra skills - this would be your 'placement test' score, if this were the actual test.
What to do now:
  1. If your 'Goal' score is 75% or above, you are ready to take the placement test. You may still want to practice on ALEKS (using the time remaining from your 3 hours) to brush up on your skills.
  2. If your 'Goal' score is below 75%, you should enroll in COL 020. It is essential that you have strong Algebra skills to be successful in any MTH-level course at Baldwin-Wallace. (If your 'Goal' score is between 60% and 75%, consider purchasing the Placement Test Tutorial and practice more on your own before taking the actual Placement Test).
NOTE: This 'free trial' is not meant to be an all-encompassing preparation for the placement test. It is simply a way to familiarize yourself with the ALEKS program and to get an idea of what the test will be like. For more extensive practice, purchase the Placement Test Tutorial from the bookstore.

See Also:

Placement Administrator
Maria Mathews
mmathews@bw.edu
(440) 826-6882 ext. 1