The ALEKS is a 25-item, open-response, web-based math placement assessment administered by McGraw-Hill. The ALEKS assesses students’ current working knowledge of math principles through precalculus. The ALEKS DOES NOT assess any calculus principles whatsoever. Finally, the ALEKS is not a test. There are different score requirements for different majors at JMU. So, there is no low or high score; only the score required for you to enroll in the math course(s) for your major/minor.
JMU implements the ALEKS, a standardized and nationally normed mathematics placement assessment through McGraw-Hill. The ALEKS assesses a student’s current working knowledge of math concepts through Pre-Calculus. The placement uses a professionally designed series of questions that help identify which mathematical concepts a student understands. This is not a multiple-choice assessment, and will require you to engage in mathematical calculations to provide responses. The goal of the assessment is to accurately place students in the math course(s) required to complete their major/minor mathematical requirements. It is in your interest to complete the assessment authentically so that results honestly reflect your degree of understanding. If you do not try your best, you are likely to be placed in a course that reviews content you already know and wastes your time and money paying for credits that you did not really need. If you answer questions that you don’t really understand, perhaps using outside help or resources, then you are likely to be placed in a course for which you aren’t prepared and have a significant possibility of wasting time and money by not successfully completing the course, needing to repeat the course in a later semester. This can delay your time to graduation as well because every math course is not offered each semester.
Bottomline: If you do not represent your skills accurately on the ALEKS assessment (which itself has no bearing on any grade, GPA, or high school math course taken) you will extend time to completion of your degree and you will likely spend a great deal of extra money re-taking required math courses for your major/minor. This fact is supported by many semesters of evidence that indicates students who have not authentically engaged the assessment are tasked with retaking required math courses for their major/minor because they did not meet the minimum grade requirement.
EVERY first-year first-time student (freshman) is required to take the ALEKS as part of their onboarding process at JMU, regardless of major/minor. Transfer students should use the Decision Tree provided in the One Book steps to determine if they are required to take the ALEKS assessment for their major/minor.
JMU uses the ALEKS Math Assessment score to determine students’ readiness for certain math courses. The math department, in collaboration with McGraw-Hill, has established a minimum required score students need to enroll in certain math courses to increase students’ likelihood of success. View more information about required scores for math courses.
- Whole numbers, Fractions, and Decimals
- Percents, Proportions, and Geometry
- Signed Numbers, Linear Equations and Inequalities
- Lines and Systems of Linear Equations
- Relations and Functions
- Integer Exponents and Factoring
- Quadratic and Polynomial Functions
- Rational Expressions and Functions
- Radicals and Rational Exponents
- Exponentials and Logarithms
- Trigonometry
- The ALEKS assessment is designed to assess your current working knowledge of math principles; therefore, we do not encourage reviewing/studying for it.
- At the end of the assessment, you will have a much better idea of your strengths and weaknesses with math principles, and you will have an opportunity to brush up on skills you may have forgotten or may need to practice more. The “individualized review” through the PPL modules between taking assessments will be more helpful than reviewing/studying beforehand.
- However, if you decide to review/study before the assessment, remember that the assessment covers math principles through precalculus.
- You are allotted 3 opportunities to take the ALEKS. Your access is good for one calendar year from the time the ALEKS becomes available during the One Book steps.
- Your access will expire after one calendar year. Most students who retake the ALEKS do so before orientation or during their first JMU semester.
- You must spend at least 3 hours in the Preparation and Learning (PPL) Modules provided in the ALEKS.
- The PPL provides individualized and self-paced online review of topics you may not have performed well on when taking the initial assessment. The PPL is specific to your skill set demonstration and gives you practice in areas of need of improvement.
- You must wait 48 hours after you take have taken a previous ALEKS assessment to regain access.
- The ALEKS is located in the One Book. The One Book is not available after the first day of classes. If you decided to retake the ALEKS after the first day of classes, you should contact Dr. Quentin Alexander, Associate Vice Provost for Enrollment at alexanqr@jmu.edu to obtain access.
Effort
- You should take the ALEKS seriously and do your best the first attempt. This could save you time and money.
- By not doing your best on the first attempt, your score may require you to take prerequisite math courses for math principles you already know, but did not demonstrate mastery.
- You may only use paper and pencil, or resources provided by the ALEKS.
- You may only use the on-screen calculator provided by the ALEKS. You may not use your personal or any other calculator.
- You may not receive assistance from friends, teachers, family, other websites, textbooks, or any other source not provided by the ALEKS. An inflated score will do more harm because it misrepresents your mastery of assessed math skills and will decrease the likelihood of being successful in your math placement. It is important to be honest about your skill level so you start your JMU academic career successfully.
- The JMU Honor Code applies to students taking the ALEKS Math Placement Assessment. Not abiding by the JMU Honor Code may result in punitive sanctions imposed by the university.