The Mathematics Department provides a placement exam for all students taking calculus. We ask that ALL students (Art & Sciences, Business, Engineering, Architecture, Art) who are planning to take a calculus course during their time at Washington University take this test online, as well as the ALEKS algebra assessment. More information and links to these exams can be found in the Word document at the bottom of this page.
Students will be placed in the appropriate level class based on their placement score, previous study of the language, as well as recommendations from their four-year advisor. Policies for credit vary by department.
You do not need to take the Foreign Language Placement exam if:
You do need to take the Foreign Language Placement exam if:
The following exams should be taken online prior to arriving on campus:
The following exams will be offered on campus during Orientation, Friday, August 21, 2009:
For students who are interested in pursuing study of a Romance language (French, Italian, Latin or Spanish), the placement exams can be found by going to http://www.artsci.wustl.edu/~rll/rll.html and clicking on RLL Placement Exam Information. Students are strongly advised to complete the placement exams prior to arriving on campus for fall Orientation. Questions regarding technical difficulties should be directed to Cindy Brantmeier (cbrantme@wustl.edu). Questions regarding the Spanish, Italian, or French exam should be directed to Tracy Bishop (tvbishop@wustl.edu).
The German placement exam may be accessed online from the following webpage: http://artsci.wustl.edu/~german/undergraduate/placement.html. (This exam can also be administered during Orientation upon request. Please contact Dr. Eva Russo at erusso@wustl.edu to schedule an appointment.) From the department's placement exam webpage (address provided above), students will obtain the link and password for the placement exam. They will also need to contact Dr. Eva Russo to obtain an ID number for the exam (not the same as Washington University ID number). Students will be placed in the appropriate course based upon their exam score. If you have questions regarding this score or the exam itself, do not hesitate to be in touch with Dr. Russo.
Any questions regarding language placement exams should be directed to Sarah Littlechild (slittlec@wustl.edu).
Students whose records indicate that they need to take the Writing Placement Exam will be notified by letter during the summer. Semester placement is determined by the Writing 1 Office and is based on a variety of factors (participation in athletics, first-year programs, etc.). Students in some first-year programs (e.g. Mind-Brain, Law & Society, Pathfinder) take Writing 1 in the fall semester, while others (e.g. Text & Tradition) take it in the spring. Advisors will be given students’ semester placement information during the summer. For more information about Writing 1 or about writing placement, visit the Writing 1 website or contact the Writing I Office (writing1@artsci.wustl.edu).
Note: This information is for Art, Architecture, Business, and Arts & Sciences. The School of Engineering has its own writing requirements, which can be found online.
Students who will take General Chemistry at Washington University (most students intending to major in a science in the College of Arts & Sciences, students pursuing a pre-medical track and biomedical engineering students) are required to take the General Chemistry Online Diagnostic Exam prior to August 15. The two-hour, timed exam is available online »
The webpage includes a series of tutorials for review, in case it has been a while since you have had chemistry, as well as practice problems and quizzes.