What’s Covered in Assessments

Placement Guide

Placement assessments

ALEKS PPL placement assessments cover material ranging from properties of numbers up through trigonometry.  You may encounter some topics that you haven’t seen before—that’s OK! These are assessments to determine what you do know, not exams to test you on material that you’re expected to know.

Real numbers

fractions, integers, and percentages

 

Equations and inequalities

linear equations, linear inequalities, systems of linear equations, and quadratic equations

 

Linear and quadratic functions

graphs and functions, linear functions, and parabolas

 

Exponents and polynomials

integer exponents, polynomial arithmetic, factoring, and polynomial equations

 

Rational and radical expressions

rational equations and functions, higher roots, and rational exponents

 

Geometry

perimeter, area, volume, and coordinate geometry

 

Exponentials and logarithms

function compositions and inverse functions, properties of logarithms, and logarithmic equations

 

Trigonometry

trigonometric functions, identities, and equations

If you’d like to know more about what to expect, you can read the detailed list of  ALEKS placement assessment problem types.

Learning Modules

ALEKS PPL Learning Modules provide you with a personalized learning environment where you can recharge and extend your math skills. The three Learning Modules are:

Prep for College Algebra

A streamlined elementary algebra course. No trigonometry, logarithms, or exponential functions.

Topics in Prep for College Algebra

 

Prep for Precalculus

A streamlined advanced algebra course. No trigonometry, logarithms, or exponential functions.

Topics in Prep for Precalculus

 

Prep for Calculus

A concise precalculus course that includes the advanced material covered in placement assessments, with a brief review of the basics.

Topics in Prep for Calculus

Your first assessment determines your Learning Module

It’s important that you take your initial placement assessment seriously, because ALEKS assigns you a Learning Module based on your performance in that assessment.

If you rush through your initial assessment, skipping over several problems, ALEKS may assign you a Learning Module below your true abilities. That’s not a disaster—you can review more advanced material outside ALEKS—but to get the full benefit of ALEKS’ adaptivity, you should help ALEKS form an accurate model of your current knowledge and skills by solving every problem in your assessment to the best of your ability.

Your placement assessments will cover the full range of ALEKS topics, regardless of your Learning Module.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *