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ALEKS Placement, Preparation and Learning (ALEKS PPL) Assessment in Mathematics

What Is ALEKS?

North Carolina Central University uses the ALEKS Placement, Preparation and Learning (ALEKS PPL) Assessment to determine readiness for mathematics courses. The online placement assessment is up to 30 questions and generally takes 60–90 minutes to complete. After the placement assessment, an individualized prep and learning module is available for students to refresh their knowledge on forgotten topics. Students then have the opportunity to reassess and improve their placement.  The last day to reassess and improve your placement is one week before the first day of classes.

ALEKS consists of three parts:

  • An Initial placement assessment
  • The prep and learning module, an individualized, self-paced online review
  • Access to three additional placement assessments to improve your score

You are encouraged to spend time in the prep and learning module, even if your desired score is achieved, because time spent in ALEKS will ultimately lead to better preparation and improved grades.

What Is the Purpose of Placement Assessment?

The placement assessment results will be used to determine the most appropriate courses for you as you move forward with college coursework.

This is a “placement assessment,” not a test. The difference is that a placement assessment is designed to determine what you know and what you need to review. At the end of the ALEKS PPL assessment, you will have a much better sense of your strengths and weaknesses in math. You will then have a chance to brush on topics that may have been forgotten or that you have not practiced for some time.

Be honest. It is important you give honest effort so that the placement assessment truly reflects your current level of knowledge and math preparedness. There is no benefit to cheating on the Placement Assessment — the only result will be that you may be enrolled in classes that are too difficult or are not challenging enough, potentially costing you time and money. Therefore, while taking the placement assessment, you should not consult any outside sources for help (friends/family, internet searches, textbooks, notes, etc). Relax — the placement assessment can only help you.

All students are expected to adhere to the Academic Honor Code as described in the NCCU Undergraduate Course Catalog.

Getting Started

Any student whose major is in the School of Business or the College of Health and Sciences (CHAS) and whose degree program requires MATH 1100 (College Algebra and Trigonometry I), MATH 1200 (College Algebra and Trigonometry II), MATH 1410 (Pre-calculus), or MATH 2010 (Calculus I) is required to take the assessment.  If you already have college credit for your required math course(s), e.g., from AP/IB/Dual enrollment courses, then you do not need to take the placement exam. 

  • Step 1. ALEKS Math Placement Exam Instructions 2025-2026. 
  • Step 2. Confirm that you are enrolling in the correct cohort: "North Carolina Central University."
  • Step 3. Select whether or not you have used ALEKS before and click on "Continue."
  • Step 4. Complete the registration steps to create a new ALEKS account and click on "Continue." A confirmation email will be sent to the email address you provide. Important: Be sure to save your new login information!
  • Step 5. Follow the tutorial and then take the initial placement assessment before attending SOAR. This assessment is used to generate prep and learning modules to help you improve.
  • Step 6. Spend time in the prep and learning module to practice and improve. You can take up to three more placement exams after spending enough time in the prep and learning modules.

Remember, you should not use outside resources to work on ALEKS. Using the internet or computer algebra systems to help you get a better score may cause you to be enrolled in a class that is too difficult for you. There is no advantage in being dishonest. ALEKS does not award college credit! It is meant to help you prepare and be successful in your first college math class.

Taking the Placement Assessment

What is the format of the questions on ALEKS? ALEKS is not a multiple-choice placement assessment. It is open-response and requires you to work out solutions with paper and pencil and then enter them into ALEKS. Be sure to have scratch paper with you.

May I use a calculator while using ALEKS? ALEKS will provide an on-screen calculator if you need one to complete a particular problem. Otherwise, you may not use a calculator.

May I use any other resources during a placement assessment? You may only use a pen or pencil, paper, and the resources provided within ALEKS. You should not receive assistance from friends, family, other websites, textbooks, or any other resource not provided by ALEKS. Using outside resources will lead to improper placement and potentially course failure.

Can I review a question after I have answered it? Because ALEKS is adaptive, once you submit an answer, you cannot change it. Be sure to carefully check your answer before submitting your response.

What if I see questions I don’t know? It is likely that you will be asked questions on material you have not yet learned. On such questions it is appropriate to answer "I don't know." On any question that you have familiarity with, however, it is important to do your best. "I don't know" is interpreted by ALEKS to mean that you do not know how to solve the topic, and this will be reflected in the placement assessment results. There is no penalty for incorrectly answering a question on the placement assessment: it only helps ALEKS understand what you know and do not know.

Are placement assessments timed? The placement assessment time limit is 3 hours. If you need to exit the placement assessment for any reason, you will be able to log back in and pick up where you left off.

FAQs

The Placement Assessment is used to determine the mathematics course in which you will have the greatest success. Upon completion of the Placement Assessments, your scores are sent to your academic advisor. Your advisor will review your scores and help make appropriate recommendations for course registration.

Any student whose major is in the School of Business or the College of Health and Sciences (CHAS) and whose degree program requires MATH 1100 (College Algebra and Trigonometry I), MATH 1200 (College Algebra and Trigonometry II), MATH 1410 (Pre-calculus) or MATH 2010 (Calculus I) is required to take the assessment.  If you already have college credit for your required math course(s), e.g. from an AP/IB/Dual enrollment courses, then you do not need to take the placement exam. 

You will need to register and take an initial placement assessment before attending SOAR. You are strongly encouraged to spend time in the Prep and Learning Modules to practice and improve your ALEKS score.

Currently, ALEKS PPL is completely free for NCCU students.

ALEKS PPL testing requires the use of the Respondus LockDown Browser and will not work with Chromebooks. Please review the ALEKS system requirements on their support site. 

ALEKS PPL is an online, adaptive system that covers a broad spectrum of mathematics topics. The length of the placement assessment will vary but can be up to 30 questions. You will see some, but not all, of the math you have learned in high school. It is a placement assessment, not a preview of math courses at NCCU. It is designed to identify if you are prepared for a particular course. After you take your first placement assessment, you will have the opportunity to review and master additional topics to reassess and improve your placement.  Topics covered include the following:

  • Real numbers (including fractions, integers, and percentages)
  • Equations and inequalities (including linear equations, linear inequalities, systems of linear equations, and quadratic equations)
  • Linear and quadratic functions (including graphs and functions, linear functions, and parabolas), exponents and polynomials (including integer exponents, polynomial arithmetic, factoring, and polynomial equations), rational expressions (including rational equations and rational functions)
  • Radical expressions (including higher roots and rational exponents)
  • Exponentials and logarithms (including function compositions and inverse functions, properties of logarithms, and logarithmic equations)
  • Geometry and trigonometry (including perimeter, area, and volume, coordinate geometry, trigonometric functions, and identities and equations).

ALEKS will begin with a brief tutorial to make sure you are comfortable with the math palette tools before your placement assessment begins. The tutorial shows you how to enter different types of answers, how to use the ALEKS calculator, and how to graph. If you are not sure how to input an answer or need help while you are taking the ALEKS placement assessment, select the "Help" button below the answer pallet tools. Going to the tutorial during your placement assessment will not impact your placement assessment results.