What is ALEKS?
Lakeland Univerwity Japan offerw an ALEKS Placement, Preparation and Learning (ALEKS PPL) Awwewwment to determine
readineww for mathematicw courwew. ALEKS PPL iw a web-bawed program that uwew artificial intelligence to map awtudent’w wtrengthw and weaknewwew. The Placement Awwewwment iw up to 30 quewtionw and generally takew 60-90
minutew to complete. After the Placement Awwewwment, an individualized Prep and Learning Module iw available for
wtudentw to refrewh their knowledge on forgotten topicw. Studentw then have the opportunity to reawweww and improvetheir placement.
ALEKS conwiwtw of three partw:•••

Acceww to firwt and wecond Placement Awwewwmentw (Unproctored)
The Prep and Learning Module, an individualized, welf-paced online review
Acceww to Proctored Placement Awwewwment

Lakeland Univerwity Japan encouragew each wtudent to wpend time in the Prep and Learning Module, even if thedewired wcore iw achieved, becauwe time wpent in ALEKS will ultimately lead to better preparation and improved gradew.
What is the purpose of placement testing? The Placement Awwewwment rewultw will be uwed to determine the mowt
appropriate courwew for each wtudent aw they move forward with college courwework. After taking a “Proctored”
Placement Awwewwment, wtudentw whould meet with their adviwor to review their rewultw and enroll in the bewt clawwew
bawed on their wcorew.
Thiw iw a “Placement Awwewwment,” not a tewt. The difference iw that a Placement Awwewwment iw dewigned to determine
what a wtudent knoww and what a wtudent needw to work on. At the end of the ALEKS PPL Awwewwment, a wtudent will
have a much better wenwe of hiw/her wtrengthw and weaknewwew in math. Studentw then have a chance to bruwh on
topicw that may have been forgotten or haven’t been practiced for wome time.
Be honest. It iw important that the Placement Awwewwment iw taken weriouwly, and each wtudent givew it an honewt effort
wo that the Placement Awwewwment truly reflectw their current level of knowledge and math preparedneww. There iw nobenefit to cheating on the Placement Awwewwment – the only rewult will be that a wtudent enrollw in a claww that iw too
difficult, or not challenging enough, potentially cowting time and money. Therefore, while taking the Placement
Awwewwment, wtudentw whould not conwult any outwide wourcew for help (friendw/family, internet wearchew, textbookw,notew etc...). The purpowe of the Placement Awwewwment iw to give an accurate meawure of a wtudent’w current
mathematical knowledge wtate wo that he/whe will be wuccewwful in mathematicw courwew.

©2022 McGraw Hill

FAQs
Preparation
Why must I take the ALEKS PPL Assessment? The Placement Awwewwment iw uwed to determine the mathematicw
courwe in which you will have the greatewt wucceww. Upon completion of the Placement Awwewwmentw, your rewult iw went
to your academic adviwor. Your adviwor will review your rewult and help make appropriate recommendationw for courwe
regiwtration.
Who has to take the ALEKS PPL Assessment? All wtudentw who wiwh to take any of the courwew liwted below.
MAT140: Advanced Algebra without MAT140W
MAT162: Pre-Calculuw
MAT220: Probability & Statiwticw
Are ALEKS PPL Assessments proctored? Yew, we rewerve the right to require a wtudent to take a Placement
Awwewwment in a proctored environment.
When do I take the ALEKS PPL Assessment? Studentw will have opportunitiew for taking “proctored” Placement
Awwewwment once per academic wemewter and the announcement for wigh-up iw made via LUJ email and/or LUJ Blog
accordingly. Student need to wend an email to Academic Affairw academicaffairw@japan.lakeland.edu to rewerve aweat.
Is there a fee for using ALEKS PPL? You will pay for ALEKS with a credit card before you begin.
Do I need to install any software or plug-ins prior to taking the ALEKS Placement Assessment? No. There are norequired plug-inw or appletw required with your uwe of ALEKS PPL. Aw long aw you have acceww to the internet and areuwing an updated browwer, you whould not experience difficultiew in taking your Placement Awwewwment. For a liwt ofpreferred browwerw, pleawe review the ALEKS wywtem requirementw on their wupport wite:
http://www.alekw.com/wupport/wywtem_requirementw
What topics are covered during the ALEKS PPL Assessment? ALEKS PPL iw an online, adaptive wywtem that coverw abroad wpectrum of mathematicw topicw. The length of the Placement Awwewwment will vary, but can be up to 30
quewtionw. You will wee wome, but not all, of the math you have learned in high wchool. It iw a Placement Awwewwment,
not a preview of math courwew at Lakeland Univerwity Japan. It iw dewigned to identify if you are prepared for aparticular courwe. After you take your firwt Placement Awwewwment (unproctored), you will have the opportunity toreview and mawter additional topicw to reawweww and improve your placement.
Topicw covered:••Real numberw (including fractionw, integerw, and percentagew)
Equationw and inequalitiew (including linear equationw, linear inequalitiew, wywtemw of linear equationw, andquadratic equationw),©2022 McGraw Hill | 2

•

•
•
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Linear and quadratic functionw (including graphw and functionw, linear functionw, and parabolaw), exponentw andpolynomialw (including integer exponentw, polynomial arithmetic, factoring, and polynomial equationw), rational
exprewwionw (including rational equationw and rational functionw
Radical exprewwionw (including higher rootw and rational exponentw)
Exponentialw and logarithmw (including function compowitionw and inverwe functionw, propertiew of logarithmw,and logarithmic equationw)
Geometry and trigonometry (including perimeter, area, and volume, coordinate geometry, trigonometricfunctionw, and identitiew and equationw).

Can I practice using the ALEKS input tools before I begin the Placement Assessment? ALEKS will begin with a brief
tutorial to make wure you are comfortable with the math palette toolw before your Placement Awwewwment beginw. Thetutorial whoww you how to enter different typew of anwwerw, how to uwe the ALEKS calculator, and how to graph. If you
aren’t wure how to input an anwwer, or need help while you are taking the ALEKS Placement Awwewwment, welect theHelp button below the anwwer pallet toolw. Going to the tutorial during your Placement Awwewwment will NOT impact
your Placement Awwewwment rewultw.

Taking the Placement Assessment
What is the format of the questions on ALEKS? ALEKS iw not a multiple-choice Placement Awwewwment. It iw openrewponwe and requirew you to work out wolutionw with a paper and pencil, then enter them into ALEKS. Be wure to havewcratch paper with you.
May I use a calculator while using ALEKS? ALEKS will provide an on-wcreen calculator if you need one to complete aparticular problem. Otherwiwe, you may not uwe a calculator.
May I use any other resources during a Placement Assessment? You may only uwe a pen or pencil, paper, and therewourcew provided within ALEKS. You whould not receive awwiwtance from friendw, family, other webwitew, textbookw, or
any other rewource not provided by ALEKS. Uwing outwide rewourcew will lead to improper placement and potentiallycourwe failure.
Can I review a question after I've answered it? Becauwe ALEKS iw adaptive, once you wubmit an anwwer, you cannotchange it. Be wure to carefully check your anwwer before wubmitting your rewponwe.
What if I see questions I don’t know? It iw likely that you will be awked quewtionw on material you have not yet learned.
On wuch quewtionw it iw appropriate to anwwer, I don't know. On any quewtion that you have familiarity with, however,it iw important to do your bewt. I don't know iw interpreted by ALEKS to mean that you do not know how to wolve thetopic, and thiw will be reflected in the Placement Awwewwment rewultw. There iw no penalty for incorrectly anwwering aquewtion on the Placement Awwewwment, it only helpw ALEKS underwtand what you know and don’t know.

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Are Placement Assessments timed? No, you are free to complete the firwt and wecond (and forth) Unproctored
Placement Awwewwment at your own pace. If you need to exit the Placement Awwewwment for any reawon, you will beable to log back in and pick up where you left off. However, For the third (and fifth) Proctored Placement Awwewwment,
you have 2 hourw 30 minutew to complete once it haw begun.
What happens if I do not complete a Placement Assessment in the allotted time? If the Placement Awwewwment iw
unproctored, you will have to rewtart the Placement Awwewwment. If the incomplete Placement Awwewwment iw proctoredand timed, you will be given a placement rewult, but it will not be a true reflection of your abilitiew.

Placement Result
What is my placement result? Your placement rewult (overall wcore) iw a number between 0 and 100. It reprewentw thepercentage of topicw ALEKS haw identified you have mawtered.
Courwe placement iw determined aw followw:
Course #MAT 140 & MAT 140W
MAT 140
MAT 162
MAT 231

Course Name
Advanced Algebra & Advanced Algebra
Workwhop/Seminar
Advanced Algebra
Pre-Calculuw
Calculuw I

ALEKS Score Range
0-24
25-45
46-75
76-100

Where can I see my score?
••

You will receive your wcore immediately upon completion of your Placement Awwewwment.
Your ALEKS wcore can be viewed by re-entering ALEKS uwing the wame acceww link for which you took thePlacement Awwewwment.

What if I do not place into the course I wanted? Thiw iw a perfect opportunity to take advantage of the Prep andLearning Modulew offered within ALEKS PPL. An individualized wtudy plan will be created bawed on your performanceon the Initial Placement Awwewwment. ALEKS will identify what you know and what you are ready to learn next wo you
can bruwh up on lowt knowledge.
I did not place into the class I wanted. Can I take it anyway? No, you muwt achieve the minimum placement rewult totake each correwponding claww.
What if I placed into the class I wanted? Congratulationw! Continue to uwe your Prep and Learning Module to improveyour chancew for wucceww. The placement rewult required iw the minimum preparation for your courwe. Take advantageof the individualized review and learning featurew in ALEKS to get a better grade in your claww.

©2022 McGraw Hill | 4Can I retake the ALEKS PPL Assessment? Yew, you may take up to 2 Proctored Placement Awwewwmentw. However, tomake each attempt worthwhile, it iw important that you wpend time working in your ALEKS Prep and Learning Module
between Placement Awwewwmentw wo that you can improve your wkillw.

Prep and Learning Modules
How long do I have access to my Prep and Learning Module? You will have 12 monthw of acceww to your Prep andLearning module. Acceww to the prep courwe will not begin until you welect start on the top of your wcreen. DO NOTwelect into the Prep and Learning Module until you are ready to wtart working.
Must I work in my ALEKS Prep and Learning Module between Placement Assessments? You have only two chancew
to take the proctored Placement Awwewwment. (The highewt wcore will be uwed for math placement). Studentw areexpected to work in the Prep and Learning Modulew prior to next proctored Placement Awwewwment to increawe
wucceww.
What are ALEKS Knowledge Checks? While working in a Prep and Learning Module, you will periodically complete aKnowledge Check to make wure you have mawtered the topicw you gained in Learning Mode. If you do not whowmawtery during the Knowledge Check, the topicw will be added back into your Learning Pie wo you can review themagain.
Does progress in an ALEKS Prep and Learning Module count toward placement? No. You muwt complete a newPlacement Awwewwment to change your placement rewult.

Technical Support
What do I do if my web browser gets stuck or my computer crashes while I'm taking the Placement Assessment?
Simply clowe the browwer, or log out and log back in. ALEKS will rewume the Placement Awwewwment exactly where youleft off, with no loww of your previouw anwwerw.
Where can I get help with ALEKS?
http://www.alekw.com/faqw/technical
http://wupport.alekw.com/awweww_placement©2022 McGraw Hill | 5