Placement Exam Information
The following placement exams are being offered this summer from St. Olaf College. Please note that the purpose of these exams is to suggest course placement for students, not to fulfill credit requirements. These online placement exams are available during the summer months and must be taken during the summer and before you arrive on campus on August 30, 2008. Please read this information carefully and pay particular attention to the stated deadlines with each placement exam.
Languages Offered at St. Olaf
Language online placement exams are available for French, German, and Spanish and must be taken before September. More information on these three online placement exams is included below. Placement exams for other languages will be given by appointment in each individual department this fall. If you have questions about any of these languages, please contact the individual departments.
All placement exams are administered under the St. Olaf Honor System. If you didn't already review the handout on the Honor Code, please read it now.
To take online placement exams in French, German, Spanish, Chemistry, Computer Science, and Mathematics, you must first activate your St. Olaf College username and email account (activation instructions are included in the Destination St. Olaf binder you received or online at http://www.stolaf.edu/stobase/activate). Once your St. Olaf account has been activated, you will have access to the online placement exams using your St. Olaf account login (username and password).
Placement Exam |
Available |
Take the Exam |
| Chemistry | June 15 to August 15 | More Info and Exam |
| Computer Science | June 15 to August 15 | More Info and Exam |
| French | June 15 to August 15 | More Info and Exam |
| German | June 15 to August 15 | More Info and Exam |
| Mathematics | June 15 to August 15 | More Info and Placement |
| Spanish | June 15 to August 15 | More Info and Exam |
If you have questions about the placement exams, please contact Cheryl LaCroix.
Chemistry Placement Test
All students intending to study chemistry as a part of a chemistry major, or a biology major, or students considering a career in a health-related profession (medicine, dentistry, physical therapy, pharmacy, veterinary medicine, etc.), or any other students planning on taking more than one chemistry course MUST take the Chemistry Placement Exam.
There are three entry-level pathways to a study of chemistry at St. Olaf College:
(1) Chem 121 (Fall)—Chem 123 (Interim)—Chem 126 (Spring)
(2) Chem 125 (Fall)—Chem 126 (Spring)
(3) CH/BI 125 (Fall)—ID 126 (Interim)—CH/BI 127 (Spring)
This ID sequence of courses also counts as a first introductory course in Biology.
Combined with information relating to your high school background, the results of this test will help us determine which sequence(s) of courses will be appropriate for you. Students registering for Chemistry 125 or CH/BI 125 will be required to have a recommendation for those courses from the placement exam. Be aware that taking the Placement Exam online will not result in an immediate placement recommendation. Rather, recommendations will be distributed upon your arrival on campus.
Full details relating to the test may be found at the Chemistry Placement Test web page. All questions relating to the test, including questions about the test itself, problems taking the test online, and questions about your eventual recommendation, should be directed by e-mail to chem-placement@stolaf.edu or by phone to Robert Hanson (507-786-3107) or Karen Renneke (507-786-3104). Deadline to complete the Chemistry placement process is August 15, 2008.
Continue on to the Chemistry Placement
Computer Science Placement Questionnaire
Students interested in taking a Computer Science (CS) course should fill out the online placement questionnaire to determine an appropriate first course among the following courses, both of which satisfy the Abstract and Quantitative Reasoning (AQR) graduation requirement.
The standard introductory course CS 121 (Fall and Spring) is intended for a general audience and has no prerequisites. Some first-year students may be advised to wait a semester before taking this course, depending on placement results.
An accelerated first course CS 225 (Fall only) assumes prior knowledge of C++ or Java programming at a level comparable to a high school AP course. CS 225 counts the same as both CS 121 and CS 251 toward prerequisites for other courses in Computer Science
The CS placement questionnaire consists of informational questions about computing background, attitudes towards computing, etc. Respond to the CS placement questionnaire no later that August 15. Please direct all questions about CS placement or Computer Science at St. Olaf to cs-director@stolaf.edu or to Professor Richard Brown, 507-786-3860 (rab@stolaf.edu), or see the CS web site at http://www.stolaf.edu/depts/cs/.
Continue on to the Computer Science Placement.
Mathematics Placement Recommendation Process
One of the requirements for a St. Olaf degree is satisfactory completion of a course approved for Abstract and Quantitative Reasoning credit; several courses in mathematics, statistics, and computer science satisfy this requirement. In addition your major may require or recommend courses in mathematics or statistics. The mathematics placement process helps you and your faculty advisor decide which course is the best place for you to begin. Even if you do not anticipate taking mathematics or statistics during your first year at St. Olaf, you should complete the process so that you know what courses you are prepared to take.
The placement process consists of a background survey and a mathematics test, which together require less than an hour and a half. The process must be completed by August 15, but we encourage you to complete it early in the summer. See directions on how to complete the survey and test. If you do not have access to the Internet or have any questions about the placement process, please e-mail math-placement@stolaf.edu, or call 507-786-3784 and leave a message for Kay Smith.
If you have taken an AP calculus exam, wait to complete the mathematics placement process until you receive your scores. Score reports for exams taken in May are usually sent to students by mid-July. Score reports for 2008 or earlier years will be sent to St. Olaf only if you have requested AP Services to send them. Scores of 4 or 5 on the Calculus AB or Calculus BC exam, the AB portion of the Calculus BC exam, or the Statistics exam should be reported to St. Olaf since you will receive college credit; reporting scores of less than 4 is optional. If you received 4 or 5 on the Calculus AB or Calculus BC exam, you do not need to complete the mathematics placement process; we will send you a list of courses to consider.
If you have completed a statistics, calculus or more advanced mathematics course at a college or university, you may not need to take the placement exam. You should have a transcript sent from the college or university to the Registrar at St. Olaf. Please also e-mail math-placement@stolaf.edu; include your name, your St. Olaf student number, and for each course taken, the name of the course, the grade received, and the college or university where you took it. (Precalculus and college algebra courses do not need to be reported since St. Olaf does not award credit for these courses.) We will send you information on the courses for which you are prepared or recommend that you take the placement test.
