All new students should complete the ALEKS Math Placement Test, even if they have AP, IB, or transfer credit. While incoming credits may count toward your degree, the placement test helps make sure you are ready for your next math or STEM class.
Math skills can fade over time, and different schools may teach topics in different ways. The placement test gives you and your advisor an up-to-date picture of your current math knowledge. This helps you enroll in a class that fits your skill level and sets you up for success.
Think of the math placement test not as repeating work you have already done, but as making sure you are prepared to move forward into more advanced courses.
ALEKS PPL is currently available for Fall 2026 incoming students. Currently enrolled students should sign up to take the current MAP placement test.
Yes. All new students are encouraged to take the Math Placement Test, even if they are bringing in AP, IB, or transfer credit.
Why? Because placement is about preparation, not just credit. Earning credit shows that you completed a class in the past. The placement test shows whether you are ready right now for college-level math and STEM courses.
Taking the test gives you a chance to check your own readiness and start in a class where you can feel confident and succeed. Beginning in the right course is an important step toward doing well in college.
Also, it is important to note that you your AP, IB, or transfer credits may not arrive before your advising and registration appointment. (Scores are often delayed!) The placement test helps your academic advisor recommend the best math class for you, even if your official credits have not been processed yet. If you do not have a math placement score, you may not be able to be advised or register for courses.
If you are an incoming or current student, you will not need to pay to take the math placement test. If you've already taken the previous version of the math placement, you will need to pay a $15 fee.
USC Columbia incoming students may take the math placement test online at home or at an approved testing center.
Incoming Palmetto College students may be required to take the test in person.
Currently enrolled students will need to take the Math Placement Test in person in our Math Lab. You are a currently enrolled student if you have started taking classes at USC Columbia and were admitted before Fall2026. Current students in online only majors with concentration in Distributed Learning may request to take ALEKS PPL math placement online.
Students with documented disabilities should contact contact the Student Disability Resource Center. If you have an IEP, you may be eligible for an accommodation. They can work with you to determine what accommodation is appropriate for your situation.
We will follow their recommendations to ensure you have an opportunity to take the math placement under conditions that allow you to demonstrate your current knowledge of Mathematics.
ALEKS is an online, adaptive system that covers a broad spectrum of mathematics topics. 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 USC. 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:
- 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).
It is estimated to take 60-90 minutes. However, you will have 2.5 hours to complete each attempt.
ALEKS is not a multiple-choice Placement Assessment. It is a 25-question open-response test which requires you to work out solutions with a paper and pencil, then enter them into ALEKS. Be sure to have scratch paper with you.
ALEKS will provide an on-screen calculator if you need one to complete a particular problem. Otherwise, you may not use a calculator without an accommodation from Student Disability Resource Center.
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.
It is likely 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 don’t know.
You will be able to take ALEKS Math Placement up to five times within one year.
After your first attempt, you may retest immediately. However, after your 2nd attempt, you will need to complete at least 3 hours of personalized learning modules before each additional attempt.
There is generally no benefit to re-taking the ALEKS Math Placement Assessment immediately after completing a prior attempt. You cannot improve your results by simply re-taking the Placement Assessment without spending time in the Prep and Learning Module to refresh material that you may have forgotten.
You will see your score in ALEKS PPL account and in Self-Service Carolina.
This is a perfect opportunity to take advantage of the Prep and Learning Modules offered within ALEKS PPL. An individualized study plan will be created based on your performance on the Initial Placement Assessment. ALEKS will identify what you know and what you are ready to learn next so you can brush up on lost knowledge. Students who complete these learning modules often increase their score.
Please speak with your academic advisor for guidance on what courses your major requires you to take and in what order. While you can take a lower-level course, it may impact your other courses and your graduation timeline.
Students whose programs of study start with MATH 141, but who start in MATH 115, will take only one extra mathematics course; the other courses will be required courses. This will make you at most one course behind but should not delay your graduation. On the other hand, taking a course for which you are not ready can lead to lower, or even failing grades, and is likely to delay your graduation.
Students need to be aware that several courses in their programs of study may have MATH 141 as a pre- or co-requisite. If these courses are not completed until later, graduation in four years becomes more difficult.
If your academic program critically depends upon taking MATH 141 in your first semester but you place into MATH 115, you are strongly encouraged to seek ways to improve your math preparation and retake the ALEKS assessment before your first full-time semester at USC. Some options include taking a Precalculus course at a local technical college (or USC).
Yes—with your permission. We can discuss a student’s scores with parents only if the student has completed a FERPA waiver. Without a waiver, we can share score information only with the student.
First make sure your computer meets the ALEKS system requirements. If you are still encountering issues, please contact ALEKS student support at (800) 258-2374 or chat with an ALEKS support agent.
If you get disconnected during the ALEKS PPL test:
- Your answers usually save automatically. You can just close your browser or log out. When you log back in, ALEKS will usually let you pick up close to where you left off — not start over.
How long you’re gone matters.
- If you’re disconnected only briefly, you can usually continue right away, but if you’re gone too long, the test may end and lock, and you may need a reset to continue.
The time limit still counts.
- You have 2.5 hours total to finish the placement test.
If the system thinks your time is still running during a disconnect, a long break could make your test auto‑submit or expire.
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If you have already claimed your USC username, you can find your username under 'Forgot IDs'. To reset your password, use the Password Reset option.
To claim your USC username, password, and other IDs for the first time, view this video from USC's Division of Information Technology for a step by step guide.
Please consult with your academic advisor. If you have already completed a math class, you do not need to take the math placement test again.