SDSU campus

ONLINE Chemistry Placement Assessment
Spring 2024, Summer 2024 and Fall 2024

Overview

The purpose of the ONLINE Chemistry Placement Assessment is to determine which Chemistry class you can enroll in during registration. According to the SDSU General Catalog, enrollment in Chemistry 200 or Chemistry 202 requires satisfying one of the following prerequisites:

  1. Completion of Chemistry 100 (Introduction to General Chemistry with Laboratory) with a grade of C or better,
  2. OR
  3. Satisfaction of the Mathematics/Quantitative Reasoning Assessment Requirement and passing the Chemistry Department Placement Assessment.
  4. If you passed the AP or IB Chemistry exams, please see the section below the final table for more information.

Assessment and Registration Details

Students who plan on taking Chem 200 or 202 any semester in 2024— but who have not taken Chem 100—are strongly encouraged to register for the online Chemistry Placement Assessment.

We recommend you take the placement assessment a FULL SEMESTER before you plan on taking Chem 200 or 202. This will allow you enough time to take CHEM 100 in case you need it before entering Chem 200 or 202. For example, if you plan to take Chem 200 in Fall 2024, be sure to take the placement exam before June 17th. This will allow you to take Chem 100 in the summer if you need it and be ready for Chem 200 in the Fall. The Placement Assessment will have two parts: Math and Chemistry assessment portions.  Additionally, we provide you with a Chemistry prep, free of charge. The Chemistry prep is optional and is provided to help you review before taking the actual assessment.

The exam is offered every semester with at least two chances to take it in each semester. The table below gives the registration dates and the week that the assessment will be available to you. Please sign up for one assessment time using this google form.

Note that the assessment is ONLINE and is not proctored, but we emphasize that it is not beneficial to cheat – if you take Chem 200 or 202 without the proper chemistry and math background, you stand a good chance of doing poorly in the course and would then need to repeat it.

Assessment Cohort Registration Deadline Time Frame of the Assessment
Cohort 1 October 2, 2023 at 08:00 am October 9 at 10:00 am — October 16 at 10:00am
Cohort 2 November 6, 2023 at 08:00 am November 13 at 10:00 am — November 20 at 10:00am
Cohort 3 November 27, 2023 at 08:00 am December 4 at 10:00 am — December 11 at 10:00 am
Cohort 4 December 25, 2023 at 08:00 am January 1 at 10:00 am — January 8 at 10:00 am
Cohort 4.5 March 25, 2024 at 08:00 am April 1 at 10:00 am — April 8 at 10:00 am
Cohort 5 May 6, 2024 at 08:00 am May 13 at 10:00 am — May 20 at 10:00am
Cohort 6 June 3, 2024 at 08:00 am June 10 at 10:00 am — June 17 at 10:00 am
Cohort 7 July 1, 2024 at 08:00 am July 8 at 10:00 am — July 15 at 10:00 am
Cohort 8 July 29, 2024 at 08:00 am August 5 at 10:00 am — August 12 at 10:00 am

Who needs to take the Chemistry Department Placement Assessment?

SDSU recommends that students in the following majors enroll in Chemistry 200 (General Chemistry) or Chemistry 202 (General Chemistry for Engineers) during their first semester at SDSU.
MAJORCOURSE
Athletic Training CHEM 200
Biology CHEM 200
Chemical Physics CHEM 200 or CHEM 202
Chemistry CHEM 200
Engineering (Aerospace, Civil, Construction, Environmental, Mechanical) CHEM 200 or CHEM 202 for most majors (Go to the SDSU General Catalog and mymap for requirements specific to your major)
Environmental Sciences CHEM 200
Geological Sciences (with emphasis in engineering geology, environmental geosciences, geology, geophysics, and hydrogeology) CHEM 200 for most majors (Go to the SDSU General Catalog and mymap for requirements specific to your major)
Kinesiology (pre-physical therapy) CHEM 200
Microbiology CHEM 200
Physical Science CHEM 200
Physics CHEM 200

Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB) credit

If you received a score of 3, 4 or 5 on the AP Chemistry Exam, you should receive credit for Chemistry 200 and 201 and should not need to take the Chemistry Department Placement Assessment.

If you received a score of Higher 5-7 on the IB Chemistry exam, you should receive credit for Chemistry 100 and should not need to take the Chemistry Department Placement Assessment. Passing a high school chemistry class, even an AP or IB class, does not fulfill the required prerequisite(s).

If you intend to enroll in Chemistry 100 your first semester rather than Chemistry 200 or 202, you do not need to take the Chemistry Department Placement Assessment.

Students Requesting Accommodations

Students requesting accommodations for the Chemistry Department Placement Assessment should have their accommodations approved by the SDSU Student Ability Success Center (SASC). SASC information can be found at their website.

Information contained herein is subject to change without notice.

For more information, please contact Sasmita Nayak.

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