Placement Tests
During Orientation you will take placement exams in Chemistry and Language. You should have taken your Math placement exam before you come to campus. It’s important that you take the placement exams and try and do as well as possible. In some cases, doing well on the U-M Placement Exam will exempt you from a course or a requirement or give you the opportunity to earn additional credits.
Chemistry Placement
The Chemistry Placement Exam will either recommend that you start with Chemistry 130 (General Chemistry) or Chemistry 210 (Organic Chemistry). Your placement is determined not only by your Chemistry Exam score but also your Math placement and your SAT or ACT Math scores. The majority of students are recommended for Chem 130. Lecture section 400 of Chem 130 is a smaller lecture section with an extra hour of class designed for students who might be coming with a little less preparation. LSA does not require Chemistry. Credit is not granted for the Chemistry Placement Exam.
Note: Chemistry 125/126 is the lab class that goes with Chem 130. It is recommended but not required that these general Chemistry classes be taken together. Chemistry 211 is the lab class that goes with Chem 210. You should enroll in both the lecture and the lab for Organic Chemistry.
Math Placement
The Math Placement Exam will either recommend that you start with Math 105 (Data, Functions, and Graphs) or a Calculus class which is most often Math 115 (Calculus 1). Your placement is determined not only by your Math Exam score but also your SAT or ACT math scores and your high school grade point average. Math 105 is a preparatory class for U-M Calculus. You may be strongly recommended for Math 105 or tentatively recommended. If you are recommended for Math 105, your chances of success in Calculus without taking Math 105 are poor. You may also be strongly recommended for Math 115 or tentatively recommended. In all cases, a Math advisor will be available during Orientation for consultation. If you have AP credit for Calculus you may want to consider taking honors math or a different course in the Calculus series. LSA does not require a Math class. Credit is not granted for the Math Placement Exam.
Language Placement
The following language placement exams are given during Orientation: French, Spanish, Italian, German, Latin, Hebrew, and Russian. If you have previously studied any of these languages, you should take the placement exam at Orientation. If you know a language other than these, ask your advisor about taking a placement exam in the Fall. The language placement exams will advise you to take a certain level of language. You must follow this placement unless you and your advisor have determined otherwise. It is possible to place past the fourth semester of language and thus place out of the LSA foreign language requirement. Please take this test seriously and make sure that you complete the entire test. Credit is not granted for the Language Placement Exam.
Sweetland Writing Center Directed Self-Placement
To assist students in choosing their first writing course at the University, the Sweetland Writing Center administers the Directed Self-Placement Essay and Questions.
This Directed Self-Placement process is designed to simulate the types of academic writing most often assigned and valued at the University of Michigan. You will be asked to:
- Read an article of about 10 pages;
- Write a 750-900 word essay in response to that article; and
- Answer 10 follow-up questions about your writing experience.
This task will help you judge your own readiness for and comfort with college writing. To get the most out of the Directed Self-Placement process, take the Essay and Questions seriously.
When you meet with your advisor during Orientation, you will look at yourself as a writer based on the Directed Self-Placement Essay and Questions, as well as your prior writing experience, and choose a writing course that will enable you to become more proficient and confident in academic writing.
Once you have chosen your first writing course, your Directed Self-Placement Essay will be forwarded to your instructor to introduce you to him or her as a writer.
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