Please take our math placement test ALEKS PPL. Knowing the current state of your mathematical toolbox will help you get off to the right start. PPL stands for “Preparation, Placement, and Learning,” and it will help you to both start in the most appropriate MATH course and also succeed in that course by reviewing topics you have studied before. Plus, a high enough score will let you complete our Foundational Math requirement without taking a Foundational Math course. So, take it seriously!
ALEKS PPL is more than just a test of your current mathematical skillset. Based on your initial assessment, it builds a personalized study plan to help you improve your score by reviewing concepts you may not have used in a while. You may retake the assessment up to four more times. Most students see their scores increase by ten points or more on their second attempt. This review will also help you to succeed in the MATH or STAT class you place into
If you have questions about taking our math placement test, please email math-placement@radford.edu or contact your advisor.
Transfer students: If you have transfer credits for a MATH course, there is typically no need to take ALEKS PPL. (Courses in statistics transfer to Radford University as STAT courses, not MATH courses.)
It is important that your score represents your own work and your work alone. In addition to the obvious moral implications, cheating on a math placement test is unwise as it only places you into a course you are unprepared to take. ALEKS PPL is taken in LockDown Browser, a web browser that does not allow other windows to be open, and it uses the remote proctoring system Respondus Monitor. Cheating on ALEKS PPL is a violation of the Radford University honor code, and violations will be reported to the Office of Student Standards and Conduct. Furthermore, you will receive a score of zero on the math placement test, meaning that you must take one of our Foundational Math courses MATH 100, 116, 121, or 125.
If you are blind or visually impaired and have accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act, please email math-placement@radford.edu about taking ALEKS PPL.
You may take ALEKS PPL at home on your own computer using our remote proctoring system, but you may also take it at our campus testing centers in either Radford or Roanoke. The test has a maximum of 25 questions. The time limit is 2.5 hours, but you will very likely finish much earlier than this.
You may take ALEKS PPL online if you have access to a computer with the following properties:
Learn more about the ALEKS system requirements. If you do not have a computer that meets these requirements, schedule a time to take ALEKS PPL at one of campus testing centers below.
Before you take ALEKS PPL online
When you are ready to take ALEKS PPL online:
After taking ALEKS PPL
Your score will be available to you immediately after you finish. It will be uploaded to the Radford University registration system overnight for use in course registration.
You may not be happy with your initial score. That's okay! ALEKS PPL creates a personalized study plan for you based on your initial assessment to help you improve your skills and prepare you for your upcoming class or to retake the assessment.
Retaking the assessment:
You may take our math placement test ALEKS PPL online or at our testing centers on our Radford or Roanoke campuses.
The time limit of the test is 2.5 hours plus a short pre-test tutorial to introduce
the user interface. Do not schedule your appointment for the day you plan to come to Quest. However, you may schedule it for the afternoon before Quest if you are coming from
far away for Quest.
Be sure to bring a photo ID and your Radford University username and password plus
the device you use for Duo two-factor authentication. You cannot take the assessment
without these.
Note for students retaking the assessment: You must wait 48 hours AND work 3 hours in your study plan between assessments. Please keep this in mind if you are scheduling to retake the assessment. You do not need to come to campus to work in your study plan; any computer with an internet connection will work for this.
Please contact math-placement@radford.edu if you have any questions or special circumstances.
Schedule ALEKS PPL in a Testing Center
Several courses have prerequisites that incorporate an ALEKS PPL score, but they also have course prerequisites if you do not place into them. You may take a class lower than your placement score allows, but we recommend that you take the highest class that you can place into if you take a MATH course.
A score of 46 on ALEKS PPL establishes Foundational Math competency under the REAL Curriculum. This score does not give you credit for any course, but the Foundational Math degree requirement is satisfied without taking a course.
Some degree programs require MATH 125. If your ALEKS PPL score is high enough to place into a class higher than MATH 125 (61 or greater) contact your advisor or the department offering your program to see if your score can satisfy the degree requirement or if credit for it or higher MATH course is required. Some programs will allow this, but others will not.
Course | ALEKS PPL Score Prerequisite | Or Course Prerequisite |
STAT 130 Understanding Statistics in Society | 46 or greater | Any MATH course |
STAT 200 Introduction to Statistics | 46 or greater | Any MATH course |
STAT 219 Statistics for Biology | 46 or greater | Any MATH course |
MATH 126 Business Calculus | 61 or greater | C or better in MATH 125 |
MATH 138 Precalculus II | 61 or greater | C or better in MATH 125 |
MATH 168 Calculus I with Integrated Precalculus I | 61 or greater | C or better in MATH 125 |
CHEM 111 General Chemistry I | 61 or greater | MATH 125 |
MATH 171 Calculus and Analytic Geometry I | 76 or greater | C or better in MATH 138 |