Please review the information below.

Please search the email inbox you used to register for UMBC’s New Student Orientation to find your UMBC Orientation Confirmation Email (including the spam folder). The instructions for enrolling in math placement are in that email, which is sent to every student when they register for New Student Orientation.

Please review the information and/or link below.

You may be exempt from the Math Placement Test if you have credit that transfers EXACTLY as the math course needed for your major or as a prerequisite to a math course needed for your major. If no specific math course is required for your major, then you may be exempt based on transfer credit which fulfills the university math general education requirement (GEP). Please check with your advisor.

Credit may be earned through AP test scores, IB scores, CLEP scores, or transfer credits from an accredited college or university. To ensure a smooth registration process, all transfer credit and test scores MUST be on file before you attend Orientation. High school AP classes cannot be used to exempt you from testing.

For more information, please visit the UMBC Wiki:

If I have AP/IB/CLEP test or transfer credit for math, do I need to take the Math Placement Test?

Please review the information and/or link below.

You will work with your advisor to determine your math course requirements for your studies at UMBC, based on the requirements of your major, your STEM and other course requirements, and your career path.  You can learn more about major requirements at https://apps.my.umbc.edu/pathways/ .  You can learn more about the mathematics course pathways at https://mathstat.umbc.edu/undergraduate-programs-of-study/

Some career pathways and post-graduate programs benefit from the concepts and skills associated with calculus. For this reason, some UMBC majors and career pathways require a calculus course.  If you are in a major which requires calculus; or are pursuing a career pathway such as the health professions or commissioning officer that require a calculus course; or plan to take the STEM courses that require calculus, you should follow the guidance in the Calculus Path section.   If you are unsure of your calculus requirements, you may want to consider pursuing the Calculus Path.

For more information, please visit the UMBC Wiki:

Which course should I register for after taking the Math Placement Test?

Please review the information and/or link below.

All students who have not yet taken a math course at UMBC are allowed to retake their Math Placement Test if they are unsatisfied with their score. If you feel that you did not meet your placement goal, you can retest up to two more times. You have one year or until you start your first math course at UMBC (whichever comes first) to retake the Math Placement Test.

Before you decide to take the Math Placement Test again, please consider the following information:

• If you have already taken a MATH course at UMBC (even if you withdrew), you CANNOT take the Math Placement Test again to skip a course.

• You can retake the Math Placement Test up to two times by accessing the ALEKS system within one year of your first test attempt. After one year, your current Math Placement expires and you start the process again with a new test.

• There is a mandatory 72 hour “cooling off” period after you first complete the Math Placement Test. In order to take the Math Placement Test again, you MUST wait at least 72 hours AND spend 5 hours working in the Prep and Learning Module for your target course. To have the best chance of being successful, you should aim to master 80% of the topics in the Prep and Learning Module.

• If you are attempting to test for the third and final time, you MUST wait an additional 72 hours and AND spend 8 hours working in the Prep and Learning Module for your target course.

• If you retake the Math Placement Test, only the highest score is kept.

• Please be advised that it will take 24-48 hours for your Math Placement Test score to update in myUMBC. This process is automated and cannot be rushed.

After considering all of these things, return to the Blackboard organization where you accessed the ALEKS Math Placement Test, and follow the links to the Math Placement Test.  Complete the required practice and then the test link will become available.

Please review the information and/or link below.

All students who have not yet taken a math course at UMBC are allowed to retake their Math Placement Test if they are unsatisfied with their score. If you feel that you did not meet your placement goal, you can retest up to two more times. You have one year or until you start your first math course at UMBC (whichever comes first) to retake the Math Placement Test.

Before you decide to take the Math Placement Test again, please consider the following information:

• If you have already taken a math course at UMBC (even if you withdrew), you CANNOT take the Math Placement Test again to skip a course.

• You can retake the Math Placement Test up to two times by accessing the ALEKS system within one year of your first test attempt. After one year, your current Math Placement expires and you start the process again with a new test.

• There is a mandatory 72 hour “cooling off” period after you first complete the Math Placement Test. In order to take the Math Placement Test again, you MUST wait at least 72 hours AND spend 5 hours working in the Prep and Learning Module for your target course. To have the best chance of being successful, you should aim to master 80% of the topics in the Prep and Learning Module.

• If you are attempting to test for the third and final time, you MUST wait an additional 72 hours and AND spend 8 hours working in the Prep and Learning Module for your target course.

• If you retake the Math Placement Test, only the highest score is kept.

• Please be advised that it will take 24-48 hours for your Math Placement Test score to update in myUMBC. This process is automated and cannot be rushed.

Please review the information below.

Please follow the instructions you were provided step by step. 

If you get stuck on a certain step, please take a screenshot and attach it to this https://academicsuccess.umbc.edu/placement-testing-help/ form, with a detailed description of the issue.

Please review the information below.

Your math placement score will upload to myUMBC in 24-48 hours.  This is an automated process which can not be rushed.  Once your math placement score milestone uploads to your myUMBC Advising Profile, you will automatically be able to register for the math course you placed into.  If you are unsure which math course you should take, contact your academic advisor or review the math course needed for your major.

Please review the information below.

If you have ever enrolled in a math course at UMBC and have earned a grade (even a W), you are no longer eligible to retake the math placement test.  Please contact your Academic Advisor to determine which course you should enroll in, or review this website to determine the math course needed for your major. If you have previously taken the math placement test at UMBC, your math placement score is visible in your myUMBC Advising Profile. This score is valid for one year and automatically provides you with permission to register for the course you placed into.

Please review the information and/or link below.

Your math placement score will upload to myUMBC in 24-48 hours.  This is an automated process which can not be rushed.  Once your math placement score uploads to your myUMBC Advising Profile, you will automatically be able to register for the math course you placed into.  If you are unsure which math course you should take, contact your academic advisor or review the Math course needed for your major.

New students attend a Virtual Orientation Advising Appointment as a part of Orientation, and at that time your Orientation Advisor will help you determine the correct math class for you.  Please review your Orientation Confirmation Email for information about your virtual advising appointment.

For more information, please visit the UMBC Wiki:

NEW STUDENTS: How do I register for a course now that I have completed the Math Placement Test?

Please review the information below.

Your math placement score will upload to myUMBC in 24-48 hours.  This is an automated process which can not be rushed.  Once your math placement score uploads to your myUMBC Advising Profile, you will automatically be able to register for the math course you placed into.  If you are unsure which math course you should take, contact your academic advisor or review the math course needed for your major.

Please review the information below.

Please fill out this form with your contact information and UMBC campus ID so we can send you the instructions to take the UMBC math placement test.
You will take the placement test online, at your own computer, at a time of your choosing.
Approximately 48 hours later, your score will automatically populate in myUMBC, allowing you to register for your math and science classes.

Please review the information below.

Students with documented disabilities who need accommodations for placement testing must register with the Student Disability Services: https://sds.umbc.edu/placement-testing-accommodations/    If you have questions about accommodations, email disAbility@umbc.edu or call 410-455-2459.

If Student Disability Services determines that you need accommodations for placement testing, Academic Success Center staff will reach out to you with specific instructions. 

Please review the information below.

Beginning in 2021, UMBC students no longer need to take the English Placement Test to enroll in an English Composition course. Students will work with their academic advisors to determine which English composition course is appropriate and then register for that course.

More information about Self-Directed English Placement is available on the Academic Success Center website.