Placement Exams

  
At Knox, all students need to satisfy a requirement in math and a second language to be eligible for graduation. We suggest that you take your exam(s) as soon as possible, but no later than Monday, August 20. Questions? Refer to our Placement Exam FAQ page or read more details below.

Math Placement Exam
To assist you in selecting the appropriate courses, the Mathematics Department will make a recommendation based on your academic records and results of your online placement exam. If you have Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, A-level, or transfer credit in calculus, you do not need to take the exam. For all others, even if you do not currently think you will take any math courses at Knox, you should take this exam. It will help you and your advisor to know where to begin should you later find it desirable or necessary to take math courses.

Instructions for the Math Placement Exam:

1. Do not begin the exam until you have an hour of free time to complete it. When you're ready, go to the online math placement exam.
2. The exam consists of a total of 30 questions in two parts, with 15 questions on each part. Once you start the exam, you should work through both parts until you have completed the entire exam.
3. Calculators are not permitted (and not helpful) on the exam. You should have a pencil and plenty of scratch paper handy before you begin the exam.
4. Outside help is not permitted on the exam. In taking this exam, you are bound by your commitment to the Honor Code, where you're empowered to govern your own behavior and monitor your own academic integrity.
5. If you have any questions before proceeding with the exam, please contact Professor Andrew Leahy (aleahy@knox.edu) or Professor Kevin Hastings (khasting@knox.edu) in the Mathematics Department.
6. The exam is multiple choice. There is one and only one correct answer to each question.
7. Please fill in your personal information and click the "Proceed to Part A" button when you're ready to proceed.

Second Language Placement Exam
Did you study French, German, or Spanish in high school or earlier? Have you had significant exposure to the language by living abroad or having parents who speak the language? If so, you will need to take the placement exam in each language you have taken in the past, whether or not you intend at this point to take that language at Knox. If you have studied Japanese, Greek, Latin, or Chinese, you do not need to take an online exam. However, you should notify your advisor of this during orientation so that a good placement can be arranged.

Instructions for the French, German, and Spanish Placement Exams:

1. Go to the French, German, and Spanish online exams.
2. In the Password box, enter fire1 (all lowercase).
3. Click Login.
4. On the next page, select French, German, or Spanish from the dropdown menu and click on Begin.
5. You will be taken to another page asking for your first name, last name, ID number, e-mail, and previous language experience.
6. Complete the entire form, and enter 0000 (all zeros) for your ID number.
7. Note: You may not use dictionaries, notes, or reference works, and you may not consult with anyone else while taking the exam. Please remember our Honor Code.

The online exams consist of a series of multiple choice questions and will take 15-30 minutes to complete. Take the exam(s) once, as only your first score will be counted. When the test is complete, you will see your score and what appears to be a placement (level 1, 2, 3, etc). You should ignore this information. It is not a placement. When you arrive on campus for New Student Orientation, you and your advisor will discuss your final placement. Remember...it is important that you take the exam, even if you do not plan to study a foreign language during your first year at Knox.