The main purpose of placement exams is to determine a student's skill levels in English and Math so that they can be placed in courses to complete their general education requirements at Chicago State. For students who entered Chicago State prior to the Fall 2019 semester, placement exams in English and Reading are also graduation requirements.

We offer virtual and in-person testing appointments. You can schedule your appointment here.

You can view sample student essays and explanations of the grading rubric for English Composition to help prepare you to take your placement exam in English. For the Math placement exam, you will take an exam based on your major, depending on whether your major requires College Algebra (or higher) or if your major requires Data Science math. You can talk with your academic advisor about which math course your major requires. You can view sample questions for the College Algebra Math track or sample questions for the Data Science Math track. For students who entered Chicago State prior to Fall 2019, you can view practice questions for your Reading placement exam here.

Students are informed of their exam results immediately after completing their placement exam(s). The proctor can then print out the student’s exam results for their records.

There are limits for each placement test to determine whether a student can retake a placement exam. Please see our Test Retake Policy  or consult an advisor. A $25.00 fee is required per exam to retake any exam. The fee can be paid at the Cashier’s office at the Cook Administration building, Room 211. Click here to download the retake form.

Since these are placement exams, they are designed to place students into courses aligned with the skills demonstrated during their exam. However, students have an option to retake a placement exam to place into a different course, following the Test Retake Policy.

Please review the Student Testing Requirements  page which provides more information for transfer students.