Before you start ...

Budget your time so that you complete all of your placement exams at least two weeks before your registration date. You don't have to take all of your placement exams in one sitting. You may do one test one day and take another test another day.

• Check to see which tests you have to take. There is rarely a need to take all of them.
• You can take the exams in whatever order you want.
• Once you start a test, you must complete it in one sitting. There is no "Save and Continue Later" feature.
• Only math allows more than one attempt.
• Detailed instructions for each test will appear before the test actually begins.

Make sure that you ...

• Know your Network ID and the Active Directory password that you created when you claimed your NetID.
  • Do you still need to claim your NetID ?
  • Do you need help with your IDs and passwords?
• Have a reliable Internet connection. The best browsers are Firefox and Google Chrome. Do not use Internet Explorer or Safari.
• Choose a quiet location where you will be able to work UNINTERRUPTED for an hour or two.
• Close all other applications so that you can focus on each test's questions and complete it within the time limit.
• Have a pencil and scratch paper ready for calculations and diagrams if you want to take a science exam.
• Although a calculator is not necessary for the science exams, you are allowed to use one.
• You are NOT allowed to use your own calculator for the math exam. Use the calculator that is in the software.

Ready to test?

• The deadline to take the ALEKS PPL Math Placement Test is Monday, January 27. Log in here.
• The deadline to take an online science or foreign language test is Monday, February 3. Log in here using your NetID and password. Options are Chemistry, Molecular and Cellular Biology, Physics, Chinese, French, German, Latin, and Spanish.

Having Problems?

You can call us at 217-244-4437 during business hours (Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 12:00 noon and 1:00 p.m. through 5:00 p.m. Central Time) or you can email us at pnp@illinois.edu. Please let us know your UIN.

• Make sure you inform the Office of Undergraduate Admissions that you accept Illinois’ offer of admission.
• Enter the correct password for your NetID. Do you need to re-set your password ?
• Try using a different browser. Firefox and Google Chrome are recommended. Safari and Internet Explorer tend to experience problems.
• Double-check your modem, cable, or DSL connection. Go wherever there is a stronger Internet connection.

If you are unexpectedly disconnected in the middle of an exam (e.g., due to a thunderstorm), just email us pnp@illinois.edu with the subject line reading "disconnected placement exam" and we will be happy to re-set it for you, if necessary. Tell us your name, netID, which exam got disconnected, and any error message you saw.

If you logged in but you didn’t see the exam that you expected to take, it means either that you already took the exam or that you clicked into the test on an earlier occasion but exited without completing it.

• If you already took the exam, you cannot take it again. Only one attempt is allowed.
• If you entered the exam but quit before submitting answers, the computer thought you had done as much as you could and removed it from your menu options. You can email us and request that we re-set the exam for you.