Departmental Proficiency Exams

Placement & Proficiency

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please contact:

Placement & Proficiency
(217) 244-4437
pnp@illinois.edu

OFFICE HOURS

Monday - Friday
8:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
1:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Subjects with Departmental Proficiency Exams (last updated January 22, 2020)

There are many exams that allow an incoming student to try to earn proficiency credit. In addition to the Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate exams that you can take in high school, you have ample opportunity to demonstrate your proficiency in the sciences and the humanities by taking a departmental proficiency exam once you come to campus. Currently enrolled students are also allowed to take a departmental proficiency exam if they have not already earned credit for a higher-level course in the subject.

Departmental proficiency tests are usually given at the beginning of each fall and spring semester. Usually you are permitted to attempt an exam only once, but there are a couple exams that you are allowed to take twice. Given that different departments have different policies, you should always check with the department first.

Click on a subject below for more specific information.

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Integrative Biology

Thursday, January 23 from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. in Room 140 Burrill Hall for IB 100, IB 103, and IB 150. Registration is now closed. For general information, go to the department's webpage.
Molecular and Cellular Biology

Tuesday, January 28 from 7:00 to 10:00 p.m. Options are MCB 150, MCB 250, and MCB 252. Registration is required, and the deadline to register is 12:00 noon on January 28. The room you will report to for the test will be stated in the email confirmation you receive after registering.

Thursday, January 30 from 7:00 to 10:00 p.m. for the MCB 151 lab. Registration is required, and the deadline to register is 12:00 noon on January 30. The room you will report to for the test will be stated in the email confirmation you receive after registering.

For the link to the registration form and for general information, go to the department's webpage.
Chemistry

Wednesday, January 22 from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. in Room 100 Noyes Lab. This is the Make-Up Exam. Options are CHEM 102, CHEM 102 with a shorter CHEM 104, and CHEM 104. Registration is required.

If you took the January 16 exam, you will receive an email with your PASS/FAIL result. No test score or grade is reported.

If you did not test on January 16th and you cannot test on January 22nd, the next opportunity to take the Chemistry Proficiency Exam will be in August 2020 prior to the start of Fall semester.

For the link to the registration form and for general information, go to the department's webpage.
Computer Science

Computer-Based Exams: the week of January 21. Options are CS 101 and CS 125 (for Java). In the CBTF Scheduler, you need to click "add a class" and scroll down to "Proficiency Exams: for multiple courses." Once you add the class, the Unmade Reservations tab will offer you your options.

For general information and for the link to the CBTF site, go to the department's webpage .
Economics
- Thursday, January 23 from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. in DKH
- Thursday, January 23 from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. in DKH
- Friday, January 24 from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. in DKH
- Friday, January 24 from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. in DKH
Registration is now closed. If you registered for the ECON 102 (Microeconomics) or ECON 103 (Macroeconomics) proficiency exam, you should have received an email stating the room you will report to for testing.

For general information, go to the department's webpage.
History

Spring 2020 proficiency testing has ended. For general information, go to the department's webpage.
Languages other than English (LOTE)
Register here to take the Chinese Proficiency Test in Spring 2020 at the Testing Center.There will be no group testing in Spring 2020.
Are you wanting to test in a less commonly studied language? Illinois offers nearly 40 other languages. For information on testing, contact the instructor who is in charge of your language

Math

Music

Physics

Psychology 100

Rhetoric

To try to proficiency out of an introductory course not mentioned above, contact the department that offers the course.

SHOULD YOU SIT FOR A DEPARTMENTAL PROFICIENCY EXAM?

Any student who just missed earning proficiency credit from the AP Calculus exam, the IB Math exams, the AP Physics exams, or the IB Physics exams -- and any student who scores well on the Chemistry and/or Physics Placement Exam -- should seriously consider taking the departmental proficiency test. If you believe you know the material well, it is probably worth your while to attempt the proficiency exam. Your academic record is not affected if you fail the exam (most likely, you would simply enroll in the course that you attempted to proficiency). Remember, usually you are allowed only one attempt at any particular test.

If a departmental proficiency exam also offers course placement, you will need to check with the department for your placement results.

IMPORTANT!

Duplicate credit earned through AP, IB, departmental examinations, or any other means will not be granted. This means, for example, that if you already earned MATH 220 credit through the AP Calculus exam, you cannot earn MATH 220 credit again by taking the Math Department's MATH 220 proficiency exam. Credit for a particular course will be awarded only once.