Departmental Proficiency Exams

Placement & Proficiency

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Placement and Proficiency
Room 247 Armory
(217) 244-4437
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Subjects with Departmental Proficiency Exams (last updated July 13, 2020)

Thank you for your patience during the COVID-19 epidemic. We will do our best to provide you with the most updated information possible, but please understand that the situation is in flux. Check this website often, feel free to call PNP at 217-265-6248 during business hours, or email us your question.

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

Tuesday, September 1 from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. Options are IB 100, IB 104, and IB 150. You will indicate your choice when you register. Registration is now open. The deadline to sign up is 5:00 p.m. on Thursday, August 27. Please check back for COVID-19 updates, though. For the link to the registration form and for general information, go to the department's webpage.
Molecular and Cellular Biology

Tuesday, September 1 from 7:00 to 10:00 p.m. for lecture courses MCB 150, MCB 250 and MCB 252. You may take only one proficiency test, and you will indicate your choice when you register.

Thursday, September 3 from 7:00 to 10:00 p.m. for the MCB 151 lab.

Registration will open soon, and the deadline to register will be 12:00 noon on the day you wish to test. Please check back for COVID-19 updates, though. For the link to the registration form and for general information, go to the department's webpage.
Chemistry

Please check back for COVID-19 updates. The Fall 2020 proficiency tests will be offered online. Options will be CHEM 102 and/or CHEM 104. There is no proficiency test for the labs. For general information, go to the department's webpage.
Computer Science

Please check back for COVID-19 updates. Currently we anticipate that Fall 2020 proficiency testing will take place on campus before or during the first week of classes. Options will likely be CS 101, 105, 125, 173, and 225. For general information, go to the department's webpage.
Economics

NOW! through July 31 - online proficiency testing for ECON 102 ("Microeconomics") and/or ECON 103 ("Macroeconomics"). Registration is required and closes July 24th. Please allow one week between your registration date and your desired test date to receive approval to take the test. You may sign up either for one test or for both tests. You are responsible for paying the online proctoring fee. If you register but you don't "show up" to take the test, and you didn't cancel at least 24 hours prior to your test date, it will count as your one attempt at the test. Students are allowed only one attempt at either test. For the link to the registration form and for general information, go to the department's webpage.

For Fall 2020 testing, please check back in late July.
History

Please check back for COVID-19 updates. For general information, go to the department's webpage.
Languages other than English (LOTE)
- Chinese Proficiency Testing: Please check back for COVID-19 updates. We anticipate that testing will resume on campus for Fall 2020.
- French Proficiency Testing: Tuesday, August 25 from 5:30 to 7:00 p.m. Registration is required and will open in late July. Please check back for COVID-19 updates.
- Japanese Placement Testing: UPDATED! It will still be offered on Friday, August 21 but online, not on campus. Registration is required. Strong performance can fulfill the Gen Ed language requirement. No academic credit is awarded. For details on the test, click here. Please check back for COVID-19 updates.
- Korean Placement Testing: UPDATED! It will still be offered on Friday, August 21 but online, not on campus, from 9:30 a.m. to 12:00 noon Central Time. The deadline to register (using your UIUC email address) is midnight on July 31 Central Time. Strong performance can fulfill the Gen Ed language requirement. No academic credit is awarded. For details on the test, click here.
- Spanish Proficiency Testing: Tuesday, August 25 from 5:30 to 7:00 p.m. .Registration is required and will open in late July. Please check back for COVID-19 updates, though.
- Less commonly studied languages: Illinois offers testing to UIUC students in nearly 40 other languages. Most are given at the start of each Fall and Spring semester. Currently we anticipate that Fall 2020 proficiency testing will take place on campus during the first week or two of classes, but please check back for COVID-19 updates.
Math

Saturday, August 29 from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon. Registration will open August 14 and close at noon on Monday, August 24. Options will be Math 220, 225, 231, 241, 285, 286, and 415. You may take only one of these tests. If you wish to take a second proficiency exam, there will be another opportunity in October.

Fall proficiency testing will be done online using Moodle. Before signing up for a math proficiency exam, you will need to make sure that on the test day, you will have a reliable Internet connection for the entire testing period and a computer system that is compatible with Proctorio. You will also need to be able to scan your handwritten responses and upload the PDF to Moodle.

NEW, ENTERING FALL 2020 STUDENTS ONLY: Please check back later this month for details on the two-hour, online, multiple-choice MATH 220 proficiency exam that is offered only to new, incoming freshmen and new transfer students. Because it is multiple-choice, you will not need the ability to scan handwritten responses and upload the PDF to Moodle. The test date will probably be mid- to late August but before Fall classes start.

Please check back for COVID-19 updates. For the link to the registration form and for general information, go to the department's webpage.
Music
The following exams are scheduled for Fall 2020 proficiency testing, but please check back for COVID-19 updates in case these plans need to change. For general information, go to the department's webpage.

FOR NEW FRESHMEN AND NEW TRANSFER STUDENTS ONLY:
- Tuesday, August 25 from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. in Room 0304 Music Building - MUS 107 and MUS 108
- Wednesday, August 26 from 7:00 to 10:00 p.m. in Room 0304 Music Building - MUS 101, MUS 102, and MUS 201
- Thursday, August 27 from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. in Room 0304 Music Building - MUS 207 and MUS 208 only for those who passed Tuesday night's exam
FOR NEW STUDENTS AS WELL AS CURRENT STUDENTS:
- Tuesday, August 25 from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. in Room 104 Smith Memorial Hall - Piano: MUS 172, 173, 174, or 175. Registration is required. If it is full, you can add your name to the wait list.
Physics

Fall 2020 proficiency exams will be given online and will be proctored through the Computer-Based Testing Facility (CBTF). You must register in advance, and the deadline to register is Monday, August 10. Students who register will receive further testing instructions by August 12. The testing schedule is as follows:

PHYS 101: Monday, 17 August, starting at 9:00 AM Central Daylight Time

PHYS 102: Tuesday, 18 August, starting at 9:00 AM Central Daylight Time

PHYS 211: Monday, 17 August, starting at 9:00 AM Central Daylight Time

PHYS 212: Tuesday, 18 August, starting at 9:00 AM Central Daylight Time

PHYS 213: Wednesday, 19 August, starting at 9:00 AM Central Daylight Time

PHYS 214: Thursday, 20 August, starting at 9:00 AM Central Daylight Time

If you have any questions about these proficiency exams, please write an email to the Physics Dept with the subject line "Proficiency." Include your name, your NetID, and the proficiency exam you want to take. For general information, go to the department's webpage.
Psychology 100

Please check back in late July for COVID-19 updates, including the date and location of the exam. Currently we anticipate that Fall 2020 proficiency testing will take place on campus during the first week of classes. For general information, go to the department's webpage.
Rhetoric

There is no departmental proficiency test for 'Composition I.'

To fulfill the Composition I General Education requirement by earning test-based credit for RHET 105, which is our introductory academic "Writing and Research" course, you can submit your sufficiently high score on the ACT or SAT, either of the two AP English tests, or any one of seven different IB tests. Email PNP if you have any questions or concerns about your test scores. Learn more about the 'Comp I' requirement and the test scores that can earn credit for RHET 105.

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.