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. Most proficiency exams are offered during the first week of classes. Click on a subject below for more specific information.
Fall testing is finished. The next opportunity to take an IB Proficiency Exam will be in January 2019 at the start of Spring semester. For more information about the test, click "Integrative Biology" (above).
Fall testing is finished. The next opportunity to take the MCB 150 Proficiency Exam will be in January 2019 at the start of Spring semester. For more information about the test, click "Molecular and Cellular Biology" (above).
Fall testing is finished. The next opportunity to take the Chemistry Proficiency Exam will be in January 2019 at the start of Spring semester. For more information about the test, click "Chemistry" (above).
Fall testing is finished. The next opportunity to take a written CS Proficiency Exam will be in January 2019 at the start of Spring semester. For more information about the tests, click "Computer Science" (above).
Fall testing is finished. The next opportunity to take an on-campus Economics Proficiency Exam will be in December 2018 (during Final Exams Week) and in January 2019 at the start of Spring semester. For more information about the test, click "Economics" (above).
REGISTRATION FOR THE CHINESE PROFICIENCY TEST IS NOW OPEN. Choose one date only. The test will be given in Room G8-A Foreign Languages Building (in the basement). If none of these three dates is possible for you, there will be other opportunities to take the test. They will be announced on October 1st.
Proficiency testing in other languages: Fall testing is finished. The next opportunity to take the French, Spanish, Hindi, or other LOTE proficiency exams will be in January 2019 at the start of Spring semester. For more information, click "Languages other than English" (above).
Learn about testing in less commonly studied languages.
Fall testing is finished. The next opportunity to take a History Proficiency Exam will be in January 2019 at the start of Spring semester. For more information about the tests, click "History" (above).
The next opportunity to take a Math Proficiency Exam will be on Saturday, October 6th in Room 314 Altgeld Hall. Registration is required. It will open on Friday, September 21 and will close at noon on Wednesday, October 3rd. For more information, click "Math" (above).
Fall testing is finished. The next opportunity to take a Music Proficiency Exam will be in January 2019 at the start of Spring semester. For more information about the tests, click "Music" (above).
Fall testing is finished. The next opportunity to take a Physics Proficiency Exam will be in December 2018 (during Final Exams Week) and in January 2019 at the start of Spring semester. Not all tests are offered during Finals Week. For more information about the tests, click "Physics" (above).
Fall testing is finished. The next opportunity to take the PSYC 100 Proficiency Exam will be in January 2019 at the start of Spring semester. For more information about the test, click "Psychology 100" (above).
There is no departmental proficiency test for RHET 105. Credit for this course can be earned with sufficiently high scores on the ACT or SAT, the two AP English tests, or any of seven different IB tests. Click the "Rhetoric" link (above) for more information.
Any student who just missed earning proficiency credit from the AP Calculus exam or AP Physics exam and any student who scores well on the Chemistry and/or Physics Placement Exam should seriously consider taking the departmental proficiency test.
To try to proficiency out of an introductory course not mentioned above, contact the department that offers the course.
If the 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.