About the ALEKS Assessment

What is the ALEKS Assessment?

The ALEKS Assessment covers material from basic math through precalculus and will take approximately 90 minutes to complete. This is an "assessment," NOT A TEST.  The difference is that an assessment is designed to determine what you know. At the end of the ALEKS Placement Assessment, you will have a much better sense of your strengths and weaknesses in math. You will then have a chance to work on those weaknesses. There is really no penalty for incorrectly answering a question on the assessment.

The most important thing is that you take the assessment seriously and give it an honest effort so that the assessment truly reflects your level of knowledge and math preparedness.

How long will it take me to complete the ALEKS assessment?

Be sure you are ready to take your assessment prior to logging on. Set aside at least a 90 minute block of time in which to complete the assessment. The length of the assessment varies by student, but there will be a maximum of 30 questions.

How long do I have to complete the ALEKS assessment?

The initial ALEKS assessment must be completed within 72 hours after you log in to the ALEKS assessment.

Is there a practice test for the ALEKS assessment?

ALEKS will begin with a brief tutorial before your placement begins.

Where do I take the ALEKS assessment?

Students take the ALEKS assessment from home by logging into the myMemphis portal. 

• Please enter your UofM user name and your password. 
• The username corresponds to the letters appearing before "@memphis.edu" in your University of Memphis email address. 
• After logging into the myMemphis portal, click on the "Students" tab to locate the ALEKS channel. 

What other special directions do I need to follow when taking the ALEKS Assessment? 

Placement is a process that attempts to help assure the student's success. Not doing your best can place you too low and delay your progress into other courses. Using outside assistance to simply achieve a higher score may cause you to be placed in a course you are not prepared for and result in a poor grade or failure which can delay your progress even more and may cause problems with financial aid and scholarships. You need to take the assessment yourself and do your best so that the assessment reflects your knowledge and skills.

At the beginning of the ALEKS assessment, you will go through a brief tutorial that will introduce you to the ALEKS system and interface. You will be shown how to enter different types of answers, how to use the ALEKS calculator, and how to graph something by hand. Although the interface is reasonably intuitive and the tutorial is very helpful, there may be times when you need help using the ALEKS system; in these situations, click on the "Help" button at the top of the screen.

Sometimes you might have to use new tools to submit your answers during the ALEKS Assessment. When this happens, Quick Help will be available, and will show you how to use these tools.

Don't rush through the assessment. Although we prefer that you take the assessment in one sitting, there may be situations in which you must leave your computer. If that is the case, just close the ALEKS window. When you log on again later, ALEKS will bring you to the point at which you left off.

What if my computer crashes while taking the assessment?

If you have computer problems, you should be able to log back into the ALEKS assessment and resume testing. When you log on again, ALEKS will bring you to the point at which you left off.

What type of computer do I need to use?

The ALEKS assessment requires a browser that is Java-enabled, and you must install the ALEKS plug-in described below. The assessment may be taken on a PC (Windows) or Mac (OS10 or higher), using any of the following browsers: Explorer 7.0 or higher, Firefox 3.0 or higher, Chrome 4.0 or higher, or Safari 3.0 or higher. Additional information is online at: http://www.aleks.com/support/system_requirements

Do I need to install any plug-ins prior to taking the ALEKS Assessment?

Yes.

• Go to the main ALEKS web page at: www.aleks.com
• Press the DOWNLOADS link at the upper right. Follow the instructions to install the necessary software on your computer.
• After installation of the ALEKS plug-in, you may be directed to close all browser windows and restart your browser or to reboot your computer. After that you can go to your myMemphis account,log in, and access the assessment.

ALEKS is cross-platform accessible. If there is difficulty installing the plug-in see: http://www.aleks.com/faqs/technical/

For troubles related to Next Generation java, see http://www.aleks.com/faqs/technical#Java_Next_Generation

How do I access the ALEKS assessment from a University of Memphis TigerLan computer?

• Click on the Start Menu.
• Click on the "All Programs" section.
• Click on the "UMware" folder.
• Click on the sub directory entitled "Aleks Math Placement Assessment."
• Click on the link entitled "Aleks Testing."

Clicking on the "Aleks Testing" link will launch Internet Explorer with the ALEKS placement plugin pre-installed. You will be directed immediately to the myMemphis web portal where you can initiate the ALEKS placement testing as previously dictated.

How many questions are on the test?

Students complete a maximum of 30 questions. None of the questions are multiple-choice.

Once I answer a question, can I go back and change my answer?

Once you submit an answer, you cannot change it. You should keep this in mind while testing.

May I use a calculator while using ALEKS?

ALEKS will provide an on-screen calculator if you need one to complete a particular problem.  Otherwise, you may not use a calculator.

May I use other resources during a placement assessment?

You may only use a pen or pencil, paper, and the resources provided by ALEKS. You may not receive assistance from friends, family, other websites, textbooks, or any other resource not provided by ALEKS. Using outside resources may lead to improper placement and ultimately course failure.

How is my score calculated?

Your placement result is your percentage mastery on the highest assessment.

Course placement is determined as follows: Pie chart

ALEKS chooses each question on the basis of a student's answers to all the previous questions. Each student, and therefore each set of assessment questions, is unique. It is impossible to predict the questions that will be asked. By the time a student has completed the assessment, ALEKS has developed a precise picture of his or her knowledge of the course, and has identified which topics in the course the student has and has not mastered.

An overview of how ALEKS works is available online at: http://www.aleks.com/about_aleks/overview

How can I find out what score I need on the ALEKS Assessment?

After you have completed the ALEKS Assessment, check with your advisor regarding the appropriate course for your major.  Please refer to the chart below for course placement.   

How can I find my ALEKS score after taking the assessment?

Immediately after completing the ALEKS Assessment, you will be shown a pie chart which indicates your placement result score on the ALEKS Assessment. The percentage score above the pie chart area is your ALEKS score (Placement Result: 93%).

You can log back in to the ALEKS math placement website to view the pie chart (View Previous Results) at a later time. Clicking on the subject headings will allow you to view topics you are ready to learn.

Will my ALEKS assessment score be posted to my academic transcript?

Your ALEKS score will not appear on your academic transcript.

If I take the ALEKS assessment more than once, which score will be used for placement in a math course?

The highest ALEKS score will be used for math placement.

What if I do not place into the course I wanted?

After 48 hours, you can take another ALEKS assessment. However, it is recommended that you use the Prep and Learning Module to review and learn, and then take another placement assessment to improve your placement result.

I did not place into the class I wanted. Can I take it anyway?

No, you must achieve the minimum placement result to take each corresponding class.

What if I placed into the class I wanted?

Congratulations! Continue to use your Prep and Learning Module to improve your chances for success. The placement result above is the minimum preparation required for your course! Take advantage of the targeted review and learning features in ALEKS to get a better grade in your class.