Hi,
I noticed a lack of information about the placement tests so I wanted to make a post about it for students in the future.
I took and passed the exams for CHEM 2070/2090 and CS 1110. Here is some advice to anyone who would are considering taking the tests.
-If it’s an option, take and pass the AP tests. The CASE exams are harder to prepare for because there are very few resources other than the textbook and possibly MIT OCW for practice. CS is the exception to this as the professors post past exams online.
-Some departments will NOT allow you to take the placement test if you took the AP test and did not get a score that qualifies for credit. If you would like to transfer college credit instead, be sure to get the course approved BEFORE you take it. The process for getting a course approved is a bit involved so I recommend doing it ahead of time.
-Study out of the syllabus/textbook. The professors are going to test you on your knowledge of the subject. (e.g. what do they expect someone to learn from one semester of a college chemistry class?)
**For chemistry especially, AP does NOT provide adequate practice for the tests. I am very glad that I studied out of the book since there was a good amount of information that was never covered in AP.
-The tests aren’t trying to trick you. In my experience, the professors try to be as straightforward as possible. Many of the questions that are conceptual in nature and test whether you truly know the subject.
-Information about Fall placement exams is usually easy to find. Some placement exams are only offered in the Fall, however. As of now, math and chemistry are available both semesters. I think physics and CS do not offer exams in the Spring or are on a case-by-case basis.
-Passing grades for Chemistry and CS were 70% and 75%, respectively. CS had an extra clause where you had to one of two questions at the end correct. All were free response.
Unfortunately I do not know as much about the language tests. I’ll try to answer any questions that are left here.
Best of luck to all of you!
**NOTE CHEM 2070/2090 are both 1st semester general chemistry. 2070 is for Arts while 2090 is for Engineering. There is a test for 2nd semester chemistry, CHEM 2080, that you can take to earn another 4 credits. I only took the exam for 2070/2090. Although I do not recommend studying solely from AP, 2070/2090 are analogous to the 1st half of AP as 2080 is to the 2nd half. Both are more in-depth, though, and cover concepts that are not on the AP curriculum. The most surprising concept that appeared on the 2070/2090 test was coordination chemistry.
Hello,
Thanks so much for your post! I found it very helpful. I am planning on taking the Chemistry Placement Exam in August, but I am in dire need of some help. I am in no way a science person, which is why I am hoping to pass this exam and avoid taking the course at Cornell altogether. I did take AP Chem in high school (two years ago), but I did not take the AP Exam. I have a few questions for you, if you don’t mind:
- Where did you find the syllabus for Chem 2070? I know there is one uploaded on Confluence, but if you click on the one for 2070, the one for 2080 actually pops up (the syllabus for 2080 was probably just uploaded twice). Other than that, I have tried looking everywhere for it with no luck.
- You mentioned using a textbook to study for the exam. Which textbook did you use and how did you obtain it? Did you study the whole textbook, or was just studying the concepts outlined in the syllabus enough to pass?
- Speaking of passing, is it enough to get a 70% or better on it? Or does your credit depend on your grade? Also, if I do not pass the first time, is it possible to take it multiple times?
- Do I have to take this exam my first semester at Cornell? Is it OK if I wait until my junior or senior year to take it?
- I know you said that simply studying from the first half of the AP book will not be enough, but do you think perusing an AP book is a complete waste of time, though? If so, are there any other good resources that you recommend?
I think that’s it for my questions (for now). As you can see, I need all the advice I can get! Thank you in advance for your help. I am actually a Communication major and I am not enjoying the CALS requirements of Chem, Bio, etc.! Hopefully I will be able to pass the Chem 2070 exam and not worry about it.
Take care, and thanks once again!
Dang, I’m sorry I didn’t see this until now. I hope my help can still be useful. @citygirl1911
- I used this https://sites.google.com/a/cornell.edu/chem-2090/ but I don't think it was too necessary in the end. Turns out the professor tends to overteach the class.
- If you study the whole textbook (General Chemistry by McQuarrie) you'll be able to pass both tests. If you only care about 2090 then skip advanced acids/bases, thermodynamics, and rate laws. I watched some videos on crystal field theory and looked up orbitals (very important!) but otherwise the textbook was enough.
- Yes, 70% is good enough. The test is pass or fail and your credit will always be the same. You can only take it once. I believe this is true for all CASE exams.
- Nope! I did it in the spring of my freshman year. You can take it whenever but I've heard that if you don't have chemistry credit at a certain point you may get a warning notification that you need it to graduate. It's still advantageous to take it early because freshman have an easier time getting into the class (in case you don't pass).
- Might as well review AP. The textbook at the resources I listed above are your best shot, though. The AP questions are pretty different from the exam questions. Expect more theoretical questions.
Good luck! You should do fine if you prepare well.
Hi @helloworld30123,
I know this is a very late comment, as I am taking the CASE Exam in CS this upcoming Sunday. For the format of this exam, I know it’s 6-7 questions, and you mentioned that “CS had an extra clause where you had to one of two questions at the end correct.” Is one of these questions usually a recursion question, and another a non-recursion question?
Also, is the cutoff 75% overall or per question for CS CASE?
Thank you for your time and energy!
Also, how difficult are the recursion questions compared to Recursion-2 and Recursion-1 in CodingBat? (http://codingbat.com/java)
So is the 2070/2090 exam 2 separate exams going on at the same time, or are they this one grand, unified exam that you have to study both 2070 and 2090 for?