<p>Does anybody know what happens if we do badly on the Placement Exam scores for Biology, Chemistry, Math, and Physics? (as in literally failing) Which one of these are optional? </p>
<p>Also, do we have to take placement exams twice--once during orientation and once online? I know the chemistry placement is online, but what about orientation?</p>
<p>Thanks for the help~ I've read so much information that I'm really confused.</p>
<p>Chemistry placement online and Physics placement on paper (you’ll be sent it) are pretests which all freshman have to take. The Orientation tests are optional and are to place out of freshman classes.</p>
<p>Biology – optional; for advanced placement into higher-level biology courses (instead of Bio 52)</p>
<p>Chemistry – online one is a pretest over the Summer; for credit in Core Chemistry</p>
<p>Math – optional; for credit in Core Math</p>
<p>Physics – paper one is a pretest over the Summer; for credit in Core Physics</p>
<p>I believe the actual Chemistry placement exam is during orientation. The one online is a “proficiency test” to make sure you remember basic chemistry topics, so it doesn’t affect placement. (I’m not sure what happens if you fail it…)</p>
<p>For physics, your score on the summer mail-home test affects your placement into Mechanics in the spring. During orientation (or one of the first weekends of the school year), you’d take another test. The combination of those scores determines if you end up in Physics 24, 24A, or place out of 24 altogether. So for this one, it doesn’t matter if you fail it.</p>
<p>As for bio and math, they are optional, as Fiona said.</p>
<p>I don’t know if they’ve changed it, but as a general rule, if it’s during the summer, it’s a mandatory proficiency test. If it’s during orientation, it’s an optional placement test.</p>
<p>If you do less than well on a proficiency test, they’ll probably invite you to a once a week workshop to help you with that subject.</p>
<p>To clarify re: Physics/Chemistry I refer to the summer ones as pretests to distinguish them from the ones held during Orientation.</p>
<p>From reading the instructions for the summer Chemistry test, it seems like it’s supposed to test stuff you should have learned in regular high school chemistry. Did I misinterpret it?</p>
<p>what topics are covered in the chemistry and physics tests that are given AT school?
The chemistry proficiency quiz that are given online covered only basic stoichiometry and atomic theory.
Probably only about 2~3 chapters worth of materials.</p>
<p>If I remember correctly, the on campus chemistry test was fairly similar to the AP or SAT II Chemistry test (all multiple choice, I think). So, it basically covers all of the topics that you would have learned in an AP Chem course (Kinetics, Acid/Base, etc… I barely remember any of this, sorry). I gave up on that test halfway through since it had been over a year since I’d taken AP Chem and I didn’t remember much of anything. However, if you did well on the AP or IB exam and you’re crazy enough to study for it before orientation, then you probably have a good chance of doing well.</p>
<p>@esquiar: What do you consider “less than well”?</p>
<p>uhh, I dunno what the professors want. But they hardly expect you to ace the tests.</p>
<p>Does ‘pretest’ mean we have to do well on it to be allowed to take the placement test? Or is it a review tyoe thing?</p>
<p>I’m wondering because the letter that came with the physics placement, test, it says that if you do well enough, you will be “encouraged” to take a placement test once school starts, and that the summer test is part of what determines placement.</p>
<p>Also because I still need to take the chem proficiency quiz. D:</p>
<p>Yes, if you do well on the first part of the mechanics placement test, they’ll encourage you to take the second part. But anyone can take the second part, even if you weren’t encouraged to do so. I don’t actually know if people placed into 24A/out of mechanics altogether if they didn’t score high enough on the first part to get “encouraged.”</p>