UW-System Math Placement Test

Contents of the Mathematics Placement Test

Since 1978, UW system faculty and Wisconsin high school teachers have been collaborating to develop a test for placing incoming students into college Mathematics courses. The current test includes three sections: math fundamentals, advanced algebra, and trigonometry and analytic geometry. Each campus determines the appropriate scores for entry into specific courses.

General Characteristics of the Test

1. All items are to be completed by all students. The items are roughly ordered from elementary to advanced. The expectation is that less prepared students will answer fewer questions correctly than more prepared students.

2. The test consists entirely of multiple choice questions, each with five choices.

3. The test is scored as the number of correct answers, with no penalty for guessing. Each item has only one acceptable answer. This number correct score is converted to a standard score between 150 and 850 for the purposes of score reporting.

4. The Mathematics Placement Test is designed as a test of skill and not speed. Ample time is allowed for most students to answer all questions. Ninety (90) minutes are allowed to complete the test.

5. The math fundamentals component has a reliability of .89. The advanced algebra component has a reliability of .88. The trigonometry and analytic geometry component has a reliability of .85. For all three sections, items are selected of appropriate difficulty to provide useful information within the range of scores used for placement throughout the System campuses.