CHEM 115: General Chemistry I Essential Chemistry Concepts CHEMISTRY PLACEMENT EXAM

Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry San Francisco State University 1600 Holloway Avenue San Francisco, California 94132

Chemistry Placement Exam Information

1. What is the purpose of the Chemistry Placement Test?
2. Who must take the chemistry placement exam?
3. When can I take the exam?
4. How many times can I take the exam?
5. How do I enroll in CHEM 100, the college chemistry preparation course?
6. How long is my exam score good for?
7. What is a passing score for the placement exam?
8. How do I find out if I passed the exam?
9. I passed the placement exam, am I in the course?
10. Are there any exemptions to taking the placement exam?
11. I have passed a college-level chemistry course before; do I still need to take the placement exam?
12. I passed the placement exam; what do I do now?
13. What if I require testing accommodations for a disability?
14. I didn't take the exam, but was still able to Touch-Tone enroll into CHEM 115. Do I really need to take the placement exam?
15. What material is on the exam?
16. How can I prepare for the exam?
17. Is there a sample exam?
18. I want to take CHEM 101. Do I need to take the placement exam?
19. What will I need to bring with me to the test?
20. What if I fail the placement test?
21. How will scores on the examination be used?
22. If I think I need CHEM 100, the preparatory course for CHEM 115, do I need to take the chemistry placement exam?

Sample Exam

Examination Dates and Location

Frequently Asked Questions

Who must take the chemistry placement exam?
The chemistry placement exam is mandatory for all students, including graduate/postbaccalaureate students, regardless of prior preparation or experience (including completion of CHEM 100) who plan to take CHEM 115. There are no exceptions! Back to FAQ list

When can I take the exam?
Placement exams are scheduled in January, May/June and August, prior to the start of the semester. There is a fee, payable to the testing center. See the testing center website for examination and registration dates.    Back to FAQ list

How many times can I take the exam?
You can take the exam one time each semester. If you do not pass the placement exam, you will have to retake it at a future date. You can enroll in a college chemistry prep course to prepare you for CHEM 115 and the placement exam. Back to FAQ list

How do I enroll in CHEM 100, the college chemistry preparation course?
If you do not earn a satisfactory score on the placement exam, you should enroll in a Preparation for College Chemistry course. SFSU's College of Extended Learning offers CHEM 100, Preparation for Chemistry; City College of San Francisco offers CHEM 40, Introduction to Chemical Principles; most community colleges offer a similar course. If you want to enroll in CHEM 100, Preparation for Chemistry, contact SFSU's College of Extended Learning for schedule and enrollment information.

Even if you successfully complete one of these courses, you must still take and pass the placement exam to be allowed to take CHEM 115. Back to FAQ list

How long is my exam score good for?
Exam scores are good for one year only. If students pass the placement exam, they are eligible to take the class in the fall, spring or summer semester that takes place during that year.

Example: A student took the exam in June 2007. That student's score is valid for the summer 2007 session, the Fall 2007 semester and the spring 2008 semester. As of June 2008, the student's score has expired, and the student must retake the placement exam if he or she wishes to take CHEM 115 in Summer 2008.

Exams are given in January prior to the start of the Spring Semester; in May/June prior to the start of the Summer session and in August prior to the start of the Fall semester.

Exam Date	Semesters eligible to take CHEM 115
January	Spring semester, summer semester and fall semester of same year
May/June	Summer and fall semester of same year, spring semester of following year.
August	Fall semester of same year, spring and summer semester of following yea

Back to FAQ list

What is a passing score for the placement exam?
The passing score is 17 correct answers out of 44 questions. There is no penalty for an incorrect answer. Back to FAQ list

How do I find out if I passed the exam?
Your placement exam result will be available online through your mySFSU account. Back to FAQ list

I passed the placement exam, am I in the course?
"No." You must enroll in the course, through the Touch-Tone enrollment process or on the first day of class. (Most sections of CHEM 115 are usually filled during the Touch-Tone registration period, and often the waiting lists are also filled.) A passing score on the placement exam does not guarantee enrollment in the course, and no priority of enrollment is given based on an individual's score on the exam. Enrollment is limited by the number of spaces available in the laboratory sections, and determined by the Lab Coordinator. Thus, it is possible that you might pass the placement exam, but not be able to enroll in the section of CHEM 115 that you want. Back to FAQ list

Are there any exemptions to taking the placement exam?
NO, there are no exemptions to taking the placement exam. It is mandatory for all students, including graduate/postbaccalaureate students, regardless of prior preparation or experience (including completion of CHEM 100) who plan to take CHEM 115. Back to FAQ list

I have passed a college-level chemistry course before; do I still need to take the placement exam?
Yes. Everyone who is interested in taking CHEM 115 must take and pass the placement exam, even if you have taken and passed a college chemistry course. There are no exemptions. Back to FAQ list

I passed the placement exam; what do I do now?
Print out a copy of your placement exam score from your mySFSU account and bring it with you to the first meeting of the laboratory. Turn it in to the lab instructor. If you are on the class list, you are in the class. If you are on the waitlist, you are eligible to take the class and will be given a permit number to add the class, if there is space in the lab. This depends on the number of students ahead of you on the waitlist, on the number of students who do not show up for class, and on the number of students who did not pass the placement exam. Back to FAQ list

What if I require testing accommodations for a disability?
Students registered with the Disability Programs and Resource Center (DPRC; 415 338 2472) who require special test accomodations must contact the testing center (415 338 2271) at least one week prior to the exam date. Special accommodations cannot be provided to students who are not registered with DPRC. For general information about SFSU's commitment to provide full and equal access for individuals with disabilities, please see the Disability Programs and Resource Center website. Back to FAQ list

I didn't take the exam, but was still able to Touch-Tone enroll into CHEM 115. Do I really need to take the placement exam?
"Yes," you still need to take the placement exam. Currently, the Touch-Tone registration process is not able to check your chemistry placement exam score. Thus, the system will let any matriculated student add to the class. However, if you have not taken the placement exam, you will be instructor-dropped from the class, during the first week of the semester. Back to FAQ list

What material is on the exam? The chemistry placement exam includes material that we expect all students who have had one year of a good high school chemistry course to know. The exam is a multiple-choice format. A periodic table is provided with the exam. The topics we expect you to have learned include:

• Atomic structure
• Stoichiometry
• Periodic properties
• Chemical formulas and simple nomenclature of compounds and ions
• Mass and mole relationships
• Acid-base chemistry
• Solutions and solubility
• States of matter and phase changes
• Oxidation-reduction reactions
• Enthalpy
• Gas laws
• Qualitative kinetics, equilibrium, and thermodynamics
• Laboratory skills
• Lewis Dot Structures
• Molecular Geometry
• Chemical bonding

How can I prepare for the exam?
You should review the topics listed above using any good high school or college-level, introductory or general chemistry text as a guide and resource. You can also use a study guide for the SAT II Chemistry test or the AP Chemistry test. We suggest that you only review the material that you covered in a high-school or other preparatory chemistry course. Attempting to learn this material for the first time just to take the placement exam is not recommended. This may get you through the placement exam and into CHEM 115, but you'll most likely struggle in the course. Back to FAQ list

Is there a sample exam?
"Yes," we've prepared a sample exam Please note that the sample exam is designed to illustrate the type and degree of difficulty of the exam questions; it does not include questions from all of the topics that will be on the actual placement exam. Simply studying the sample exam questions will not prepare you for the placement exam. Back to FAQ list

I want to take CHEM 101. Do I need to take the placement exam?
"No." The chemistry placement exam is required only for enrollment in CHEM 115. Back to FAQ list

What will I need to bring with me to the test?
You must bring a #2 pencil and your SFSU ID card to the examination. Only non-programmable calculators are allowed. A periodic table is provided with the exam. Back to FAQ list

What if I fail the placement test?
You can't fail the placement exam, because it is simply a measurement of your readiness to take CHEM 115. If your performance indicates that you are not prepared for CHEM 115, then you need to improve your chemistry knowledge before enrolling in CHEM 115. We recommend that you enroll in a Preparation for Chemistry course. SFSU's College of Extended Learning offers CHEM 100, Preparation for Chemistry; City College of San Francisco offers CHEM 40, Introduction to Chemical Principles; most community colleges offer a similar course. If you want to enroll in CHEM 100, contact SFSU's College of Extended Learning for schedule and enrollment information. If you didn't pass the placement exam, you cannot enroll in CHEM 115 for one semester, and you must retake the placement exam prior to enrolling in CHEM 115 in another semester. Back to FAQ list

How will scores on the examination be used?
The chemistry placement exam score is used only to determine which chemistry course you should enroll in. The score is not used in any way to determine your grade in CHEM 115. Back to FAQ list

If I think I need CHEM 100, the preparatory course for CHEM 115, do I need to take the chemistry placement exam?
"No," you don't need to take the placement exam before you enroll in CHEM 100. If you think that you're not prepared to take CHEM 115, then enrollment in CHEM 100 is probably a good choice. Even if you discover that you did have an adequate knowledge of the topics, you will gain experience and self-confidence by taking CHEM 100. If you want to enroll in CHEM 100, Preparation for Chemistry, contact SFSU's College of Extended Learning for schedule and enrollment information. Back to FAQ list

The url for this document is http://www.chemistry.sfsu.edu/placement-info.html
First published: 14 June 2005.
Last updated: 30 May 2007.