When should I take a math course?

The math department recommends that students take a math course during their first semester at VCU because many programs at VCU require some level of math as a prerequisite and many courses outside of the math department have math as a prerequisite. If you do not want to take or cannot take a math course your first semester please speak with your advisor.

Do I have to take the math placement test?

Students who only need to complete MATH 131 for their degree, or who wish to start in MATH 129, do not need to take the math placement test. Any student that needs to take the College Algebra Sequence, or higher, will need to take the math placement test unless:

1. They are submitting AP or IB exam scores to VCU.

2. They have math credits from another university/college that either satisfy their degree's math requirements or satisfies the prerequisite for their next math course.

3. They are submitting their SAT or ACT scores to VCU and are content with the course they placed in based off of their standardized test score(s).

Using AP Scores as a math placement score

If you earned a score of 2 on either the AP Precalculus or the AP Calculus exam administered by College Board in the last 5 years (2020 - 2025), you are eligible to earn a math placement at VCU. Before considering taking the math placement test, we recommend sending your AP Scores directly to VCU. Please see the table below to determine your math placement level based on your AP score.

Exam	Score	VCU Placement Level	Courses Eligible to Enroll in
AP Precalculus	2	151	MATH 151, STAT 210, BUSN 212, MATH 310
AP Calculus AB/BC	2	200	MATH 200, MATH 211, CMSC 255, STAT 212, BUSN 212

Using SAT and ACT score(s) as a math placement score

If you plan to, or have already sent, VCU your standardized test scores please do so first before considering taking the math placement test in ALEKS. Please see the table below to determine what your math placement level will be based on your standardized test score(s) and the year you took the test(s).

SAT/ACT taken in 2023 - 2025:

If you took the SAT or ACT in the years between 2023 and 2025 a math placement score will automatically generate for each test score officially submitted to VCU. 

SAT Math Score	ACT Math Score	VCU Placement Level	Courses Eligible to Enroll in
Below 530	Below 21	131	MATH 129, MATH 131
530 - 570	21 - 23	141	MATH 141, STAT 208
580	24	139	MATH 139, MATH 141, STAT 208
590 - 640	25 - 28	151	MATH 151, STAT 210, BUSN 212, MATH 310
650+	29+	200	MATH 200, MATH 211, CMSC 255, STAT 212, BUSN 212

SAT/ACT taken in 2020 - 2022:

If you took the SAT or ACT in the years between 2020 and 2022 we can provide a prerequisite override for the eligible math course as long as your scores are posted onto your VCU account.

SAT Math Score	ACT Math Score	VCU Placement Level	Courses Eligible to Enroll in
Below 560	Below 23	131	MATH 129, MATH 131
560 - 600	23 - 25	141	MATH 141
610	26	139	MATH 139, MATH 141
620 - 670	27 - 30	151	MATH 151, MATH 310
680+	31+	200	MATH 200, MATH 211

If you have taken the SAT or ACT and have not officially sent VCU your scores, you can follow these steps to send your SAT scores and follow these steps to send your ACT scores. Your scores can take 2-3 weeks to post onto your account after you send them, so it is recommended to be proactive in sending your scores.

If you have submitted your scores to VCU but are not satisfied with the math placement level based on your standardized test score, please complete the Math Placement Test Follow Up Questions [Google Form] to see what your next steps are.

When should I take the math placement test?

The math department recommends you not take the placement test until the semester prior to enrolling in a course that requires an active math placement score because you only get one attempt at the test and math placement scores are valid for one year. For first-year students who plan to take math in their first semester and need to take the math placement test, it will make sense to take the math placement test prior to enrolling in your first semester courses at VCU.