Math Placement Information

First year students without AP calculus credit or previous college mathematics credits will place into one or more of the following mathematics courses:

• MATH 107 Mathematical Reasoning and Its Applications (Fall, Winter, Spring)
• MATH 110 Functions and Algebraic Methods (Fall, Winter, Spring)
• MATH 118 College Algebra for Business (Fall, Winter, Spring)
• MATH 120 Precalculus: Algebra (Fall, Winter, Spring)
• MATH 121 Precalculus: Trigonometry (Fall, Winter, Spring)
• MATH 130 Calculus for Business (Fall, Winter, Spring)
• MATH 131 Calculus for Life Sciences (Winter, Spring)
• MATH 134 Calculus I (Fall, Winter, Spring)

Placement depends upon the student's intended major as well as eligibility criteria. To be eligible to enroll in a course listed in the left hand column, a student must meet at least one of the three criteria in the corresponding row.

(* MATH 121 may be taken concurrently with MATH 131 or MATH 134)  

To take the Placement Exam, the student should call the Mathematics Department at 206-296-5930 to schedule an appointment.

The Mathematics Department Placement Exam has two parts, 30 points on algebra and 9 points on trigonometry. The two parts of the exam are scored separately, so that a perfect score would be 30 T 9, or on Datatel, the score would appear as 3009, the last digit being the trigonometry score. No calculators are allowed during the multiple choice exam.

MATH 121 (Precalculus: Trigonometry) is a co-requisite for both MATH 134 and 131, if a student has not been exempted by the departmental Placement Exam. Because the SAT and ACT exams do not cover trigonometry topics, students scheduled to take MATH 134 (Calculus I) or MATH 131 (Calculus for the Life Sciences) will be required to take a trigonometry exam on the first day of class if they have not already taken the Mathematics Department Placement Exam. If a student does not receive a sufficiently high score on the exam, he or she will be required to enroll concurrently in MATH 121 (Precalculus: trigonometry), which is a 2 credit course. Therefore, if a student is going to be enrolled in MATH 134 or 131 and does not wish to take this additional course, he or she should review trigonometry before the beginning of the quarter. A student may also call the Mathematics Department (296-5930) to take the trigonometry placement exam during pre-registration, to determine whether or not enrollment in MATH 121 is required.

A student who has taken the AP Calculus Exam (AB or BC), and has a score of 3 or better may receive credit for one or more calculus courses. Contact the Office of the Registrar or the Mathematics Department for more information.

AP Placement

A student who has taken the AP Calculus Exam (AB or BC), and has a score of 3 or better may receive credit for one or more calculus courses. Guidelines are given below. Contact the Office of the Registrar or the Mathematics Department for more information.

Advanced Placement AB Calculus Exam:

Advanced Placement BC Calculus Exam:

* Credit for MATH 136 may be granted after consultation with the Mathematics Department Chair.