Placement Testing

Incoming students must complete the mathematics and world language placement exams from home. No outside books or other resources can be used while taking these exams. Not taking placement tests could impact your ability to register for certain courses.

World Language Placement Tests

All students must complete at least one course at or above the Intermediate II level (104) in a world or classical language to fulfill Loyola’s core curriculum. Students are welcome to take Loyola’s online language refreshers (non-credit, free-of-charge) to review their language skills before taking the placement exam.  Online language refreshers are available through ASPIRE.

Instructions for taking the placement tests are available below:

• Chinese, French, German, Italian, and Spanish
• Latin
• Arabic

For Arabic only: when you receive your placement test score, please email it to Dr. Inas Hassan in World Languages. Students may be asked to write a small paragraph or two on any topic and then schedule an oral interview to determine final placement.

Students who place higher than the 104 level on Loyola’s language placement test may be exempt from the world language core requirement, pending confirmation from Loyola’s Modern Languages and Literatures department after a proctored on-site placement test. For more information, please visit the Language Core page.

Please visit the Language Learning Center site for the dates and times that the proctored placement test will be available.

Math Placement Tests

All students are required to take at least one course in mathematics or statistics to fulfill Loyola's core curriculum (except MA*005).

Instructions for taking the math placement test are available below:

1. Login to the math placement test through ALEKS.
2. Enter your Inside Loyola login credentials when prompted. In the “user name” field, enter your full Loyola student email address. (e.g. jdoe8@loyola.edu)
3. Take the ALEKS survey and introduction tutorial. (approx. 5 minutes)
4. Once you begin the placement test, you have 48 hours to finish it. You can pause and restart as many times as you need during that time.
5. Go slow and read each question carefully. The placement test is adaptive, so if you get a question wrong it will usually give you an easier question to follow up.
6. You can retake the placement test after you do five (5) hours of work on the practice modules that the test provides. You must finish the test before you have access to the practice modules.

Accessible Version

Students who need an accessible version of the exam should log in using this link: ALEKS Accessible Version and then follow the instructions above.

Placement results will be discussed with an advisor during orientation.

Students who complete or retake the exam after orientation will need to notify AASC at 410-617-5050 so that AASC can update the scores in the system.

Experiencing technical issues with the exam?