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School of Arts and Sciences
Freshman Placement Exam Overview
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Exam Time
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| English |
90 minutes |
| Algebra |
90 minutes |
| Trigonometry |
25 minutes |
| Foreign
languages* |
60 minutes |
| Music Theory |
60 minutes |
| * The French, Spanish
and German exams are online exams. We highly recommend
completing these exams before attending your PittStart
session. To learn more about taking these exams online,
click
here. |
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| Exam |
Special Notes |
English Writing
(Required) |
You
are only exempt from the English
writing exam if you scored 600 or
higher on the verbal/critical reading SAT. The 600
verbal/critical reading SAT score will not exempt
any student from the English Composition
requirement. If your verbal/critical reading SAT score
is 600 or higher, you will be placed
into Seminar in Composition (0200).
In order to be exempt from the English Composition requirement and be awarded AP credit for English Composition 0200, you must score a 5 on the AP English test and score 600 or higher on the verbal/critical reading portion of the SAT test. No credits will be awarded until we receive official notification from the testing service.
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Algebra
(Required) |
You are only exempt from the algebra placement exam if you scored 600 or higher on the math SAT, or if you earned a grade of C- or better in Math 0220 or 0120 in our College in High School program, or if you were awarded AP calculus credit. |
Trigonometry
(Optional) |
If you took trigonometry in high school and plan to take calculus in college, you should take this exam, even if the math portion of your SAT score is 600 or higher. (Note: calculus is required for majors in math, computer science and any of the natural sciences.) You may NOT USE a calculator for this exam.
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Foreign Language
(Optional) |
Students who wish to continue studying the same foreign language they took in high school should take
these exams. French, German and Spanish exams are taken online via the link above. Please print your
score after taking the online placement test and be sure to bring the score to your advising/registration
session during PittStart.
Testing in the other languages include: Italian, Latin, Portuguese, Russian.
(Note: students who have completed 3 years of study in a single foreign language in high school with an average grade of C or
higher are not required to complete the foreign language course requirement in college.)
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Music Theory
(Optional) |
If you are considering a major or minor in music, you should take this test. A sufficient score will exempt you from the required Preparation for Music Theory class. |
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English Writing
The English writing placement test is designed to measure your ability to read and understand college-level material and to write a thoughtfully coherent response. You will be given 90 minutes to read a short passage and write an essay in which you will be asked to explain what the writer of the passage is saying about a particular issue, and respond to that writer’s view and issue in terms of your own knowledge and experience.
In order to be exempt from the English Composition requirement and be awarded AP credit for English Composition 0200, you must achieve a score of 5 on the AP English test and score 600 or higher on the verbal portion of the SAT test. No credits will be awarded until we receive official notification from the testing service.
During the first week of classes every student in an English Composition
class will be given a diagnostic exam. Based on your performance on this
exam, you may be required to add a one-credit tutorial (Composition Tutorial
0201) designed to help you resolve specific issues in your writing at
the basic level.
Algebra
The algebra exam is designed to determine whether you have acquired the
algebraic skills sufficient for college-level quantitative
courses. The five-part, 90-minute exam covers problems ranging
from elementary to advanced
algebra. The 45 problems cover the following material:
algebra of rational numbers; operations with algebraic
expressions; linear equations and inequalities;
factoring and algebraic functions; exponents and radicals;
graphing and distance; fractional and quadratic equations
and inequalities; functions
and their graphs; complex numbers; absolute values; and
systems of equations and exponential and logarithmic functions. Calculators
are permitted, but
books and notes are not. You
must bring your own calculator. We strongly recommend that you review
for this exam.
To view sample algebra and English placement exams, click here.
Trigonometry
The trigonometry placement test is a 25-minute, 15 question exam that tests definitions of trigonometric functions, right angles, evaluation of special angles, related angles, radian measure, graphing, identities, laws of sines and cosines, trigonometric equations and arc functions. No calculators, books or notes are permitted.
Foreign Language
Students who wish to continue studying the same foreign language they took in high school should take these exams. Students
who have completed 3 years of study in a single foreign language in high school with an average grade of C or higher are not required to
complete the foreign language course requirement in college.
Exams are offered in French, German, Italian, Latin, Portuguese, Russian and Spanish. All exams, except the French,
Spanish and German tests, are one-hour reading exams that include multiple-choice questions, completion of sentences with words or
phrases, questions about the content or meaning of a passage and recognition of grammatically correct forms of words or phrases. You
are encouraged to review first and second-year language texts before taking the exam.
Note: The French, Spanish and German exams are online exams that
you must complete before attending your PittStart session. To learn more
about taking these exams online, click
here.
Arts and Sciences Placement Exam Questions Contact:
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Barbara Mellix
Assistant Dean and Director of Academic Advising
412-624-6444
Mellix@pitt.edu
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