You'll take two placement exams as a part of New Student Orientation—or more, if you choose. Your scores will help your academic advisor recommend appropriate courses for your first semester and develop a plan for future coursework.
Learn about required and optional exams
Required Exams
All incoming freshmen and most transfer students are required to take the Math Placement Exam and a Foreign Language Placement Exam (FLPE). Please be sure to click into each placement exam below for more information, including exemptions.
You are required to complete placement exams at least 72 hours prior to your orientation program. Your academic advisor will interpret your scores and determine your placement levels and course options. Neglecting to take these exams online prior to orientation may disrupt your advising appointment and course registration.
Transfer students who will receive credit for certain levels of classes may be exempt from one or both of the required exams. You will want to check your Transfer Credit Report prior to orientation to determine what IU Bloomington credits you have earned with your previous coursework. You can find more information about IU's Credit Transfer Service on the IU Office of Admissions website.
We currently provide testing in Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Latin, Hebrew, Russian, and Spanish. You may take more than one language exam, but you cannot take the same one more than once. If the language you need to take is not offered, your advisor can provide information regarding the FLPE, including for American Sign Language (ASL).
International students are not required to take the FLPE.
All incoming freshmen must take the Math Placement Exam online prior to your New Student Orientation advising appointment. During your New Student Orientation advising appointment, your academic advisor will provide you with information about the interpretation of your score and placement.
The Chemistry Placement Exam is required for students in science majors who will be taking Chemistry courses as well as students in certain health professions programs. This is an online exam, available now, and must be taken before you can enroll in certain introductory chemistry courses.
Optional Exams
Certain departments offer placement exams to determine advanced placement or credit at IU Bloomington.
Optional exams are offered through Examity, an online proctoring service. Specific information about these exams will be included in your online confirmation page.
IU also awards credit for a variety of College Board Advanced Placement (AP) exams. To be considered for credit, have a copy of your score report sent to the IU Office of Admissions.
Incoming freshmen and transfer students who already possess strong Calculus skills but do not have credit for Calculus may choose to take the Calculus Placement Exam. If a student scores between 20–24 on this exam, they can obtain credit for one semester of Calculus (MATH-M 211) for 4 credit hours and confidently continue studying mathematics at a more advanced level. The exam covers the topics normally taught in MATH-M 211.
Please see the MATH-M 211 course description for more course-related information.
Additional information about other math placement and exemption exams is available on the Department of Mathematics Calculus Placement and Exemption Exams website. A sample Calculus exam can also be found on this website.
The Department of Biology offers two optional exemption exams, one for each of its foundational lecture courses. Students can take both exams, or just one, to earn course credit. Each exam can only be taken once. Consider taking these exams only if you have received excellent grades in two years of high school biology. Academic credit may be awarded for BIOL-E 111 and BIOL-E 112. Credit earned through testing will appear as BIOL-E 111 and BIOL-E 112, and students will earn a grade of S (Satisfactory). This credit satisfies the BIOL-L 111 and BIOL-L 112 course requirements for biology majors and other science majors, but it carries no lab credit. Credit through testing can also apply toward College of Arts and Sciences N&M distribution requirements. The exam covers the topics normally taught in BIOL-L 111 and BIOL-L 112.
More details and links to sign-up for this exam will be available through students’ Orientation Portal and confirmation page, once they have registered for New Student Orientation.
Please see the BIOL-E 111/L 111 and BIOL-E 112/L 112 course descriptions for more course-related information.
Additional information about Biology credit-by-testing is available on the Department of Biology Frequently Asked Questions website. A sample test is not available.
Some international students may benefit by taking the Indiana Academic English Test (IAET). At orientation, your academic advisor will discuss this with you, and, if beneficial, will share how to sign up for this online exam.
Need Testing Accommodations?
If you have a diagnosed disability that affects your performance on timed tests, and you receive testing modifications at your current school or have received extended time on your SAT or ACT exam, you may request testing modifications for placement exams taken as part of New Student Orientation.
You will have the opportunity to indicate that you require testing modifications or similar support during the academic year from Accessible Educational Services (AES). We will connect you with AES to file the proper documentation.