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Prior to
taking any college level mathematics course at SPU, students must meet
certain placement criteria. One
way to meet the placement criteria is to take the Washington state
General Math Placement Test (MPT-G). The primary aim of the MPT-G is to help students determine whether they are ready for college
level mathematics and to assist them in selecting the mathematics
courses for which they are best prepared.
This page
contains answers to some common questions about the Math Placement Test:
What is the
Math Placement Test?
The primary
aim of the Math Placement Test (MPT) is to help students determine
whether they are ready for college level mathematics and to assist them
in selecting mathematics courses for which they are best prepared.
The MPT was
originally developed in 1984 by five of Washington's public
universities. In 2007, the Washington State legislature mandated
that all public two-year and four-year colleges and universities in the
Washington adopt the same placement criteria based on the use of the MPT.
While the law does not mandate that private institutions use the MPT, we
have voluntarily chosen to adopt the MPT-G for math placement at SPU.
There are
three versions of the MPT: General, Intermediate, and Advanced.
SPU uses the General Math Placement Test (MPT-G), which is composed
of 35 multiple-choice questions to determine whether students are ready
for first year college math courses.
Do I need to take the MPT?
Prior to
taking any college level mathematics course at SPU, students must meet
certain placement criteria. One
way to meet these placement criteria is to take the Math Placement Test.
In deciding whether or not you need to take the test, consider the
following:
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If you
scored 580 or above on math portion of the SAT or scored 25 or above
on the math portion of the ACT, you do NOT need to take the MPT.
-
If you
transferred in a mathematics course such as Intermediate Algebra or
College Algebra from another college or university, you may not need
to take the MPT. You should check with your academic counselor
in Student Academic Services to determine if the course you took
meets this requirement.
-
If you
have already completed the Mathematics requirement for SPU's
Exploratory Curriculum, you probably do not need to take the MPT.
However, if you intend to take any additional mathematics courses,
you may need to take the MPT. Certain courses in other fields
(such as some introductory courses in chemistry) might also require
you to take the MPT.
If you are
unsure whether or not you need to take the test, please discuss
your situation with your academic counselor in Student Academic
Services.
When/where can I
take the MPT?
The Math
Placement Test will be offered occasionally on campus at SPU, and it can
also be taken daily at the University of Washington.
There will
be one opportunity to take the test on campus at SPU during the 2013
spring quarter:
Registration information for the
spring test date can be found below.
If the time
above will not work for you or if you need to take the test sooner, the MPT can
also be taken at the University of Washington's Testing Center, where it
is typically offered twice each week.
The testing schedule and additional information can be found at
http://www.washington.edu/oea/services/testing_center/exams/placement.html.
If you do take the test at the UW, please make sure that you request the
the MPT-G (General). Once you
have completed the test, you will need to obtain a score report and
submit it to Laurie Mendes in OMH 104.
How do I
register to take the MPT at SPU?
Online registration for
the May 1 test will open on April 11 and close on April 25. To
register to take the test on May 1:
-
Registration & Payment:
There are two options for registration and payment:
-
Online registration with credit card:
Detailed
instructions for online pre-registration for the test can be found
here. When registering online,
there will be a $15 fee for the test which must be paid with
a credit card.
-
In person registration with check or money
order: When registering in person, there will be a
$25 fee which must be paid with check or money order. Fill out
the registration form and return
it to Laurie Mendes in OMH 104 with a check or money order for $25
made out to “APTP” (APTP is the state’s Academic Placement Testing
Program). Please note that cash or credit/debit cards cannot be
accepted.
Money orders can be purchased for a small fee from the 7-11 on
Nickerson Street near campus.
-
Deadlines: Online
pre-registration
and payment for the May 1 test must be submitted by Thursday, April
25.
Seats are limited and will be reserved in the order that the
registration is submitted, so please register as soon as possible.
If the session reaches capacity, online registration will close early. In person registration with check or money order
will be accepted up to the test date if space is available.
-
Test Check-in: Please arrive in the
OMH lobby to check-in for the test by 3:15 on Wednesday, May 1, and bring
a photo ID with you to the test. Students who arrive late or who
do not have a photo ID will not be permitted to take the test.
The test will be complete by 4:45.
This is
the last offering of the test on the SPU campus for the 2012-13 academic
year. The next opportunity to take the test on campus will be in
autumn 2013. If you need to take the test sooner, see the
information above about taking the test at the University of Washington.
Are
calculators permitted on the MPT?
No,
calculators are not permitted on the MPT. All computations must be
done by hand.
Which version
of the MPT do I need to take?
As noted
above, there are three different versions of the MPT. SPU students
should take the General Math Placement Test (MPT-G).
SPU will also accept scores from the MPT-I (Intermediate) if you have
already taken it, but we encourage all students to take the General
test. We do NOT accept scores from the Advanced test for
placement.
What can I do
to prepare to take the MPT-G?
To prepare to
take the MPT, please look at the
MPT-G Sample Problems. Note that these sample problems are NOT
intended to serve as a practice test but only to provide test takers
with an idea of the content and
difficulty of the MPT-G. The correct answers to the problems are shown
on the last page of the booklet.
If I do poorly
on the MPT, can I retake the test?
Yes, students
can retake the test. However, you must wait at least two weeks
before taking the test again, and the test can only be taken twice in
any twelve-month period. Students
retaking the test must take a different version of the test, so please
when you take the retest, make sure that you inform the testing staff
that you have taken the test previously. If you take the same
version a second time, your new score will be invalidated. Also,
students retaking the test will not be able to register using the online
registration system. For more information about registering to
retake the test, contact math@spu.edu.
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