Math Placement Assessment

APU uses the ALEKS PPL system to determine the best initial math placement for most students. Students who need to use ALEKS are encouraged to take an initial diagnostic assessment at home, and then work in their personalized Prep and Learning Module to review. They will then be able to retake the assessment up to four times in order to achieve their best possible score.  

Math Course Prerequisites

Prerequisites for common math courses are as follows:

Course(s) Prerequisite(s)
MATH 90: Foundations of Mathematical Reasoning ALEKS 15-29
MATH 95: Intermediate Algebra ALEKS 30-44 or MATH 90
MATH 99: Self-Paced Mathematics Lab ALEKS 0-29
MATH 115: Mathematics in Society
MATH 130: Introduction to Statistics		 ALEKS 30-100 or MATH 90
MATH 110: College Algebra
UNRS 299: Statistics and Data Management for Nursing and Health Care		 ALEKS 45-100 or MATH 95
MATH 149: Fundamentals of Precalculus
MATH 150: Precalculus
ALEKS 60-100 or MATH 110
MATH 151: Applied Calculus I ALEKS 65-100 or B- or better in MATH 110
MATH 165: Calculus I ALEKS 75-100 or MATH 149 (which may be taken concurrently) or MATH 150

Math Test Score Equivalents

The table below shows how various test scores translate into APU math placement and/or course credit:

Scores Results
  • SAT Math (640 or higher on NEW version)
  • SAT Math (620 or higher on OLD version)
  • ACT Math (27 or higher)
  • High School Calculus (at least one semester with a grade of B or higher)
  • High School Precalculus (at least one semester with a grade of A- or higher)
 Treated as if you have passed MATH 110 College Algebra at the level of a B- or higher
  • CLEP College Algebra, Precalculus, or Calculus (50)
  • IB Mathematics (5, 6, or 7)
  • AP Calculus AB or BC (3, 4, or 5)

 Treated as if you have passed MATH 110 College Algebra at the level of a B- or higher; credit granted
  • AP Statistics (3, 4, or 5)
 Credit granted for MATH 130 Introduction to Statistics
  • ALEKS (65-100)
 Treated as if you have passed MATH 110 College Algebra at the level of a B- or higher
  • ALEKS (60-64)
 Treated as if you have passed MATH 110 College Algebra at the level of C or higher (fails to meet the grade minimum of B- required as a prerequisite for CHEM 151 or to apply to any of the majors in the School of Business and Management other than the BA in Business Management)