All students are required to take the English Placement Test unless they transfer a course that has been evaluated as a direct equivalent of Temple's English 0802 or 0812.* The English Placement Test consists of one written essay.

• Students should review Topic Sheet I and Topic Sheet J which are provided here in advance so they may prepare. (60 minutes)

Each topic sheet contains four topics to choose from. A well prepared student would choose one of the topic sheets and then be ready to write an essay on any of the four topics on that sheet. At test time, students will be asked to choose one of the two topics assigned by the exam proctor.

Print one of the topic sheets (Topic Sheet I or Topic Sheet J). Read the exam directions carefully and with these in mind, look over the four topics. Feel free to make notes. This preparation will allow you to get to work immediately when you begin the test because you will have given some thought to each of the potential topics.

Click here to view sample essays that we recommend you read to get an idea of the standards that will be used to judge your work. The topic sheets (Topic Sheet I and Topic Sheet J) are available on this website for you to print out a copy. It is extremely important to have the topic sheet when you take the exam, since exam readers will expect you to refer directly to the ideas in the prompts.

Your job is to help the exam readers understand both the writer’s ideas and your own ideas on a particular issue. In this test, readers are not interested in whether you have the “correct” position on an issue. To place you properly in the First-Year Writing Program, readers need to see how well you read a passage, explain the writer’s argument, and present your own argument in an organized essay with relatively few grammatical errors.

Click here for additional information, sample topic, and sample passing and failing essays.

Please bring one topic sheet (Topic Sheet I or Topic Sheet J), when you come on-campus to take your English Placement Test.

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* Transfer students who completed an English placement test at their previous institution and tested out of their previous institution’s English Composition or comparable requirement may be waived from the English 0802 requirement if they have documentation of their placement and have successfully completed a higher level English/Writing course.  Acceptable documentation includes an official letter from the university’s Registrar, advising unit, a faculty member, or other appropriate university official.

The Math Placement Exam is a multiple-choice examination and is required for all freshmen and transfer students who are not transferring a credit-bearing, QA/QB designated Math course. Additionally, the following students (regardless of transfer credits) are required to take the Math Placement Test:

• all students within the Division of University Studies (DUS)
• all students in a major within the Colleges of Science and Technology, Engineering, Education or the Fox School of Business and Management
• all students considering or required to take Math 1021 or higher
• all students considering or required to take a Science course with a Math 1021 or higher prerequisite

You will not be allowed to use calculators during this exam.  We encourage you to review basic arithmetic and algebra skills so your test scores accurately reflect your ability and enable your advisor to determine the appropriate course. Also, some students may choose to use the services of an online in-depth Math review program called MyMathTest. 

The items on the Math Placement Exam range in difficulty from arithmetic and algebra to calculus readiness, and include the following:

The results of the Math Placement Exam will be used to place students in the appropriate math course.  These courses may include:

Suggestions for review
We encourage students who are scheduled to take the Math Placement Exam to review basic arithmetic and algebra skills so that their test scores accurately reflect their ability and enable their advisor to determine the appropriate course assignment. Here are some suggested texts for more extensive review:

1. Integrated Arithmetic and Algebra, 2nd edition, by Bill E. Jordan and William P. Palow, Addison Wesley
2. College Algebra and Trigonometry, 7th edition, by Raymond A. Barnett, Michael R. Ziegler, and Karl E. Byleen, McGraw Hill
3. College Algebra, 7th edition, by Michael Sullivan, Prentice Hall
4. College Algebra and Trigonometry, 7th edition, by Michael Sullivan, Prentice Hall
5. College Algebra and Trigonometry - Basics through Precalculus, by John Schiller and Mary Wurster

Math Placement Review Items - This PDF file contains 37 review items that were developed by the Temple University Mathematics Department to help specifically identify and review the concepts and skills needed to succeed on the current Math Placement exam. The items test your current grasp of important mathematical concepts and techniques and reflect the core content areas of the current Math Placement exam. Once you've attempted to answer the review items, look at the Answer Key to see how well you did and to determine in what areas you need further review.

Freshmen and transfer students who previously studied a foreign language and are not transferring a credit-bearing, college-level foreign language course are required to take the Foreign Language Placement Test if they are -

• in a Bachelor of Arts program in the College of Liberal Arts, College of Science and Technology, or Tyler School of Art
• a Communication Sciences major within the College of Health Professions and Social Work
• an International Business Administration major within the Fox School of Business and Management

OR

• interested in taking a foreign language course at Temple

Each exam is multiple-choice and tests basic skills in Language Usage (choosing the appropriate word or phrase to complete a sentence) and Reading Comprehension (interpretation of passages written in that language).

The examinations are offered in the following languages: French, German, Modern Greek, Italian, and Spanish.

If you have previously studied another foreign language and wish to be tested in that language for a waiver, it may be possible to arrange testing. The Foreign Language Waiver Form and Procedures for Applying for a Foreign Language Waiver can be found on the Office of the Senior Vice Provost for Undergraduate Studies website at www.temple.edu/vpus/forms.