Resources

Assessment and Learning in Knowledge Spaces (ALEKS) Placement Testing


Learn about the ALEKS placement test at UMass Lowell.

00:00 – 00:05
Title screen on a white background displaying the UMass Lowell logo—a large stylized letter "U" superimposed over a black "M" graphic, above bold text reading "UMASS LOWELL". Below the logo, centered text reads: "Hello and welcome to the UMass Lowell community."

00:05 – 00:13
Cut to Professor Matthew Beyranevand speaking in an office setting. He is a middle-aged man with short brown hair and a light beard, wearing a light green polo shirt. Mounted on the wall behind him is a large map of the world to his left, and a framed diploma from the University of Massachusetts to his right. A blue graphic bar in the lower-left identifies him: "Professor Matthew Beyranevand, Department of Mathematics and Statistics". The UMass Lowell logo appears in the bottom-right corner.

00:13 – 00:22
Wide shot of a female student with long brown hair and glasses sitting at a wooden dining table in front of an open MacBook laptop. Using the trackpad with her right hand, she navigates through tutorial screens on the "Proctored Placement Assessment" portal, which displays instructions and icons for math entry tools (fractions, square roots, exponents, drawing lines) and a "Tools Help Button" graphic.

00:23 – 00:35
Return to Professor Beyranevand speaking in front of the world map and diploma.

00:36 – 00:53
Full-screen capture of the online ALEKS placement assessment interface. A cursor clicks the "Next" button at the bottom-left to cycle through several onboarding slides:

  • "Welcome to your Placement Assessment!" with an illustration of a head containing a pie chart.
  • "Before you take your Placement Assessment remember:" listing bullet points to have pencil and paper ready and avoid outside help.
  • "How will I enter my answers?" showing an interactive grid of toolbar controls for fractions, square roots, exponents, erasing, undoing, and drawing lines on a graph.
  • "Tools Help Button" showing a question mark icon.
  • "What if I don't know the answer?" showing an "I Don't Know" button.
  • "Before you start your Placement Assessment, remember:" detailing rules (up to 25 questions, 2h 30m time limit, max 2 attempts, no partial credit).
  • The cursor clicks a checkbox stating, "I have read the placement directions and I understand that my institution's 'Honor Code' applies to this Placement Assessment," and then clicks "Get Started."

00:54 – 00:58
Return to Professor Beyranevand speaking.

00:59 – 01:03
Medium shot of the student seated at the wooden table. She picks up a single sheet of white paper from a stack next to her pencil, turns it over to show both sides are completely blank, and places it back down on the table.

01:04 – 01:07
Return to Professor Beyranevand speaking.

01:08 – 01:12
Over-the-shoulder shot from behind and to the side of the student, demonstrating the required camera setup for online proctoring. The camera angle captures her side profile, hands, blank paper, pencil, and the laptop screen on the wooden table.

01:13 – 01:16
Return to Professor Beyranevand speaking.

01:17 – 01:21
High-angle close-up shot of the student holding a yellow wooden pencil and writing math notes on the white paper beside her open laptop.

01:22 – 01:38
Return to Professor Beyranevand speaking.

01:39 – 01:47
A white slide with bold black text appears:
"Questions about ALEKS or mathematics placement?"
Below it, contact details fade in:
"Email: mathematics@uml.edu"
The UMass Lowell logo remains in the bottom-right corner.

01:48 – 01:50
Return to Professor Beyranevand giving final closing remarks.

01:51 – 01:54
Outro slide showing the UMass Lowell logo graphic on a white background, which fades out to black.

About ALEKS Placement Testing

Use the link below to request an in-person ALEKS Placement Test. This link is for all incoming and current UMass Lowell (UML) students who are required to take the placement test.

Incoming UMass Lowell Students

This link should be used by any incoming student who needs to take the ALEKS Placement Test, whether it is your first or second attempt. If this is your second attempt, you must complete all assigned learning modules in your ALEKS account before scheduling another test.

Please make sure you have completed all required steps before requesting your ALEKS Placement Test.

Current UMass Lowell Students

ALEKS scores expire after one year. Current UML students are allowed one new ALEKS attempt per year, and all new attempts must be completed in person in the Math and Statistics Department.

Please note:

  • ALEKS scores expire at the end of the academic year.
  • You may sign up for an available testing date after you have completed your math final exam.
  • Students who do not have a math final exam may sign up during the week before finals week.
  • There is no in-person ALEKS testing during finals week.

Please plan accordingly when scheduling your ALEKS attempt.

If you have any questions, please email mathematics@uml.edu.

Request ALEKS placement test

You will receive an email within 24-48 hours of submitting a test request acknowledging or denying your request. 

Student Employment Opportunities

Students with work-study funding who are interested in positions in the Department of Mathematical Sciences should contact Department Assistant, Cori Lee by email: Cori_Lee@uml.edu.