ALEKS & ACCUPLACER Placement Tests

Students must be admitted in order to take Kent State University placement assessments.

All new students to Kent State University are required to take the ALEKS placement assessment  for mathematics. ALEKS (Assessment and Learning in Knowledge Spaces) is a powerful artificial intelligence based assessment software product, used for the placement assessment. ALEKS zeroes in on the student's mathematical strengths and weaknesses and reports its findings.  

Students will be placed into the mathematics course indicated by their performance on the ALEKS placement assessment. 

Students may improve their placement score by completing a six-week ALEKS learning module, then registering for a reassessment on campus.  Students who score at least 80% mastery in their Learning Module have an excellent chance of improving their scores on an ALEKS reassessment.  This is the only way to change your placement to a different mathematics course.

New students who have current ACT scores will be placed in reading and writing courses according to ACT reading and English sub-scores.

New students who do not have current ACT scores must take ACCUPLACER reading, writing, and mathematics. ACCUPLACER is a comprehensive, self-paced computer testing program that helps place students into appropriate courses and maximizes the information colleges need to promote student success.

  • ALEKS and ACCUPLACER assessment results are used by academic advisors to determine proper course placement.
  • ALEKS and ACCUPLACER are administered at no charge.
  • The ALEKS placement may take up to 90 minutes or more to complete.
  • ACCUPLACER reading, writing, and mathematics may take up to 90 minutes or more to complete.
  • For more information on ALEKS, log into FlashLine / Student / Resources / ALKES & Placement Assessment.
  • Sample test questions in ACCUPLACER reading, writing, or mathematics are available here (PDF). Students who spend time reviewing concepts prior to taking placement assessments tend to earn higher placements.