The Mathematics Placement Exam (MPE) an online assessment administered through Stemify. The exam has 33 questions on topics that are considered essential to Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education and is offered online and can be accessed from any location where internet access is available (instructions on how to access the MPE are at the bottom of this page).
The topics covered on the MPE can be broadly classified into the following: Solving equations, Manipulating expressions, Functions, Exponential and Logarithmic functions, Trigonometry, Graphs, and Word Problems.
It is highly recommended that students review mathematical concepts previously learned in high school before taking the exam. Students have continued access to the MPE’s Learning Library located through Stemify.
Students have a maximum of three (3) attempts per semester to earn a qualifying score on the MPE, with a 48-hour cool down period between attempts. While students have five (5) hours to complete an exam once started, they are not allowed to close and restart the exam.
The completion of the entire exam is on average about 90 minutes (each student has their own pace).
The results of this exam will determine if students are qualified to enroll in Pre-Calculus (MATH 1060Q) and Calculus (MATH 1131Q and 1132Q – including Honors) courses at UConn.
Who needs to take the MPE?
Any Undergraduate student who elects to enroll in Pre-Calculus and/or Calculus I and II courses at UConn will be required to take the assessment.
Please note all students admitted to the Hartford campus (First-Year & Transfer) are required to complete the MPE despite their major. Please follow the directions in your Orientation Reservation.
According to the University Catalog, the prerequisites for enrolling in the following courses are as follows:
- MATH 1060Q (Pre-Calculus) Enrollment Requirement: A qualifying score of 17 or higher on the MPE must be on record.
- MATH 1131Q (Calculus I and Honors) Enrollment Requirement: A qualifying score of 22 or higher on the MPE must be on record.
- MATH 1132Q (Calculus II and Honors) Enrollment Requirements: A qualifying score 22 or higher on the MPE and MATH 1131Q credit or AP credit for Calculus I must be on record.
Students either in or are planning to declare one of the following majors are required to earn credit for either Pre-Calculus or Calculus in order to complete their degree:
| Plan | Required MATH Course(s) | Plan | Required MATH Course(s) |
| *Allied Health Sciences | 1060Q or higher | Marine Sciences | 1060Q or 1131Q |
| *Animal Science, B.S. | 1060Q or higher is recommended | Mathematics-Actuarial Science | 1131Q & 1132Q |
| Biological Science, B.S. | 1131Q & 1132Q | Mathematics-Actuarial Science-Finance | 1131Q & 1132Q |
| **Business Majors | **see below | Mathematics (Applied Math, Math, Math-Stat, Math-Phys) |
1131Q & 1132Q |
| Chemistry | 1131Q & 1132Q | Molecular and Cell Biology | 1131Q & 1132Q |
| Cognitive Sciences, B.S. | 1131Q & 1132Q | *Natural Resources | 1060Q or 1131Q |
| Computer Science | 1131Q & 1132Q | *Pathobiology | 1060Q or higher is recommended |
| Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, B.S. | 1131Q & 1132Q | Pharmacy Studies | 1131Q |
| Economics, B.S. | 1131Q & 1132Q | Physics | 1131Q & 1132Q |
| Engineering majors | 1131Q & 1132Q | Physiology and Neurobiology | 1131Q & 1132Q |
| Environmental Sciences | 1131Q & 1132Q | Pre-Applied Data Analysis and Pre-Statistical Data Science | 1131Q & 1132Q |
| *Exercise Science | 1060Q or 1131Q | Pre-Teaching (Biology Ed, Chemistry Ed, Earth Science Ed, Physics Ed, Mathematics Ed) | 1131Q & 1132Q |
| Geography, B.S. | 1131Q & 1132Q | Psychology, B.S. | 1131Q & 1132Q |
| Geographic Information Science, B.S. | 1131Q & 1132Q | Statistics | 1131Q & 1132Q |
| Geoscience, B.S. | 1131Q & 1132Q | Structural Biology and Biophysics | 1131Q & 1132Q |
| German (Eurotech), B.S. | 1131Q & 1132Q | B.S. = Bachelor of Science degree | |
If your major is listed here but you have confirmation that you already have credits on record for the MATH courses required for your major, and you do not intend on retaking them, then the MPE is not necessary.
If your major is not listed above, that means Pre-Calculus and Calculus are not required for your undergraduate degree, therefore you don’t have to take the MPE because you don’t have to enroll in those particular math courses. However, if you are a student in the Academic Center for Exploratory Students (ACES) and are considering or have an interest in any of the majors listed above, it is advised that you take the placement so that you have the option to register for Pre-Calculus or Calculus courses in the future.
*The College of Agriculture, Health and Natural Resources (CAHNR) would like for those marked majors above to take the MPE since these courses are so common.
**While students in the School of Business are not required to earn credit for either Pre-Calculus, Calculus I or Calculus II in order to complete their degree, it is strongly recommended that all students majoring in the School of Business complete the MPE with a score of 22 or higher for proper preparedness for the Business curriculum.
There are no substitutions for the MPE requirement when trying to enroll in Pre-Calculus and Calculus.
Matriculated undergraduate students who fit into the following categories still must have a qualifying MPE score if they want to enroll-in or retake either a Pre-Calculus, Calculus I, or Calculus II course at UConn:
- Students with high SAT scores.
- Students in the UConn Honors Program.
- Students with AP Math exam credits. Students should consult the Undergraduate Admissions Office website to verify AP Math equivalencies.
- Students in UConn’s ECE (Early College Experience) Mathematics Program.
- Students transferring to UConn from other institutions. Some mathematics courses do not transfer in exactly as our MATH 1060Q (Pre-Calculus), MATH 1131Q (Calculus I) and/or MATH 1132Q (Calculus II). Students can find more information about transfer credits by visiting the Undergraduate Admissions Office website.
- Students currently at UConn who want to take Pre-Calculus or Calculus and did not already receive a qualifying score on the MPE.
What is a qualifying score?
- A minimum score of 17 is required to enroll in Pre-Calculus (MATH 1060Q).
- A minimum score of 22 is required to enroll in Calculus (MATH 1131Q or 1132Q – inlcuding Honors).
Students have a maximum of three (3) attempts per semester to earn a qualifying score on the MPE. Students who fail to earn qualifying scores after their first attempt are STRONGLY advised to spend time on the preparatory and Learning Library before re-taking the MPE. Therefore, there is a two-day waiting or cooling off period between attempts. The Learning Library has video instruction on individual topics, extra problem sets and targeted built-in assessments. Once a student earns a qualifying score on any of the attempts, the student has met the requirement to register for Pre-calculus and/or Calculus courses. Consequently, the student no longer needs to take any additional mathematics placement after earning a qualifying score.
If students fail to earn a qualifying score after a third attempt, they will need to:
- Continue with the learning library throughout the semester and register for the desired calculus course the following semester.
- Retake MPE again after October 1st (spring semester) or March 1st (summer/fall semester). Students will then be given three additional attempts to earn a qualifying score.
- If students repeatedly fail to earn a qualifying score after multiple efforts, they are advised to consult with their academic advisor and discuss their choice of major.
NOTE: Although students will see their MPE score instantly upon completion in Stemify, scores are only posted to UConn’s Student Admin System (SAS) on Monday-Friday at 12:00pm (noon). So you may have to wait a little while before the SAS will allow you to enroll in a MATH course.
What is the cost for the MPE?
There is no fee associated with the MPE currently.
How do I take the MPE?
The MPE is offered online via Stemify. Students will need to sign in with their NetID and password. Upon access through the link, you’ll click the “Continue with UConn” button. The menu is located to the left corner of your screen (three lines) and it will provide you access to the Learning Library and Placement.
NOTE: Although students will see their MPE score instantly upon completion in Stemify, scores are only posted to UConn’s Student Admin System (SAS) on Monday-Friday at 12:00pm (noon). So you may have to wait a little while before the SAS will allow you to enroll in a MATH course.
What if I need help?
For Technical Support regarding the exam, please reach out directly to support@stemify.ai
For Advising questions, contact the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences Academic Services Center at 860.486.2822 or clasasc@uconn.edu.
Students with a documented Disability who need to request accommodations should contact the Center for Students with Disabilities at 860.486.2020.