Weinberg College
of Arts & Sciences

Placement Exams and Credit Transfer

PLACEMENT EXAMS

Weinberg College places students in classes on the basis of their preparation and/or performance on exams such as the AP or IB or an exam administered by Weinberg’s biology, chemistry, language, or math departments.

Most Weinberg placement exams are offered online and can be taken any time between June 1 and July 31.  Many students need to take more than one placement exam. Our best advice is to start early and take no more than one exam per week.

Students planning to take any Northwestern chemistry course must take an initial Chemistry Assessment, even if they have taken AP or IB examinations in chemistry. 

• The exam is administered on Canvas. Invitations to the Canvas site will be sent directly to students starting on June 1. 
• Access the Initial Chemistry Assessment under the courses section on Canvas.
• If you do not see this exam when you log into Canvas after June 1, please email chemhelp@northwestern.edu for assistance.
• For more information on the initial assessment and courses for first-year students, visit the Department of Chemistry website.

This placement exam for Chemistry is required in addition to the initial chemistry assessment for students planning to take Accelerated General Chemistry (CHEM 171), Organic Chemistry (CHEM 215), or Organic Chemistry for Majors (CHEM 217), regardless of any credit earned through AP or IB examination. The exam is administered on Canvas.  Invitations to the Canvas site will be sent directly to students starting June 1.

• If you do not see this exam when you log into Canvas after June 1, please email chemhelp@northwestern.edu for assistance.
• Complete by July 31.

The Math placement exam is required for all Weinberg students planning to take any Northwestern calculus course, even students with high AP or IB scores.  The exam is administered on Canvas. Invitations to the Canvas site will be sent directly to students starting on June 1. 

• Access the Math Placement Exam under the courses section on Canvas.
• If you do not see this exam when you log into Canvas after June 1, please email calculus@math.northwestern.edu for assistance.
• Complete by July 31.
• For more information, visit the Department of Mathematics website.

Biological Sciences Placement Exam:  This optional exam is recommended for students with a strong background in biology who think they could be ready for BIOL_SCI 202 Cell Biology. The exam covers core competencies in the molecular biology subject area and goes further than most high school AP/IB biology classes. Any student interested in taking this exam should sign up by July 5 through this link: https://forms.office.com/r/GDKavZWtnG. The exam will be offered July 15–28 and can be accessed via Canvas.  

• Access the optional Biology Placement Exam under the courses section on Canvas.
• The Canvas site will become available July 11. If you have signed up for the exam and do not see the site when you log into Canvas after July 11, please email biosci@northwestern.edu for assistance. 

Language placement policies and procedures vary by department and apply to students with prior knowledge of languages other than English, acquired through high school study, home use, self-study, etc.  Language Placement Exams are not administered via Canvas. 

• Review how your background in a specific language determines the need to take a language exam at Language Placement page. Click on a language name and carefully read ALL information on the page. Contact the placement coordinator for any inquiries. 
• Deadlines to complete the online language placement test vary:
  • Arabic, Chinese, German, Hebrew, Portuguese, Turkish: by July 15.
  • Japanese online test available only 7 a.m.-9 p.m. (CDT) from July 14 to July 20.
  • Other online placement tests: by July 31.
  • *Note that the Korean online test will open on July 1.
• Complete follow-up testing as directed. 

AP and IB exams

If you took Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate exams, consult the AP/IB credits chart for information on whether you have earned credit for your scores. For a complete explanation of Weinberg's policies regarding the us of AP and IB credit, see our AP/IB Exams pages.

If you took college courses while in high school, you may be able to transfer those credits to Northwestern. Read more...