Placement Exams

Initial Chemistry Assessment

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.

Chemistry Placement Exam

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.

Math Placement Exam

The 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.

Policies and procedures for language placement vary by department.  To determine whether you need to take a placement exam, check the information for that language on the Language Resource Center’s Language Placement page. Be sure to read all the information carefully.

Please note that:

• The deadline to complete an online language placement test is July 31.
• Some exams are only available for a limited period; others are available any time. See Purple Prep for details.
• Students who miss the July 31 placement deadline may not be able to register for classes in the language they are planning to study

The Biological Sciences Placement Exam may place students into our Research Track Core Series, an enriched version of the Biological Sciences Core curriculum designed for students with a strong interest in scientific discovery and research. Following the same thematic content as the standard Core sequence (BIOS 201-202-203), this track emphasizes the scientific process, including how research questions are developed, investigated, and answered.

Through reading primary research articles and learning the methodologies behind major biological discoveries, students develop a deeper understanding of both biological concepts and the scientific method. This approach provides greater insight into how scientific knowledge is generated and prepares students for future research experiences and careers in science.

Students may take the Biological Sciences Placement Exam via Canvas. The exam will take up to 90 minutes and will be available from October 16-25th, 2026.

Students interested in taking the Biological Sciences Placement Exam for possible placement into the Research Track Core Series should indicate their interest on this form before 10/10/2026.”