Mathematics Placement Test and Placement System
Who Must Take the UTC Mathematics Placement Test
Students with an ACT Mathematics subscore of 23 or less (SAT Mathematics of 550 or less) must take the UTC Mathematics Placement Test. Students who have transferred the equivalent of Math 105, 106, 131, 136, 144, 145, or 151 with a grade of C or above do not need to take the UTC Mathematics Placement Test.
Students with an ACT Mathematics subscore of 24 or greater (SAT Mathematics of 560 or greater) may elect to take the UTC Mathematics Placement Test in order to place into a higher level mathematics course.
Students may take the UTC Mathematics Placement test only once.
How to Determine Appropriate Mathematics Courses
Students may use the higher of either their UTC Mathematics Placement Test Level or ACT Mathematics subscore to determine their eligibility for a mathematics course. The following table should be used in conjunction with the mathematics requirements for a specific major and with prerequisite course requirements to determine a student's first mathematics course.
For sequential courses, including Math 105-106-131-136, Math 105-106-144-145-151, and Math 105-106-215-216, students may, under unusual circumstances, start with a lower level course than the course listed in the following table. In no case may a student start with a higher level course.
The Mathematics Department strongly encourages students to enroll in a mathematics course during their first year at UTC. Success in mathematics requires that students remember specific skills learned in previous mathematics courses.
Math
| Math Placement Test Levels | ACT Math Subscore | Math Course |
|---|---|---|
| 05 | less than 19 | Math 105: Elementary Algebra1 |
| 15 | 19 - 21 | Math 106: Intermediate Algebra1 |
| 20 | 22 - 36 | Math 123: Mathematics in Our Modern World2, 3 |
| 20 | 22 - 36 | Math 210: Introductory Statistics4 |
| 20 | 24 - 25 | Math 131: College Algebra3 |
| 20 | 24 - 25 | Math 215: Mathematics for Elementary and Middle School Teachers I |
| 20 | 24 - 25 | Math 144: Precalculus I3 |
| 30 | 26 - 36 | Math 136: Calculus for Management, Life, and Social Sciences3 |
| 30 | 26 - 36 | Math 145: Precalculus II3 |
| 30 | 26 - 36 | Math 216: Mathematics for Elementary and Middle School Teachers II3 |
| 40 | 28 - 36 | Math 151: Calculus I3, 5 |
Notes:
1. Math 105 and 106 are developmental courses that do not count toward degree requirements.
2. Students with an ACT Subscore of 22 or 23 will be required to take Math 106 (a developmental course) if their major requires a mathematics course other than Math 123.
3. Math 123, 131, 136, 144, 145, 151, and 216 satisfy the General Education Mathematics requirement. These courses also fulfill mathematics requirements for some majors.
4. Math 210 satisfies the General Education Statistics requirement; it does not satisfy the General Education Mathematics requirement. (Certain majors may require a different statistics course for the General Education Statistics requirement.)
5. To be eligible for Math 151, students must have the equivalent of at least a semester of high school trigonometry.
Students placed in Math 106, Intermediate Algebra, may elect to participate in Step Ahead, a short course to prepare for College Algebra. For more information, visit www.utc.edu/Academic/DevelopmentalMath.
Reading
Students with an Enhanced ACT composite score of 18 or better (SAT total of 840 or above) are exempt from the reading course. Students with an Enhanced ACT composite score of 17 or lower must enroll in Education 105.
Freshman students without the Enhanced ACT or the SAT must take the reading placement exam. Students with a raw score of 49 or lower may be required to take University Studies 100 after completion of Education 105.
Foreign Language
All incoming students who have three years or more of high school study in a single foreign language (and no college level study of the language) and who wish to continue study in that language will be required to take a placement test to determine their level of competence in that language. A student may begin study of the language at the level determined by the placement exam.
New Student Registration
During orientation sessions, students will receive academic advisement and register for courses. In most cases, students who have declared a major will be advised in the major departments. Students who have not yet declared a major will be advised by personnel from the Advisement Office. In addition to meeting with their major department, student athletes should also meet with staff in the Athletic Department to verify compliance with NCAA regulations.
Advisement begins after the placement exam results are available. Each student will receive a RAP sheet and will meet with an academic advisor to determine the student's courses for the upcoming semester.
