C117 Chemistry Placement Exam (CPE)
Students who desire to enroll in Chemistry C117 are required to either pass the Chemistry Placement Exam (CPE) with a score of 15 or higher or complete an on-line tutorial review program called ALEKS with 95% overall mastery.
The Chemistry Placement Exam (CPE) is a one hour and fifteen minute timed multiple-choice exam composed of 30 questions on the general chemistry, math, and reasoning skills that will be needed for C117. It is used to evaluate each student's chemistry background and preparation for C117 so that they can be placed into the chemistry course that is appropriate for them. Students may find it helpful to prepare for the CPE by studying chapters 1-4 and sections 9.1-9.4 from the Chemistry 2e free text listed on Open Stax.
The courses that students are placed into based on the CPE are: C103, C117, J117 or H117.
C103 Introduction to Chemical Principles, is a course specially designed to prepare students for C117.
C117 covers basic principles of chemistry and biochemistry.
J117 is a smaller section of C117 designed for science majors that requires a higher CPE score and taught at a deeper and more challenging level.
H117 is the honors section of C117 (Note: H117 is only offered in the fall semester).
The CPE is not an exemption exam. This means you can’t earn credit for, or be exempt from, any course by taking the CPE. However, the chemistry department does offer exemption exams for C101/C121 & C117. For more information on these, please visit the Exemption Exams page.