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Placement Exams and Assessments

The need to take placement exams depends on your school's unique requirements and your own course objectives. For those taking more than one exam or assessment, we encourage you to plan in advance so you take no more than one per week. 

Do you need to take any placement exams or assessments this summer?

Review your school’s page first for an overview of expectations. Then, view the expandable menus below for an overview followed by exam and assessment descriptions and access links. 

For McCormick Transfer Students

  • If you need to take additional chemistry courses to fulfill your program's degree requirements or wish to have generic Chem 1XX credit rearticulated into specific equivalencies, please see the section below for information about the Initial Chemistry Assessment and Department of Chemistry Placement Exam.

  • If you need to take additional mathematics courses to fulfill your program's degree requirements, please see the section below for information about the Department of Mathematics Placement Exam.

  • For information about your degree program's specific chemistry and math requirements, please refer to your department's section in the current Northwestern University Undergraduate Catalog.

For Transfer Students Planning to Take Chemistry

  • Department of Chemistry initial chemistry assessment
    • Required if you plan to take General Chemistry at Northwestern and have not taken chemistry at your previous institution. 
    • Transfer students with AP Chemistry credit do not need to take this initial assessment, but you will need to take the Department of Chemistry Placement Exam if you plan to take any chemistry courses at Northwestern.   
  • Department of Chemistry placement exam
    • Required if you have taken college-level chemistry before and are seeking to receive other than generic CHEM 1XX credit. Rearticulation to Northwestern course credit may be needed if you are planning to take courses for which general chemistry is a prerequisite.  
    • Access the placement exam by accepting the email invitation to join the Canvas exam page. If you do not find the above exams in Canvas or if you have any questions, please contact f-northrup@northwestern.edu.  

Required for Transfer Students Planning to Take Calculus

Department of Mathematics math placement exam
  • Access the placement exam by accepting the email invitation to join the Canvas exam page.

Any questions? Email calculus@math.northwestern.edu.

Required for Students Planning to Continue Studies in Languages Other Than English or to Verify Language Proficiency

Regardless of your undergraduate school, if you have previously studied a language other than English, you are encouraged to visit the Weinberg College website to learn more about languages offered at Northwestern, language placement exams, and AP exam score applicability. If you have not previously studied the language you intend to take at Northwestern, the language placement exam is not required.

Exams and Assessments


Biology 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 here by July 6. The exam will be offered July 10–23 and can be accessed via Canvas.  

Initial Chemistry Assessment

This assessment is required for transfer students who plan to take General Chemistry at Northwestern and have never taken any college-level chemistry courses nor earned AP Chemistry credit. The assessment can be found under the courses section on Canvas. Every student receives access to the assessment via Canvas and is invited by email. For more information, visit the Department of Chemistry website.  

Chemistry Placement Exam

This placement exam is required if you have taken college-level chemistry before and are seeking to receive other than generic CHEM 1XX credit. If you are planning to take Organic Chemistry at Northwestern, you need to take this placement exam. Transfer students who are required to take this exam do not need to take the Initial Chemistry Assessment. The Department of Chemistry Placement Exam can be found under the courses section on Canvas. Every student receives access to the exam via Canvas and is invited by email. For more information, visit the Department of Chemistry website. 

Language Placement Exam

The Language Placement Exam is required for any transfer student who plans to continue their language study in a language other than English or needs to verify their language proficiency in a language other than English. For information about the Language Placement Exam, proficiency requirements, AP exam score applicability, and language study at Northwestern, see the Weinberg College language requirement webpage. 

Department of Mathematics Math Placement Exam

This placement exam is required for all transfer students who plan to take a calculus course at Northwestern. Every student receives access to the exam via Canvas and is invited by email. For more information, visit the Department of Mathematics website.

Exam Accommodations

If you need accommodations for an online placement exam or assessments, plan to initiate the AccessibleNU (ANU) application process four weeks in advance of your placement test. Please note that foreign language placement exams are not timed.  

Canvas Invitations

Canvas is commonly used at Northwestern for accessing course materials, turning in assignments, viewing grades, and handling other academic tasks. You'll use Canvas this summer if certain online placement exams and assessments are required for you. Every incoming student is emailed an invitation to join the Canvas exam page even if no exams or assessments are required.