Spring 2021: New CHEM 115 Placement Requirements
Please read the following information carefully, since the requirements for CHEM 115 are significantly different due to remote learning. For the Spring 2021 semester, the Chemistry and Biochemistry department will be using the homework system ALEKS, to create a Preparation Assignment, rather than a placement exam.
More information is now available. Please read carefully below. Please be patient as we adjust.
If you are pursuing a major that requires CHEM 115 in your program, the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry asks you to prepare and self-assess your prior math and chemistry knowledge using a homework-type assignment before starting the course. Our Preparation Assignment involves a "knowledge check," which is exam-like, and homework problems that include important skills needed for 115. The great benefit of this assignment is that you can review and study, such that your entry into CHEM 115 is not dependent simply on a single, timed "placement exam". Enrollment at the appropriate level (CHEM 100 vs. 115) is of great benefit to students, leading to more rewarding and successful experiences in their chemistry courses. In particular, the department requires that students complete the Math and Measurement problems to enroll in CHEM 115.
Your CHEM 115 instructor will be sending you information with how to sign up for ALEKS and do the Preparation Assignment.
Registration & Preparation
Students can register for CHEM 115 before taking the Preparation Assignment. The demand for seats in CHEM 115 is high and the class typically fills by the end of priority registration. Students should plan to register for CHEM 115 even if they have not yet taken or finished the Preparation Assignment. If you are not on the class list or the wait list of the course by the start of the semester, you are not guaranteed a spot in the course even if you complete the Preparation Assignment.
Take the Preparation Assignment as soon as it's available during summer/winter break.
We recommend taking the Preparation Assignment as soon as it's available. If you do want to study before taking the Preparation Assignment, a detailed study guide is available here: Sample Chemistry 115 Placement Exam (PDF)
It is useful to read a textbook or your old notes while doing the assignment portion of the Preparation Assignment. Any good high school chemistry text or a college-level introductory or preparatory chemistry text (for example the free online book at OpenStax) will have the material needed to study for the Preparation Assignment. You can also use a study guide for the SAT II Chemistry test or the AP Chemistry test.
FAQ
You must take and complete the Math and Measurement sections of the Preparation Assignment (available through ALEKS). We HIGHLY encourage you to work on the chemistry topics, to self-assess your preparation for CHEM 115. Your math readiness will be determined by the CSU.
The purpose of this assignment is to prepare you to take CHEM 115 and assess your prior knowledge of important topics needed for general chemistry at SF State. The assignment ensures you have mastered knowledge from basic algebra and are comfortable with topics from high school chemistry. If you are not ready, SF State offers a preparatory course, CHEM 100. The Preparation Assignment is the first CHEM 115 assignment.
Students who have passed CHEM 100 do not have to complete the Math and Measurement sections to stay in CHEM 115, but are encouraged to work on the Preparation Assignment, as it is the first homework of the semester. The Preparation Assignment is mandatory for all other students, including graduate / post-baccalaureate students, regardless of prior preparation or experience. Students who have not taken and passed CHEM 100, must complete the Math and Measurement sections of the assignment. CHEM 100 at SF State will help prepare you to take CHEM 115 and complete the Preparation Assignment.
Students who are planning to take CHEM 100, CHEM 101 or CHEM 180 do not have to take the CHEM 115 Preparation Assignment.
Student with a 3 or higher on the Chemistry AP exam and students who have passed CHEM 100 are not required to complete the Math and Measurement sections of the CHEM 115 Preparation Assignment.
Yes. If you have taken and passed a college chemistry course elsewhere, you must take and complete the CHEM 115 Preparation Assignment given at SF State. Likewise, if you have taken and passed a chemistry placement exam at a different institution, you must take and complete the CHEM 115 Preparation Assignment given at SF State.
Once you take the "knowledge check," you will have passed out of some topics in the review assignment portion of the Preparation Assignment. Then, you can do problems on the assignment to build up mastery of the required number of topics (problems) in the first assignment. Thus, there is no need to take the Preparation Assignment multiple times. If you would like to reset your "knowledge check" please contact ALEKS support. You will have to retake the Preparation Assignment each semester that you try to enroll in CHEM 115.
Students registered with the Disability Programs and Resource Center (DPRC), (415) 338-2472, who require special test accommodations must contact the testing center, (415) 338-2271, for assistance with the Preparation Assignment. Special accommodations cannot be provided to students who are not registered with DPRC. For general information about SF State's commitment to provide full and equal access for individuals with disabilities, please see the Disability Programs and Resource Center website.
Do not wait to take the Preparation Assignment. CHEM 115 will fill during the priority registration period which occurs before students have completed the Preparation Assignment. You should register for the course first, and then take the Preparation Assignment. If you do not register for the course during priority registration, there may be an opportunity to add to the CHEM 115 waitlist during the final registration period.
The chemistry Preparation Assignment includes material that we expect all students who have passed one year of a good high school chemistry course to know. The "exam" part of the Assignment may also include questions that will be taught in CHEM 115. If you do not know how to solve these questions, you can click "I don't know" and it will not significantly impact your score. Note if you click "I don't know" for every question, you will not "pass out of" any topics.
You can review the topics listed above using any good high school or college-level, introductory or general chemistry text as a guide and resource, but really you should just take the Assignment when it becomes available. If all the topics are new to you, please take CHEM 100 first.
There is no sample exam, since the Preparation Assignment is available through ALEKS.
Our Preparation Assignment involves a "knowledge check," which is exam-like, and an assignment that includes important skills needed for 115. The Preparation Assignment is part of the ALEKS learning and assessment system.
Since the Preparation Assignment is more than an exam, there is no "passing" score. You must complete the Math and Measurement section of the Preparation Assignment in order to enroll or stay enrolled in CHEM 115 (unless you have already passed CHEM 100).
You will need to retake the Preparation Assignment every summer or fall to enroll in CHEM 115 in fall or spring semesters.
Please review the information on the ALEKS website or contact ALEKS help to understand how many of the first assignment topics you have mastered.
There is no placement exam. Please read more about the Preparation Assignment in this document.
If you are registered on the class list, you are in the course. Attendance in the laboratory is mandatory for the first two weeks of class. Any student who is absent from the lab, even if they completed the Preparation Assignment, will be dropped and the next qualified student in attendance added in their place.
If you are on the wait list for a section and completed the Preparation Assignment, there is no guarantee that you will be able to add the class. Enrollment is limited to 24 spaces in the laboratory sections. Thus, it is possible that you might completed the Preparation Assignment, but not be able to enroll in the section of CHEM 115 that you want.
Attendance in all components of the class is mandatory for the first two weeks of class. Any student who is absent from any one of the components, even if they completed the Preparation Assignment, will be dropped and the next qualified student in attendance added in their place. Whether or not you get an add permit for the class depends on the number of students who do not show up for class, and on the number of students who did not complete the Preparation Assignment. Students may be added out of order of the waitlist, depending on class level and major.
Attend the section you are waitlisted for and do not attend multiple sections hoping to get a seat. The lab coordinator monitors enrollment in all sections of CHEM 115 and will make the final determination in who gets to add. Lab instructors have no authority to promise seats to any students.
Attend the section of the course you wish to add. Do not attend multiple sections hoping to get a seat. The lab coordinator monitors enrollment in all sections of CHEM 115 and will make the final determination in who gets to add. Lab instructors have no authority to promise seats to any students.
Attendance in all components of the class is mandatory for the first two weeks of class. Any student who is absent from any one of the components, even if they completed the Preparation Assignment, will be dropped and the next qualified student in attendance added in their place. Whether or not you get an add permit for the class depends on the number of students who do not show up for class, and on the number of students who did not complete the Preparation Assignment. Students may be added out of order of the waitlist, depending on class level and major.
You cannot fail the Preparation Assignment. If you take the "knowledge check" and do not pass out of many topics, you can work on the assignment, to master more topics. Working on the assignment should help you decide if you want to take CHEM 100.
No. The chemistry Preparation Assignment is required only for enrollment in CHEM 115.
No, you don't need to take the Preparation Assignment before you enroll in CHEM 100. If you think that you're not prepared to take CHEM 115, then enrollment in CHEM 100 is probably a good choice. Even if you discover that you did have an adequate knowledge of the topics, you will gain experience and self-confidence by taking CHEM 100. If you want to enroll in CHEM 100, Preparation for Chemistry, use SF State's "Search Class Schedule" webpage for schedule and enrollment information.