Chemistry Placement Test (CPT)

Students may enroll in Chemistry 101 or Chemistry 107 if they have passed the CPT with a score of 32 or higher and if they took it within the previous two semesters. The use of a nonprogrammable calculator is permitted during the test.

The CPT is a three-part exam, each section of which is worth 20 points. Part 1 covers elementary algebra, including exponential notation. Part 2 assesses general chemical knowledge. Part 3 evaluates specific chemical knowledge. If you do not obtain a score of 32, then you should enroll in and pass Chemistry 100 to prepare for Chemistry 101 or 107. Do not merely retake the test.

If you have not completed a high school chemistry course or if you completed a class more than two years ago, do not take the CPT. Instead, enroll in Chemistry 100 (Introductory Chemistry) to prepare for Chemistry 101. Completion of Chemistry 100 at CSUN with a grade of "C" or better will automatically qualify you for admission to Chemistry 101. Be aware that approximately one-half of the students who pass the CPT with a score in the low 30s fail to earn a grade of "C" or better in Chemistry 101.

If you want to prepare for the CPT, we recommend that you review standard elementary algebra and high school-level chemistry texts, which are available at most public libraries.

To be exempt from the CPT, students must have a:

• Score of 3, 4 or 5 on the College Board Advanced Placement Test in Chemistry.
• Score of 50 or higher on the General Chemistry Exam of the College Level Examination Program.
• Grade of "C" or higher ("C-" is not accepted) in Chemistry 100 at CSUN.

Students who do not earn a score of 32 or higher must wait three months before retaking the CPT. 

The CPT is generally given the first Thursday of each month. For information on specific exam times and locations, visit the CPT Testing Registration Calendar page.

To register for the Chemistry Placement Test (CPT), visit the Testing Center in Bayramian Hall 190 and fill out a test registration form. Please bring a current, valid government-issued photo ID as well as a credit card (Visa or Mastercard), a check or cash to pay the $5 fee. If you have questions, call the Testing Center at (818) 677-2369.

Accommodations for Students With Disabilities

Alternative testing accommodations, such as extended time, electronic text, readers or scribes, are available through the Disability Resources and Educational Services (DRES) Department to students who have a documented disability and require accommodations to take the exam. If you are not registered with DRES and have a disability, please visit the DRES website to learn about registration procedures. 

To register for the Chemistry Placement Test (CPT), registered DRES students must visit the Testing Center in Bayramian Hall 190 and fill out a test registration form. Please bring a current, valid government-issued photo ID as well as a credit card (Visa or Mastercard), a check or cash to pay the $5 fee. If you have questions, call the Testing Center at (818) 677-2369. DRES will contact the student to verify accommodations and make alternate testing arrangements. CSUN registration deadlines apply to all students, and accommodation requests must be submitted by the registration deadline.

A CPT access pass will be available to print three days prior to your exam date.

Select the box "I need to print my test access pass" from the Testing Center homepage.

Log in to the registration website using your CSUN user ID and password (at the bottom of the page).

• Select the My Registrations tab.

• Locate the test for which you need an access pass.

• Choose the button "Show Access Pass."

• Print your access pass.

Two Weeks Before the Test

• Check your ID.

  • Does your first and last name on your government-issued photo ID match the name on your CSUN student record? Corrections must be submitted to the Office of the Registrar no later than the Friday before your test date. If you file a name change, be sure to notify the Testing Center to ensure it is reflected on your access pass. No changes can be made once the access pass becomes available.

Three Days Before the Test

• Print your access pass from the Testing Center Online Registration webpage to ensure that you have the correct reporting address for the test.

• Check the Testing Center’s website for reporting location directions and a map.

Test Day

• Report to Bayramian Hall Room 190 no later than the start time of your exam. Do not arrive more than 15 minutes prior to your exam time. 
   
• Be sure to allow plenty of time to park and make your way to the Testing Center.

• Bring Page 1 of your access pass and your photo ID to the test.

• Bring a nonprogrammable calculator.

• Do not bring any prohibited items or electronic devices (including cell phones) into the testing room. Possession and/or use of such items is grounds for immediate dismissal from the test.

   

If you have any questions, please contact the Testing Center by calling (818) 677-2369 or via email at testing.center@csun.edu.

Be proactive and think ahead. Do not wait until the last minute to contact us with questions. 

Go to the CSUN homepage.

• Log in to the CSUN Portal.
• From the top navigation, select the Student Services tab.
• From the drop-down menu, choose SOLAR Student Center.
• Under Academics, locate the Other Academic drop-down menu.
• From the drop-down menu, select View My Test Scores.

Scores are available through SOLAR no more than two days after test administration. Scores are not provided over the phone or via email.

Test scores are valid for up to two semesters preceding enrollment in Chemistry 101, Chemistry 101L or Chemistry 107.

In scoring the test, only correct answers are counted. If you have no idea which of the answers to a given question is correct, leave the question blank. If you happen to guess the correct answers to questions you do not understand, you may be advised to take a course for which you are not adequately prepared. Your examination results will be posted on SOLAR one week after the test. 

A CPT score of 32 or higher is required to qualify for Chemistry 101, Chemistry 101L or Chemistry 107.

Test Examples

Review CPT examples to prepare for the test.

Students are to report to Bayramian Hall Room 190 for check in. Visit the Test Reporting Locations Map for driving directions to all CSUN test locations.

• Access pass: Print your access pass within three days of your exam. To do so, visit the Testing Center Online Registration page. Bring the access pass with you to the test. Your access pass includes the following pertinent information: reporting time, reporting address and Testing Center instructions.
  
  The address on the access pass is your reporting address. Test takers are responsible for obtaining directions and arriving at the test location no later than the reporting time. Check the CSUN website for specific directions to the test location as well as for parking information and a campus map. Internet map searches may not provide reliable information specific to the reporting location. On test days where multiple rooms or buildings are used, the address will be a centralized location. You will be directed from there to a specific testing room or building.
  
  For the administrations of the CPT, test takers are required to be at the reporting location no later than their registered test time. Refer to your CPT access pass for the test date and exact reporting time.
  
  Prior to reporting to the test location, carefully read all the pages of your access pass. Only bring Page 1 of the access pass to the test. Your access pass may only be used for the test date printed on it.
  
  If you misplace your CPT access pass, you can reprint it. Visit the Testing Center Online Registration page and log in with your CSUN username and password.
  
  The Testing Center recommends that test takers print out their CPT access pass the night before the exam to ensure that they have the most recent and accurate reporting address for their test. Alternate access passes will NOT be available on test day. 

NOTE: Test takers should expect the test to take as much as one hour and 10 minutes.

• Identification: You must have a current, government-issued photo ID that includes a recent and recognizable photo as well as your first and last name or you will be denied admission.
  
  Acceptable forms of ID include, but are not limited to:

  • Passport book

  • Driver license

  • State- or province-issued ID card

  • U.S. military ID card (Common Access Card, or CAC)

  • U.S. Permanent Resident Card (green card)

  • Canadian Permanent Resident card

  • National ID card

  • Consular ID card

IMPORTANT: Photo ID must contain a recent and recognizable photo, your signature as well as your first and last name. You will not be permitted to access the Testing Center without proper ID. If you have questions about whether your ID is acceptable, contact the Testing Center at least seven days PRIOR to your registered test date for review.

The following items are NOT acceptable forms of ID for access to the Testing Center: Social Security card, insurance card, birth certificate, credit card (including one with a photo), any form of ID that has expired, photocopies of an ID or employee ID (even for government employees) or another college or university student ID.

Test takers may only have pencils and an eraser on the desktop. No electronic devices or timers, except analog wristwatches, are permitted.

You may not bring or use any of the following:

• Electronic timers of any kind.

• Digital watches, alarm watches, beeping watches or calculator watches.

• Cell phones, pay phones, beepers, pagers or personal digital assistants (PDAs).

• Personal computers.

• Photographic or recording devices.

• Listening devices.

• Headsets, iPods or other media players.

• Books, dictionaries or papers.

• Rulers.

• Briefcases, handbags or backpacks.

• Earplugs.

• Weapons or firearms.

• Hats/hoods/beanies (except religious apparel) must be removed when entering the room and placed at the front of the room until completion of the exam.

IMPORTANT: Electronic devices, including cell phones, are not permitted in the test room, and the use of any electronic device is strictly prohibited. Any test taker discovered in possession of or using an electronic device — including, but not limited to, cell phones, pay phones, pagers, iPods, media players or personal computers — will be dismissed from the test, and their test will not be scored. This policy will be enforced from the time test takers arrive until they leave following the test — including restroom breaks. Violations will be grounds for score cancellation, and you may be subject to a CSUN investigation. Testing Center staff assumes no responsibility for personal items.

• Seating: The proctor will assign each test taker a seat. Test takers are not permitted to choose their seats.

• No latecomers: The proctor will not admit anyone after testing begins.

• Restroom use: Use the restroom before checking in; once you are checked in, you will not be permitted to leave until after the start of the test.

• Test administration: The proctor will tell you when to start and stop work.  Start and stop times will be written on the board.

• Time: The proctor will keep the official time. You may bring an analog (nondigital) wristwatch to the Testing Center. No other timers — including electronic and countdown timers — are allowed.

• Testing staff: A proctor will circulate throughout the test room to ensure that examinees are working on the exam and no other materials are in use. 

• Scratch paper: Scratch paper, or any other paper, is not permitted.

• Calculators: You have the option to use either a basic or scientific calculator.

• Hats/hoods/beanies: No hats, hoods or beanies may be worn (except items of religious apparel).

• Handbags, backpacks, briefcases: No handbags, backpacks briefcases, or bags of any kind are allowed in the test room.

• Food and drink: Food and drink may not be consumed during the test. 

• Leaving the room: If you find it necessary to leave the room during the test, raise your hand and obtain permission from the proctor. Your test materials will be collected and held until your return. You will not be permitted to make up time. Use the restroom before reporting to the check-in station; once checked in, you will not be permitted to leave until after the start of the test.

• Testing Center violations or irregularities: The proctor will report any Testing Center violation or irregularity that occurs during the administration of tests.

• Testing materials: All testing materials, including test booklets and answer sheets, are the property of the CSUN Testing Center and must be returned to the proctor before dismissal from the test. Under no circumstances may test content or any part of the test be removed, reproduced or disclosed by any means (e.g., hard copy, verbally, electronically) to any person or entity. Legal action may be taken against anyone who removes or reproduces test materials in any way or shares CSUN test content.

• Creating a disturbance: Disruptive behavior will not be tolerated. The test supervisor has the sole discretion to determine what constitutes disruptive behavior. The test supervisor is authorized to dismiss any test taker who causes a disturbance.

When you take the CPT, it is your responsibility to report all instances of suspected cheating on the part of any test takers and any other inappropriate behavior that becomes known to you.

You are an important part of protecting the CPT and ensuring a fair test environment. Cheating impacts everyone. If you believe that you have information about actual or potential test security violations, contact the Testing Center immediately.

If you engage in any test center violation or irregularity during the test — such as creating a disturbance; giving or receiving help; working on or reading the test during an unauthorized time; removing test materials or notes from the test room; taking part in an act of impersonation or another form of cheating; failing to follow the directions of Testing Center staff; or using books, ear plugs, rulers, papers or other aids, you may receive a warning, be dismissed from the test room, have your test score canceled by the Testing Center and be subject to other penalties for Testing Center violations or irregularities.

Test takers who violate Testing Center regulations, including, but not limited to, those listed below, may be subject to a warning notice, dismissal from the Testing Center or cancellation of their test score. Test takers may have their cases referred for further investigation to the Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs.

1. Attempting to take the test for someone else or having someone take the test for you.
2. Obtaining or attempting to obtain improper access to the test,  part of the test or information about the test.
3. Creating a disturbance. Disruptive behavior in any form will not be tolerated; the test supervisor has sole discretion in determining what constitutes disruptive behavior.
4. Removing or attempting to remove test content from the Testing Center.
   NOTE: Under no circumstances may test content or any part of the test content, including the topic sheet, be removed, reproduced and/or disclosed by any means (e.g., hard copy, verbally, electronically) to any person or entity. This includes making notes on paper, erasers or other items and removing them from the Testing Center. Legal action may be taken against anyone who removes test materials and/or reproduces test materials in any way.
5. Bringing a weapon or firearm into the Testing Center.
6. Leaving the Testing Center vicinity during the test session or during a restroom break. Test takers may not leave the building or the floor where the test room is located.
7. Leaving the test room without permission.
8. Reading, working on, marking or erasing in the test booklet during unauthorized times, either beyond time limits or before the start of the test.
9. Copying or other forms of cheating.

The Testing Center has adopted a no-tolerance policy concerning the possession of electronic devices. Under no circumstances are test takers permitted to bring electronic devices into the test area. Test supervisors and staff are advised NOT to hold such items and are instructed to dismiss any test taker found in possession of or using an electronic device. Such devices include, but are not limited to:

• Electronic timers of any kind.

• Electronic cigarettes.

• Digital watches, alarm watches, beeping watches or calculator watches.

• Cell phones, pay phones, beepers, pagers or personal digital assistants (PDAs).

• Personal computers.

• Photographic or recording devices.

• Listening devices.

• Headsets, iPods or other media players.

Any test taker found in possession of or using an electronic device will be dismissed from the Testing Center and their score will be canceled.