To determine the most appropriate placement in mathematics, students without previously-earned, college-level mathematics credit are required to complete the ALEKS assessment. New, incoming students will find a link to ALEKS on their Columbia Connect portals after they submit their tuition deposit.
Continuing students without math placement scores on file can contact Academic Advising at collegeadvising@colum.edu to arrange access to ALEKS.
New and current students access ALEKS with the same login credentials they use for their Columbia email accounts.
ALEKS is not a test—at least not in the usual sense. It’s a dynamic assessment that adjusts to your skill level as you answer questions. The assessment consists of 30 questions. Most students complete it in fewer than 90 minutes, but you’ll have three hours in case you need to take a short break. Once you’ve finished, you’ll have access to learning modules that can help you brush up for your next attempt. That’s right: You can take the assessment more than once—in fact, we encourage you to do that.