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Placement Testing at Kenyon

Placement examinations and questionnaires are administered for the purpose of assisting you in selecting the appropriate courses given your background and experience. They are not meant to create unnecessary anxiety for you, so relax and approach them in the spirit in which they are intended. Placement examinations are given according to the published schedule on Monday, August 26.

Modern and ancient languages: Proficiency/placement examinations in French, German, Latin, Italian, and Spanish will be given on Monday, August 27. All students who have studied French, German, or Spanish must take the exam unless they have received a score of 3, 4, or 5 on the Advanced Placement (AP) exam, or a score of at least 540 on the SAT II exam. If you do not have prior experience with the language you wish to study, you do not need to take the proficiency/placement exam. Simply enroll in the introductory course for that language. Students wishing to demonstrate proficiency in a language other than French, German, or Spanish should contact Prof. Mary Jane Cowles, chair of the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures. Students with questions regarding Latin should consult with Prof. Adam Serfass or come to the Latin placement test on Monday, August 26 at 8:00 a.m. Those with questions regarding Italian should consult Prof. Patricia Richards and come to the Italian placement test on Monday, August 26 at 8:00 a.m.

Chemistry: All students who plan to take a chemistry course during their first year should take the readiness exam during orientation week by Monday, August 26. The exam is available online at http://chemistry.kenyon.edu and can be taken any time after you have received your Kenyon network ID.

Mathematics: If you are not certain whether you are prepared to take mathematics at Kenyon, there is a math readiness exam on Monday, August 26, from 4:00 to 5:30 p.m., in Higley Auditorium. This exam is self-graded, and there will be mathematics faculty available at the exam site to help you interpret your score.

If you have never taken any calculus and are uncertain whether you have the precalculus background needed to begin in Calculus A, you might consider taking the calculus readiness exam. If you have taken some calculus but do not have an AP or IB exam score which reflects your experience, you should take the calculus placement exam. Please note: If you have AP or IB (or transfer) credit for calculus, you do not need to take this placement exam.

The math exams take place on Monday, August 26, at 4:00 p.m., at the following locations:
Math readiness examination: Higley Hall Auditorium
Calculus readiness: Higley Hall Auditorium
Calculus placement: Hayes Hall 109

Music: In order to take MUSC 121-122 (Music Theory), you must first take MUSC 101 (Basic Musicianship). If you have any experience in music theory, we invite you to take the music theory placement test on Monday, August 26 at 9:00 a.m. If you pass this exam, you may place out of MUSC 101 and we will recommend that you take MUSC 121-122.

In order to take other music theory courses or any music history courses numbered between 123 and 394, you must first take (or place out of) MUSC 101 and have taken MUSC 102 (Introduction to Musical Style) and any other course prerequisites. (MUSC 102 may be taken concurrently with MUSC 121 or 122.) MUSC 101 and MUSC 102 are open to everyone.

Note: If you are planning to take individual music lessons or participate in a department ensemble, you need not take the placement test or MUSC 101/MUSC 102.

Biology: Scores of 4 and 5 on the Advanced Placement test receive 0.5 units of credit. Students with AP 5 receive credit for BIOL 115 and the department recommends beginning with BIOL 116. Those with AP 3 or 4 should start with BIOL 115. Students who have not taken the Advanced Placement course in biology but believe they have had an equivalent course should consult with the Biology Department chair, Wade Powell.

Other departments: Information about placement for courses in other departments and programs will be presented at the Academic Department Fair on Monday, August 27, as listed in this booklet. Feel free to attend various presentations or to visit the different academic program tables, collect information, and have your specific questions answered.