Testing Services

Testing Services administers and coordinates Placement Testing in English (Reading and Writing) and Mathematics (Basic and Advanced). Testing Services is located on the 5th floor of the C Building (Sachs Administration Building). Students must register in person or by phone before taking the test.


Office Hours

Monday - Thursday: 8:00 am - 5:00 pm
Friday: 8:00 am - 4:00 pm

Contact us at 773-442-5293 or testingservices@neiu.edu.

Accessibility: Please notify us in advance if you need wheelchair access for testing.

Placement Test Schedule - Summer 2013 (pdf)

Find out more about:

Registering for the Placement Test

Registration for all Placement Tests can be done in person at Testing Services located on the 5th floor of the C Building, by calling at 1-773-442-5293, or via email to testingservices@neiu.edu. Please refer to the current Math and English Placement Test schedule for the testing dates. Any cancellations or changes must be made 48 hours in advance. A student who fails to appear 3 times for his/her appointed time will not be eligible for further registration of the test but will have to rely on walk-in availability.

Make sure you familiarize yourself with policies and procedures of Testing Services before taking the test.

Placement Test Start Times

The Math, Writing, and Reading Placement Tests are expected to start based on the following schedule. For instance, if the official Placement Test schedule states that there is a Placement test starting at 9:00 AM on one Saturday, the Math portion begins at 9:00 AM, followed by Writing at 10:20 AM and Reading at 11:00 AM. The entire test session ends at 12:10 PM.

No test starts earlier than the time specified, and there might be a slight delay due to the check-in process. However, students are strongly advised to arrive at the test site at least 20 minutes before the stated start time. Nobody will be admitted once the test has begun.


Time Stated on Schedule 12:00 NOON 9:00 AM 6:00 PM
MATH begins at 12:00 noon 9:00 am 6:00 pm
WRITING begins at 1:20 pm 10:20 am 7:20 pm
READING begins at 2:00 pm 11:00 am 8:00 pm
Test session ends at 3:10 pm 12:10 pm 9:10 pm


Placement Test Results & Interpretation


Getting your results

Math and Reading Results will be available approximately 1 week after the test. Writing Results will be available approximately 2 weeks after the test.

Students may get their results in one of several ways:

During Orientation: New students who are attending Student Orientation will meet with an Academic Advisor who will have their results.

Via NEIUPort: Your results will be available through your NEIUPort account.

  • 1. Log into NEIUPort http://neiuport.neiu.edu
  • 2. Go to the Current Student Tab
  • 3. In the Registration Tools channel, click on View Test Scores

In Person: Students may come in person with a photo ID to Testing Services located on the 5th floor of the C Building, open Monday-Thursday 8 am-5 pm and Friday 8 am-4 pm.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Test results MAY NOT be given over the phone or by email, only the methods above.


Interpreting your results

Use this pdf file to interpret your Placement Test results.

For further questions regarding course selection, meet with an Academic Advisor.

The Math Placement Test

The Math Placement Test (MPT) evaluates your initial course readiness to be successful in mathematics at Northeastern Illinois University. The university does not allow students to register for any mathematics course without prior testing (MPT or ACT) or college-level coursework. If a student wants to retake the test then the student will have to wait for one calendar year.


Freshmen

All entering freshman students are given two options for placement into a math course: ACT Math score or the Math Placement Test (MPT). Freshmen who submit ACT scores to the university can be placed directly into a math course solely based on their ACT math score. They also have the option of taking the Math Placement Test (MPT), in which case the university will use the higher of the two scores for placement into a math course. Since there is no penalty to taking the MPT, freshmen are strongly encouraged to do so, particularly if they took a math course in their senior year of high school.

The Math Placement Test is designed as Basic and Advanced.

  • Freshmen with Math ACT scores of 21 or less are given the Basic MPT and 22 or higher are given the Advanced MPT.
  • Freshmen who do not submit ACT scores must take the Basic MPT.
  • Freshmen who receive a score of '3' or higher on the AP Calculus test are not required to take the MPT.

Transfers

Transfer students who have not successfully completed college-level coursework in mathematics at their prior institution are required to take the Math Placement Test.

The exceptions to this policy are:

  • Transfer students who receive a grade of 'C' or better in Intermediate Algebra at their transfer institution do not need to take the MPT. However, since Intermediate Algebra is not a college-level course, they will be required to provide proof of course completion in the form of a transcript to the Mathematics Department, in order to obtain permission to register for additional math courses at NEIU.
  • Transfer students who have submitted their ACT scores can be placed into a math course solely based on their ACT math score.

For more information on math placement based on MPT results or ACT scores click here.


Preparing for the Math Placement Test: The Practice Test

The Math Placement Test is a two-part exam where you get 30 minutes to finish each part. Since this is a once-a-year opportunity, students are strongly encouraged to review for the MPT. Click below to download practice tests (pdf files):

Basic: Elementary Algebra and Intermediate Algebra

Advanced: Intermediate Algebra and Pre-Calculus

Please note: Calculators are not allowed to be used during MPT.

The English Placement Test

The purpose of the English Placement Test (EPT) is to place students in appropriate English classes so they can not only satisfy the University's English composition requirement, but also so they can be prepared for their general education and major courses.


Who needs to take the English Placement Test?

The English Placement Test (EPT) is given to all incoming freshmen and transfer students who have not successfully completed ENGL 101 or an equivalent course at their previous institution. The EPT is divided into two parts: a writing test and a reading test.

Not all students are required to take the reading portion of the EPT. Students who enter the university with an ACT reading score of 20 or higher, will be excused from taking the reading portion of the English Placement Test but they still need to take the writing portion.

If a student wants to retake the test, he or she will have to wait for one calendar year.

Click on reading (pdf) or writing (pdf) for more information about the test.