Placement Exam Guidelines

Congratulations on joining the Pitt Business! We’re excited to welcome you to campus. There are a few things you need to know in order to make sure you are ready to successfully enroll in classes.

Academic Advising

To help in preparing you to enroll in courses, Pitt Business and your academic advisor will be providing important information for planning your first semester. It is important that you work closely with your advisor in order to ensure that you enroll in the best possible array of courses. Make sure to check your Pitt student email address frequently!

Placement Exams

First of all, don’t panic! These tests are simply tools that help to determine the courses that are your most appropriate starting points for various subjects. Your success is important to us, and that means registering for classes in which you will have every opportunity to perform well and learn.

Please complete any of your online placement exams as soon as possible to ensure your timely enrollment.
Carefully read the guidelines in the grid below so that you can determine which placement exams apply to you.
If you have questions about placement exams, contact your academic advising center.

Please note: If you have completed at least three years of study in a single foreign language in high school with a C or higher you are not required to take foreign language courses, with the exception of the Global Management major and the Certificate Program in International Business. Review the foreign language requirements for the Global Management major or the Certificate Program in International Business.

Placement Exam Guidelines for Pitt Business Students

PLANNING TO TAKE	DETAILED INSTRUCTIONS	TAKE THIS ASSESSMENT IF…
Biology	Online	You are planning to take BIOSC 0150, Foundations of Biology 1
French Language	See Dept. Guidelines	You are interested in taking a French language course or another course offered through the French department.
German Language	See Dept. Guidelines	You are interested in taking a German language course and you would like more guidance on your course selection.
Italian Language	Online	You want to continue studying the Italian Language.
Math NOTE: There is a $25 fee to take the ALEKS Placement Exam for math.	Online	You plan to enroll in a math course beyond the level of college algebra (MATH 0031)–such as Preparation for Scientific Calculus (MATH 0200), Business Calculus (MATH 0120), Analytical Geometry and Calculus 1 (MATH 0220), or Finite Mathematics (MATH 0400)–and have not earned college credit for the prerequisite course, regardless of your Math SAT or Math ACT score.
Music Theory	Online	You are considering a major or minor in music. A sufficient score will exempt you from the pre-requisite course for music majors and minors, Music 0100, Fundamentals of Western Music.
Russian Language	See Guidelines	You are a heritage learner, you are a transfer student bringing in Russian coursework, or have other experience with the language (studying or living abroad in Russia).
Spanish Language	See Dept. Guidelines	You are a heritage learner, you are a transfer student bringing in Spanish coursework, or if you took 4 years of Spanish in high school and have additional experience with the language (studying or living abroad in a Spanish speaking country).

For placement testing in other languages offered at Pitt, please contact the language faculty directly.