Admissions Systemwide Placement Test Requirements


Admissions ~ Systemwide Placement Test Requirements

The California State University requires that each entering undergraduate, except those who qualify for an exemption, take the CSU Entry Level Mathematics (ELM) examination and the CSU English Placement Test (EPT) prior to enrollment. These placement tests are not a condition for admission to the CSU, but they are a condition of enrollment. These examinations are designed to identify entering students who may need additional support in acquiring college entry-level English and mathematics skills necessary to succeed in CSU baccalaureate-level courses.

If you do not demonstrate college-level skills both in English and in mathematics, you will be placed in appropriate remedial programs and activities during the first term of your enrollment. If placed in remedial programs in either English or mathematics, you must complete all remediation in your first year of enrollment. Failure to complete remediation by the end of your first year may result in denial of enrollment for future terms.

You may register for the EPT and ELM at your local CSU campus. Questions about test dates and registration materials may be addressed to:

Admissions & Recruitment

English Placement Test

The CSU English Placement Test (EPT) is designed to assess the level of reading and writing skills of entering undergraduate students so that they can be placed in appropriate baccalaureate-level courses. As an entering undergraduate, you must complete the CSU EPT unless you present proof of one of the following:

  • A score of Exempt on the augmented English CST (i.e. the CSU Early Assessment Program taken in grade 11 as part of the California Standards Test)
  • A score of 550 or above on the verbal section of the College Board SAT taken April 1995 or later
  • A score of 24 or above on the enhanced ACT English Test taken October 1989 or later
  • A score of 680 or above on the recentered and adjusted College Board SAT II: Writing Test taken May 1998 or later
  • A score of 3, 4, or 5 on either the Language and Composition or the Composition and Literature examination of the College Board Advanced Placement program
  • Completion and transfer of a course that satisfies the General Education-Breadth or Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum (IGETC) written communication requirement, provided the course was completed with a grade of C or better
Entry Level Mathematics Placement Examination

The Entry Level Mathematics (ELM) Placement Examination is designed to assess the skill levels of entering CSU students in the areas of mathematics typically covered in three years of rigorous college preparatory courses in high school (Algebra I, Algebra II, and Geometry). As an entering undergraduate, you must complete the CSU ELM unless you present proof of one of the following:

  • A score of Exempt on the augmented mathematics California Standards Test (i.e. the CSU Early Assessment Program taken in grade 11)
  • A score of conditionally exempt on the augmented CST (i.e. the CSU Early Assessment Program plus successful completion of a Senior-Year Mathematics Experience)
  • A score of 550 or above on the mathematics section of the College Board SAT or on the College Board SAT Subject Tests-Mathematics Tests Level I, IC (Calculator), II, or IIC (Calculator)
  • A score of 23 or above on the ACT Mathematics Test
  • A score of 3 or above on the College Board Advanced Placement Calculus examination (AB or BC) or Statistics examination
  • Completion and transfer of a course that satisfies the General Education-Breadth or Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum (IGETC) quantitative reasoning requirement provided the course was completed with a grade of C or better

Note: Adopted at the California State University system level and mandated for inclusion in all CSU campus catalogs , gray-colored text applies to all 23 campuses in the system. Black text pertains uniquely to CSUMB.