ELM/EPT

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 can be found at www.ets.org/csu or may be addressed to:

Office of Admissions
100 Campus Center
Seaside, California 93955-8001

831-582-3738
admissions@csumb.edu

English Placement Test

The CSU English Placement Test must be completed by all entering undergraduates, with the exception of those who present proof of one of the following:

  • A score of "Exempt" on the augmented English CST, i.e. the CSU Early Assessment Program (EAP), taken in grade 11 as part of the California Standards Test.
  • A score of 550 or above on the verbal section of the recentered College Board SAT : Reasoning Test 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 : Writing Test taken May 1998 or after. 
  • A score of 660 on the writing portion of the SAT Reasoning Test.
  • 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 to the CSU of a college course that satisfies the GE-Breadth requirement or the Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum (IGETC) requirement in English composition, provided such a course was completed with a grade of C or better.  
  • A score of 470 or above on the verbal section of either the College Board SAT or SAT : Reasoning Test taken March 1995 or before.
  • A score of 22 or above on the American College Testing (ACT) English Usage Test taken prior to October 1989.
  • A score of 660 or above on the recentered College Board SAT II: Writing Test taken between April 1995 and April 1998
  • A score of 600 or above on the College Board Test in English Composition with essay or the College Board SAT II: Writing Test taken March 1995 or before.
  • A satisfactory score on the CSU English Equivalency Exam taken in 1993 or before.
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  • A result of "Exempt" or College Ready on the Early Academic Assessment Program (EAP) Test taken in Spring of Junior year of high school.
    Note: No EPT exemption had been determined based on the writing portion of the new SAT.
Entry Level Mathematics Placement Examination

    The ELM examination for entry-level mathematics skills acquired through three years of rigorous college preparatory mathematics coursework (Algebra I, Algebra II, and Geometry). All undergraduate students must take the test or be exempted from it prior to placement in appropriate university mathematics coursework. The campus will determine specific policies regarding retesting and placement.

    Exemptions from the test are given only to those students who can 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 (EAP), taken in grade 11.
    • A score of "conditionally exempt" on the augmented CST, i.e. the CSU Early Assesment Program plus successful completion of a Senior-Year Mathematics Experience (SYME).
    • A score of 550 or above on the mathematics section of the College Board SAT or on the College Board SAT Subject Mathematics Tests Level I, IC (Calculator), II, or IIC (Calculator).
    • A score of 23 or above on the enhanced ACT Mathematics Test.
    • A score of 24 or above on the ACT Mathematics Test taken prior to October 1, 1989.
    • A score of 3 or above on the College Board Advanced Placement calculus examination (AB or BC) or the Statistics examination.
    • Completion and transfer of a course that satisfies the General Education-Breadth requirement or Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum (IGETC) requirement in quantitative reasoning, provided the course was completed with a grade of C or better.
    Early Start Program

    Beginning with the class of 2012, entering resident freshmen who are not proficient in math or “at risk” in English will need to start the remediation process before their first term. By 2014, all new freshmen students who have not demonstrated college-readiness in mathematics and English will need to begin work on becoming ready for college-level English before the start of their first term.

    The goals of Early Start Program are to:

    • Add an important and timely assessment tool in preparing students for college; and
    • Better prepare students in math and English, before the fall semester of freshman year;
    • Improve students’ chances of successful completion of a college degree.

    For 2012, resident students would be required to participate in the Early Start Program if their ELM score is less than 50 and/or their EPT score is less than 138. Newly admitted freshman students who are required to complete Early Start will be notified of the requirement and options for completing the program as part of campus communications to newly admitted students.