Center for Academic Achievement
Summer Advising and Placement Exam Information
WELCOME TO SIMMONS!
This information is very important for all incoming students: traditional first years, transfers, and Dix Scholars. Please read through carefully. Any questions that you may have should be directed to the Center for Academic Achievement either via phone at 617.521.2474 or via email at caa@simmons.edu.Click here to return to the Orientation Web page: http://my.simmons.edu/life/leadership/orientation/index.shtml
If you have not taken the incoming student survey, please do so by clicking here: http://www.zoomerang.com/Survey/survey.agi?p=WEB227UE9EJED9
Summer Advising
All deposited students will be
sent a package in the first week of June that will include: copies of Chart
Your Courses, a new booklet titled "Navigating Simmons" (an informational book
to assist all new students with their questions and concerns over the summer
months, the summer reading book, and a cover letter from the Center for
Academic Achievement explain the contents and highlighting important
information.
Beginning June 8th and continuing until
June 28th faculty will begin advising via email, phone, or in person if the
student is local. We have asked advisors to initiate contact with advisees
during the first week (June 8th to the 14th) to begin the conversation around
building the fall schedule and building the faculty-student advising
relationship. Prior to being contacted by your faculty advisor, please read
through the Chart Your Courses booklet and consult the Course Catalog on-line
as well as the course offerings for the fall semester through AARC. Additionally, the Registrar's Office will be sending you a PDF of all current courses that are open.
Additionally, if you are planning on continuing on in a foreign language that
you have previously taken, you will need to take a placement exam. information
on placement exams is further down on this page. PLEASE NOTE: If you are planning
to start a new language (one that you have NEVER taken before) you DO NOT have
to take a placement exam. You will simply enroll in the 101 course for that
language.
If you need any of the material being sent to you converted to an alternative format, please contact our Disability Services Office by calling 617.521.2474. You can also email the Director of Disability Services, Timothy Rogers, at timothy.rogers@simmons.edu.
Placement Exams
Open Campus Days
For any student who is either local, or is interested in coming to campus over the summer, we are offering 12 "Open Campus Days". On these days, you will be able to take the Math Competency Exam, a Language Placement Exam, and attend to other business you may have on campus, including getting your student ID picture card. IT IS NOT MANDATORY FOR YOU TO ATTEND ANY OF THE OPEN CAMPUS DAYS. We are offering these as a convenience to students. Students who are unable or uninterested in attending one of the Open Campus Days will still be able to take their both a language placement exam and the Math Competency Exam during the fall orientation.
The Open Campus Days are:
- June 18, 19, 20, 23, and 24
- July 14, 15, and 16
- August 4, 5, 6, and 7
Exams will be offered at 10:00 AM, 11:30 AM, and 1:00 PM.
If you are planing on attending one of the Open Campus Days, please let us know by calling the CAA front desk (617.521.2474). Additionally, if you wish to take a language placement exam OTHER THAN French, Spanish, Mandarin Chinese, or Italian, please give us a minimum of three weeks notice prior to your intended arrival date so that we can order your exam.
Language Placement Exam
Placement exams in French, Spanish, Mandarin Chinese, and Italian are
now being offered via the web throughout the summer. These exams are for
PLACEMENT ONLY. Students may not pass out or exempt themselves from the
language requirement by taking an on-line test. Those students who feel that
they would be able to pass out or exempt themselves from the language
requirement must take a proctored exam on campus. There are placement exams
offered during Open Campus Days in the summer, during Fall Orientation, and
January Orientation.
Students wishing to take the Mandarin or Italian exams should
contact the CAA so that we can grant you access to the CAA eLearning site. Students wishing to take the French or Spanish exams should contact the CAA for the web address and password.
To log on to Simmons eLearning from anywhere:
- Go to http://my.simmons.edu/elearning/
- Type your assigned username
- Type your password
- You should be at a screen that says "my Simmons
eLearning"
- Click on "Center for Academic Achievement" to enter
the course.
- Click on the appropriate placement exam (Mandarin or Italian)
In addition to the
Spanish, French, Mandarin Chinese and Italian language exams offered via the
web, exams in Japanese, Arabic (both languages taught at Simmons) as well
as any other requested language, are offered during the Open Campus Days
throughout the summer as well as at Fall Orientation. Exams for languages not
taught at Simmons must be pre-ordered. If you wish to take an
examination for a language other than French, Spanish, Mandarin, or
Italian, you will need to contact the Center for Academic Achievement to
arrange for one to be ordered. Please allow a minimum of three weeks prior to
the date you wish to take the test for the CAA to order the exam. In very special
circumstances, students may petition the Center for Academic Achievement to
take an exam by individual appointment during the academic year. For more
information, contact the Center for Academic Achievement (caa@simmons.edu
or 617.521.2474).
Chemistry Placement Exam
Every undergraduate
student who plans to take a chemistry course, either as part of her
major or to fulfill a science requirement should take this exam.
Because the chemistry placement examination is more a test of aptitude
than achievement, a previous course in high school chemistry is not
required in order to perform well. You should complete the exam before
registering for classes. If you do not plan to take a college chemistry
course, you do not need to take this exam. Your placement in either
CHEM 111 or CHEM 113 will be determined based on your test results. No
materials other than a calculator should be used while taking this
exam. You will not be excluded from any course on the basis of this
examination. The chemistry placement exam should be taken online prior
to orientation and registration. Your placement test results will be
available to you through your academic advisor.
To log on to Simmons eLearning from anywhere:
- Go to http://my.simmons.edu/elearning/
- Type your assigned username
- Type your password
- You should be at a screen that says "my Simmons eLearning"
- Click on "Center for Academic Achievement" to enter the course.
NOTE: If you have difficulty accessing the Chemistry Placement Exam make sure that the pop-up blockers are disabled. You must also use Internet Explorer or Netscape as the browser to access the exam. MAC and SAFARI are not supported.
Mathematics Competency Exam
Every Simmons graduate must have demonstrated competency in basic mathematics and she may do so in one of the following ways:
- Pass the Mathematics Competency Exam. You will have the opportunity to take the Math Competency Exam during orientation or during Open Campus Days
- Achieve a score of 600 or better on the mathematics section of the SAT or a score of 24 on the mathematics section of the ACT
- Present evidence of satisfactory completion at another accredited college of a mathematics course at the level of MATH 101 OR 102 or above to the chair of the Mathematics Department.
- Successfully complete MATH 101 or 102 at Simmons.
Beginning in fall 2006, students must satisfy the math competency requirement during their first year at Simmons. Students who do not pass the Mathematics Competency Exam during new student orientation or who do not meet the math competency requirement in one of the other ways described above may choose to take Math 101 or 102 in their first semester, or to retake the exam in November. If they do not pass the November test, they will automatically be enrolled in MATH 101 or MATH 102 in the spring semester. Students who matriculate in January who do not pass the mathematics competency test or do not meet the requirement in one of the ways described above may take MATH 101 or 102 during their first semester, or they may retake the exam in March. If they fail the test in March they will be automatically enrolled in MATH 101 or 102 in the following fall semester.
To help students review and prepare for the Mathematics Competency Exam Study Guide can be downloaded. Another online practice question resource for the Basic Mathematics Competency Exam is at http://www.thatquiz.com/. This site offers over 200,000 graded exams.
A study guide is available at: Mathematics Competency Exam Study Guide (PDF)
