Chemistry Placement Test (CPT)

Students may enroll in Chemistry 101 or Chemistry 107 if they have passed the Chemistry Placement Test with a score of 32* or more and it was taken within the previous two (2) semesters. A non-programmable electronic calculator is permitted during the test.

The CPT is a 60-point, three-part test. PART I is worth 20 points and covers elementary algebra, including exponential notation. PART II is also worth 20 points and deals with general chemical knowledge while PART III, also weighted with 20 points, deals with specific chemical knowledge. Students who fail to obtain a score of 40 or more on the CPT should not retake the test but instead enroll in and pass Chemistry 100 to prepare for Chemistry 101 the following semester.

If you have not completed a high school chemistry course or have completed such a course more than two years ago, you should not take the CPT. Instead, you should enroll in Chemistry 100 (Introductory Chemistry) to prepare for Chemistry 101. Completion of Chemistry 100 at CSUN with a grade of "C" or better will automatically qualify you for admission to Chemistry 101 or 107. You should be aware that approximately one-half of the students who pass the CPT with a score in the low 30s fail to earn a grade of "C" or greater in Chemistry 101 or 107.

If you feel the need to prepare for the CPT, we recommend that you review standard elementary algebra and high school-level chemistry texts. These texts are usually available at most public libraries.

*New cut score beginning October 2023

To be exempt from the CPT, students must have:

• Score of 3, 4 or 5 on the College Board Advanced Placement Test in Chemistry
• Score of 50 or higher on the General Chemistry Exam of the College Level Examination Program
• Grade of "C" or higher ("C-" is unacceptable) in CHEM 100 taken at CSUN

Students who do not score a 32* or more must wait three (3) months before taking the CPT again. 

*New cut score beginning October 2023

 The CPT is generally given the first Thursday of each month.  Please check the calendar shown below for the exact date each month.

To register for the Chemistry Placement Test (CPT), visit the Testing Center in Bayramian Hall 190 and fill out a test registration form. Please bring a current, valid government-issued photo ID as well as a credit card (Visa or Mastercard), a check or cash to pay the $5 fee. If you have questions, call the Testing Center at (818) 677-2369.

Accommodations for Students with Disabilities

Alternative testing accommodations such as extended time, electronic text, readers or scribes are available through the Disability Resources and Educational Services (DRES) department to students who have a documented disability and require accommodations to take the exam. If you are not a registered student with DRES and have a disability, please visit the DRES website for registration procedures. 

Registered DRES students can sign up online for the CPT. Students will need to check the optional accommodation box to indicate their accommodation request. The DRES department will contact the student to verify accommodations and make alternate testing arrangements. The University CPT registration deadlines apply for all students and accommodation requests must be submitted by the registration deadline.

To download your Test Access Pass, sign in to the Testing Center's registration page and select the My Registrations tab.

2 weeks before the test

• Check your ID

  • Current, valid government-issued photo ID is required

    Does your name (first and last only) on your photo ID match the name on your CSUN student record? Corrections must be submitted to the Admissions & Records Office no later than the Friday before your test date. If you file a name change, be sure to notify the Testing Center to ensure it is reflected on your access pass.  No changes will be made once the access pass becomes available.

3 days before the test

• Print access passes from the Testing Center Online Registration webpage to ensure that you have the final and correct reporting address for the test.

• Check the Testing Center’s website for reporting location directions and a map.

Test day

• Report to Bayramian Hall room 190 no later than the start time of your respective exam.  Do not arrive more than 10 minutes before your exam time. 
• Be sure to allow plenty of time for parking and walking to the Testing Center.
• Take page 1 of your access pass and your photo ID to the test.
• Bring a non-programmable calculator.
• Do not take any prohibited items or electronic devices (including cell phones) into the testing room.  Possession and/or use of such items is grounds for immediate dismissal from the test.

If you have any questions, please contact the Testing Center at 818.677.2369 or via email at  .

DO NOT WAIT UNTIL THE LAST MINUTE TO CONTACT US WITH QUESTIONS.

Items Needed for Testing

• Identification. You must have a current valid, government-issued photo ID that contains a recent and recognizable photo, and your first and last name, or else you will be denied admission.
  
  Acceptable common forms of ID include, but are not limited to:

  • Passport book

  • Driver's license

  • State or province-issued ID card

  • US military ID card (Common Access Card, or CAC)

  • US Permanent Resident Card (Green Card)

  • Canadian Permanent Resident Card

  • National ID card

  • Consular ID card

IMPORTANT: Photo identification MUST contain a recent and recognizable photo, signature and your first and last name. Under no circumstances will access be permitted to the test center without proper ID. If you have questions about whether your ID is acceptable, you must contact the Testing Center at least seven (7) days before your registered test date for review.

The following items are NOT acceptable forms of ID for access to the test center: Social Security card, Social Insurance card, birth certificate, credit card (including those with photo), any form of ID  that is expired, photocopied ID, or employee ID (even for government employees), or another college/university student ID.

Items Allowed on the Desktop

Test takers may only have pencils and an eraser. These items will be provided by the Testing Center. A personal non-programmable electronic calculator is also allowed on the desktop.   No electronic devices are permitted.

Items Prohibited in the Testing Location

You may not bring into the testing center or use any of the following:

• electronic timers of any kind

• digital watches, alarm watches, beeping watches, calculator watches

• cell phones, pay phones, beepers, pagers, personal digital assistants (PDAs)

• personal computers

• photographic or recording devices

• listening devices

• headsets, iPods, or other media players

• books, dictionaries, papers of any kind

• rulers

• briefcases, handbags, backpacks of any kind

• earplugs

• hats/hoods/beanies (except religious apparel) must be removed when entering the room and placed at the front of the room until completion of the exam

• weapons or firearms 

IMPORTANT: Electronic devices, including cell phones, are not permitted in the test room, and the use of any electronic device is strictly prohibited. Any test taker discovered in possession of or using an electronic device, including but not limited to cell phones, pay phones, pagers, iPods™ or other media players, or personal computers, will be dismissed from the test and their test will not be scored. This policy will be enforced from the time test takers arrive at the test until they leave after the test—including restroom breaks. Violations will be grounds for score cancellation and you may be subject to a CSUN investigation. Test center staff assume no responsibility for personal items.

Test Center Regulations

• Seating. The proctor will assign each test taker a seat. Test takers are not permitted to choose their seats.

• No latecomers. Under no circumstances will the proctor admit anyone after testing begins.

• Restroom use. Use the restroom before checking in; once you are checked in, you will not be permitted to leave until after the start of the test.

• Test administration. The proctor will tell you when to start and stop work.  Start and stop times will be written on the board.

• Time. The proctor will keep the official time. You may take an analog (nondigital) wristwatch to the test center. No other timers—including electronic and countdown timers—are allowed.

• Testing staff. A proctor will circulate throughout the testing room to ensure that examinees are working on the exam and no other materials are in use. 

• Scratch paper. Scratch paper or any other paper is not permitted.

• Hats/hoods/beanies. No hats, hoods, or beanies may be worn on the head (except items of religious apparel).

• Handbags, backpacks, briefcases. No handbags, backpacks, briefcases, or bags of any kind are allowed in the test room.

• Food and drink. Food and drink may not be consumed during the test. 

• Leaving the room. If you find it necessary to leave the room during the test, raise your hand and obtain permission from the proctor. Your test materials will be collected and held until your return. You will not be permitted to make up time. Use the restroom before reporting to the check-in station; once checked in, you will not be permitted to leave until after the start of the test.

• Test Center Violations/Irregularities. The proctor will report to the Testing Supervisor any test center violation/irregularity that occurs during the administration.

• Testing materials. All testing materials, including test booklets and answer sheets, are the property of California State University Northridge Testing Center and must be returned to the proctor before dismissal from the test. Under no circumstances may test content or any part of the test be removed, reproduced, or disclosed by any means (e.g., hard copy, verbally, electronically) to any person or entity. Legal action may be taken against anyone who removes or reproduces test materials in any way, or shares CSUN test content.

• Creating a disturbance. Disruptive behavior in any form will not be tolerated. The test supervisor has sole discretion in determining what constitutes disruptive behavior. The test supervisor is authorized to dismiss from the test center any test taker who creates a disturbance.

Rights and Responsibilities of Test Takers

When you take the CPT, it is your responsibility to report all instances of suspected cheating on the part of any test takers and any other inappropriate behavior that becomes known to you.

You are an important part of protecting the CPT and ensuring a fair test environment. Cheating impacts everyone. If you believe that you have information about actual or potential test security violations, please contact the Testing Center office immediately.

Test Center Violations and Irregularities

If you engage in any test center violation or irregularity during the test—such as creating a disturbance; giving or receiving help; working on or reading the test during a time not authorized by the supervisor; removing test materials or notes from the testing room; taking part in an act of impersonation or other forms of cheating; failing to follow the directions of test center staff; or using books, ear plugs, rulers, papers of any kind, or other aids—you may receive a warning or you may be dismissed from the testing room, have your test score canceled by the Testing Center and you may be subject to other penalties for test center violations or irregularities.

Possible Penalties

Test takers who violate test center regulations, including but not limited to those listed below, will be subject to a warning notice, dismissal from the test center, and/or cancellation of their test score. Test takers may have their cases referred for further investigation to the Student Misconduct Board.

Possible Test Center Violations

1. Attempting to take the test for someone else or having someone else take the test for you.
2. Obtaining or attempting to obtain improper access to the test, a part of the test, or information about the test.
3. Creating a disturbance. (Disruptive behavior in any form will not be tolerated; the test supervisor has sole discretion in determining what constitutes disruptive behavior.)
4. Removing or attempting to remove test content from the test center.
   
   NOTE: Under no circumstances may test content or any part of the test content, including the topic sheet, be removed, reproduced, and/or disclosed by any means (e.g., hard copy, verbally, electronically) to any person or entity. This includes making notes on paper, erasers, or other items and removing them from the test center. Legal action may be taken against anyone who removes test materials and/or reproduces test materials in any way.
5. Bringing a weapon or firearm into the test center.
6. Leaving the test center vicinity during the test session or during a restroom break. Test takers may not leave the building or the floor where the test room is located.
7. Leaving the test room without permission.
8. Reading, working on, marking, or erasing during unauthorized times, either beyond time limits or before the start of the test in the test booklet.
9. Copying or other forms of cheating.

Electronic Devices: NO-TOLERANCE POLICY

The Testing Center has adopted a no-tolerance policy concerning the possession of electronic devices. Under no circumstances are test takers permitted to bring an electronic device into the test area. Test supervisors and their staff are advised NOT to hold such items and are instructed to dismiss any test taker found in possession of or using an electronic device. Such devices include, but are not limited to:

• electronic timers of any kind

• electronic cigarettes

• digital watches, alarm watches, beeping watches, calculator watches

• cell phones, pay phones, beepers, pagers, personal digital assistants (PDAs)

• personal computers

• photographic or recording devices

• listening devices

• headsets, iPods, or other media players

Any test taker found in possession of or using an electronic device will be dismissed from the test center and their score will be cancelled.

TEST REPORTING LOCATION

Students are to report to Bayramian Hall room 190 for check-in.  Visit our Test Reporting Locations Map for driving directions to all on-campus testing locations.

Go to CSUN at www.csun.edu.

• Log in to the Portal
• From the top navigation - Select the "Student Services" tab
• From the drop down menu - select "SOLAR Student Center"
• Under the "Academics" section locate the drop down box shown as "other academic .."
• From the drop down menu, select on "View My Test Scores"

Scores are available through SOLAR n o later than two days after the test administration. Scores are not provided over the phone or via email.

Test scores are valid for up to two (2) semesters preceding enrollment in CHEM 101/101L or CHEM 107.

In scoring the test, only correct answers will be counted. If you have no idea which of the answers to a given question is correct, you should leave the question blank. If you happen to guess correct answers to questions you do not understand, you may be advised to take a course for which you are not adequately prepared. Your examination results will be posted on SOLAR one week after the test. Scores cannot be given over the telephone or sent via email.

A passing score on the CPT is 32* correct answers to qualify for CHEM 101/101L or CHEM 107.

*New cut score beginning October 2023

Test examples

You may review CPT Examples to prepare for the test.