MPE Frequently Asked Questions

When can I take the MPE?

1) At a specified and well-publicized time during New Student Orientation each fall.

2) Check the MPE schedule on our Web page or at Department of Mathematics office during the regular school year. Upon request and readiness, you may take the MPE during the summer; just call the Math Office at 269-471-3423 or e-mail math@andrews.edu to set up a time that is mutually acceptable if one of the scheduled dates does not work for you. You will know your score immediately after completing the proctored PPL exam, and those scores will be uploaded to Banner within a few hours.

3) Online students can using the to schedule an appointment for the MPE to be proctored through zoom.

What can I do to improve my MPE score?

You can study on your own, using a textbook, ALEKS, or a course at Andrews or another college. Working through the problems in the ALEKS PPL system will be of great help to students needing a refresher or initial exposure to the material.

May I use a calculator when taking the exam?

No, you are not allowed the use of a calculator except on those problems where a small calculator icon will apprear in the upper right corner of the testing screen. Then you may click on that to access that calculator. In order to prepare better for the exam, don't use a calculator when working on any of the review topics unless the calculator icon appears there.

May I take the MPE a second time?

Yes, but you will need to spend some time working though the material on the PPL system so that you can be thoroughly prepared for a retake. Since the PPL system reserves only two tests for proctoring, you need to use those wisely; if you use those up, you will have to buy another subscription to the system.

I am enrolled as a main campus Andrews student, and I plan to take College Algebra at another school and transfer the credit back. Do I have to take the MPE?

Yes, and you will also need to obtain permission from the dean's office before taking the class to see that it will transfer.

**I had AP Calculus in high school and got a 3 or higher on the AP test. Do I need to take the MPE?**

No, but you need to have those scores sent to Andrews as soon as you can.

I had precalculus in high school and got a B or higher; do I need to take the MPE?

Yes, and you will probably do well on the exam if you review the material in the ALEKS PPL system.

What are my options if I do really well on the MPE?

You can try to CLEP College Algebra (receive credit for the course by taking an examination), or you may take a more advanced math course.

I took a Mathematics Placement Examination at another college. Can I transfer that score?

Not unless the placement examination you took was the ALEKS PPL, which many other colleges and universites now use. Otherwise, we don't know what the score means. All colleges and universities have their own testing means, and many are not standardized or interchangeable, sometimes not even among different campuses of the same university.