Download the NSOP Placement Exams 2009 PDF
You will need number 2 pencils and a pen for most exams.
CHEMISTRY: Tuesday, September 1st, 4:15 – 6:15 PM
301 Pupin (A-J), 309 Havemeyer (K-S), 329 Pupin (T-Z)
All students who wish to register for any first-year chemistry lecture or lab course must attend an advising session on Tuesday, September 1, at 4:15 pm where a brief introduction to course options will be given. Students with last names beginning with A –J should go to room 301 Pupin, K-S should go to room 309 Havemeyer, and T-Z should go to room 329 Pupin. Immediately following the session, a mandatory chemistry placement exam will be administered. *Note: students must bring calculators to this exam.
| Chemistry Lecture
There are three first-year lecture course options. Option A: General Chemistry I (CHEM C/W1403, Fall and Spring) and General Chemistry II (CHEM C/W1404, Spring) are a two-semester sequence for students who have completed one year of high school chemistry. Students in CHEM 1404 should also have completed or be concurrently enrolled in Calculus I (MATH V1101) or its equivalent. (Note: CHEM C1403 and CHEM W1403 are identical. However, CHEM W1403 meets in the evening). Option B: Second Semester General Chemistry (Intensive) (CHEM C1604, Fall) is an accelerated one-semester general chemistry course that can substitute for the 1403/1404 sequence for well-prepared students who achieve a minimum qualifying score on the placement exam. To take this course students are expected to have completed the equivalent of Columbia’s Calculus I (MATH V1101), and to have either completed or be concurrently enrolled in Calculus II (MATH V1102). Option C: Intensive Organic Chemistry for First-Year Students (CHEM C3045, Fall/CHEM C3046, Spring) is a full-year course intended for students who have learned the principles of general chemistry in high school. The course is not open to students who have taken other courses in college-level chemistry. The requirements for admission to C3045/C3046 include all those for C1604, described above, but, in addition, students must pass a second, brief exam on molecular structure and chemical bonding, which is administered immediately after the general placement exam. The exam for admission to C3045/C3046 is not mandatory, and should be taken only by those students who have very strong chemistry backgrounds and the desire to go directly to intensive and rigorous organic chemistry coursework. Chemistry Lab There are two first-year laboratory course options. The first-year lab courses are General Chemistry Laboratory (CHEM C/W 1500, Fall and Spring), and Intensive General Chemistry Laboratory (CHEM C2507, Fall and Spring). Both courses are one-semester, stand-alone courses, not directly coordinated with or scheduled with a particular lecture course. Students taking General Chemistry I and II (1403 & 1404) will enroll in the C1500 lab course. Students taking Intensive Organic Chemistry for First-Year Students will enroll in the C2507 lab, and will be expected to take the lab course in the Fall. Selection of laboratory course for students taking Second Semester General Chemistry (Intensive) will depend on performance on the placement exam. Results of the placement exam will also be used to recommend or to require students to take the C/F1500 or C2507 lab courses in a specific semester, Fall or Spring. |
PHYSICS: Wednesday, September 2nd, 2:15-3:15 pm, 301 PUPIN
A brief introduction to course options for your first year of physics, with a particular emphasis on the mandatory prerequisites and format of the C2801-2802 Accelerated Physics sequence. Following the discussion, students interested in taking accelerated physics will take a short evaluation exam covering introductory mechanics. *Note: calculators may not be used during the exam.
MATH: Wednesday, September 2nd, 3:30-5:30 pm, 301 PUPIN
Students interested in taking calculus must attend this session. The session will provide a brief overview of course options for new students and will include a discussion regarding placement in the appropriate math course based on students’ school policy (CC or SEAS), AP scores, and previous math background.
A placement test will be given during the second half of this session, for students who would like to begin with calculus III or Honors Math A and cannot self-place according to the placement guidelines below.
*Note: calculators may not be used during the exam.
SEAS
| Required Math Placement Guidelines for SEAS student are as follows:
Calculus III or Honors Math A*:
Calculus II*:
Calculus I*:
Math Placement Exam (to determine placement in Calc II or III):
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*These students may not opt to take the math placement exam.
COLUMBIA COLLEGE
| Suggested Math Placement Guidelines for Columbia College student are as follows:
Calculus III or Honors Math A*:
Calculus II or Calculus III **:
Calculus I*:
Math Placement Exam (to determine placement in Calc II or III):
|
* These students should not take the math placement exam.
** The Math department recommends that these students begin with Calculus II, except those whose prospective majors do not require Calculus II.
For further information about Calculus, please consult the appropriate section for your school in the Academic Planning Guide for New Students.
MUSIC HUMANITIES EXEMPTION: Friday, September 11th, 10 – 11:30 am, 622 DODGE
The exemption exam for W1123: Masterpieces of Western Music (aka Music Humanities) will last about 90 minutes. It requires identification of major musical masterworks, comments on features of style such as texture, meter, and mode, and short answers on principal musical terms and concepts.
* NOTE: Students who wish to take the exemption exam must do so at this time; students may not take the exam twice, or at a later date.
FOREIGN LANGUAGES:
Language placement at Columbia is determined in one of two ways. Students who wish to continue with a language they studied in secondary school MUST either take a Columbia language department placement exam in order to register for a course in that language OR submit results from SAT II Subject Tests or Advanced Placement Exams.
Those students who have demonstrated proficiency in a language via SAT II or AP should refer to the Academic Planning Guide for New Students, pages 37-38, for specific course placement information. Students who have not taken an SAT II Subject Test or an AP Exam must take a Columbia departmental exam in order to determine appropriate placement.
Placement exams are scheduled for the following languages (scheduled exam dates and times listed below in alphabetical order): Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Hebrew, Hindi-Urdu, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Latin, Persian, and Spanish.
If you need to take a placement exam in any of the other foreign languages offered at Columbia you may make arrangements to do so through the language program coordinator in that department. The names and office locations of these coordinators can be found in the Academic Planning Guide for New Students, page 38-39.
Note: language courses cannot be taken pass/d/fail.
| ARABIC | ||
| Thursday, September 3rd | 10:00am – 3:00pm | 703 Hamilton |
| Friday, September 4th | 10:00am – 3:00pm | 703 Hamilton |
| CHINESE | ||
| Thursday, September 3rd | 10:00am – 12:30pm | 413 Kent Hall |
| FRENCH | ||
| Wednesday, September 2nd | by appointment only | 352 IAB (International Affairs Building) |
| The French placement exam is BY APPOINTMENT ONLY on Wednesday, September 2nd. Students must sign up at the Language Resource Center , room 352 IAB for a specific appointment time. Sign-ups will begin at 9:00 a.m. and end at 3:00 p.m. The exam is offered between the hours of 10:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. | ||
| GERMAN | ||
| Tuesday, September 1st | 4:00pm – 5:30pm | 313 Hamilton Hall |
| Friday, September 4th | 3:00pm – 4:30pm | 317 Hamilton Hall |
| HEBREW | ||
| Tuesday, September 1st | 10:00am – 3:00pm | 703 Hamilton |
| Wednesday, September 2nd | 10:00am – 3:00pm | 703 Hamilton |
| HINDI-URDU | ||
| Thursday, September 3rd | 10:00am – 3:00pm | 703 Hamilton |
| ITALIAN | ||
| Thursday, September 3rd | 2:00pm – 4:00pm | 503 Hamilton Hall |
| JAPANESE | ||
| Friday, September 4th | 10:00am – 12:30pm | 411 & 424 Kent Hall |
| Students must register in advance on line via the Japanese Program website : http://www.columbia.edu/cu/ealac/japanese/plreg.html | ||
| KOREAN | ||
| Friday, September 4th | 10:00am – 12:30pm | 405 & 423 Kent Hall |
| Students planning to take the Korean placement test should register in person at the department main office (407 Kent Hall) or via phone at (212) 854-5027 at least one day before the test. | ||
| LATIN | ||
| Tuesday, September 1st | 5:00pm – 6:30pm | 616 Hamilton Hall |
| PERSIAN | ||
| Tuesday, September 1st | 10:00am – 3:00pm | 511 Hamilton Hall |
| SPANISH | ||
| Taken on-line anytime before 11:59pm, Wednesday, September 2nd http://www.columbia.edu/cu/spanish/ (click on ‘Spanish Placement Exam’) | ||
| A second version of the exam will be administered in person to those who test out of the online exam: | ||
| Thursday, September 3rd | 11:30am – 3:30pm | 352 IAB (International Affairs Building) |
With the exception of students taking placement exams on Friday, all students will be notified of their placement results via email or department posting prior to registration on September 4th.
