NEW STUDENT ENROLLMENT
SUMMER INSTITUTUE FOR PROMISING SCHOLARS
MATH PLACEMENT EXAM
Congratulations on your acceptance to the Summer Institute for Promising Scholars at the University of Nebraska-
Lincoln. Before we can arrange for your classes you must complete the Math Placement Exam
Overview:
The Math Placement Exam (MPE) is an on-line exam. It will take about 60 minutes. It is an important exam which is used for both
Math Placement and to assist academic advisors in recommending courses. The online version can only be taken once before
you attend New Student Enrollment.
Practice exam:
There is a Practice exam on the web site. It is strongly recommended you take the Practice exam to review your knowledge in
order to determine if you should review before taking the MPE. Many students need to brush up on what they have covered in
math classes. Study guides are recommended based upon how well you do on the Practice exam. You will need to print the pdf
file in order to take the Practice exam. There are 4 parts to the Practice which need to be completed. If you have not had a course
including trigonometry, only complete Parts 1-3
How to review for the Math Placement Exam?
1. Take the practice exam The exam is located http://www.math.unl.edu/resources/undergraduate/mpe/practice_exam/
2. Score the practice exam to determine your need to review using the directions on the website
Taking the Math Placement Exam
Calculators, including graphing calculators, are allowed, but not calculators with symbolic mathematical manipulation ability. For
example, the TI-85 or TI-86 are fine, but not the TI-89. You may have blank scratch paper available, but no notes or books. And of
course, you cannot get help from anyone else.
Warning
Not following these directions could result in a score which could place you in the wrong Math course. This could result in a $1700
mistake by the time you withdraw from a course, take the course you should have taken, then repeat the first course again.
Problems with viewing the exam
Internet Explorer sometimes limits the number of graphics it displays on a page at first, with a small box with a red “x” replacing
some of the graphics. If this happens, right clicking on that box gives a menu which includes “Show Picture”, and choosing that
option generally works to display the missing expression.
How the exam is organized:
There are three parts to the exam. At the end of each part you will be asked to score that particular part. There is a 20 minute time
limit for each part of the three parts of the exam.
How the MPE is scored:
Wrong answers are penalized. If you are not fairly certain of how to do a problem, the problem should be left blank. The actual
scoring scheme on each part is 1 point per blank, 3 points per correct answer, but 0 points per wrong answer, with 10 questions
per part.
Taking the exam:
1. The Math Placement Exam is located http://math-placement.unl.edu/mpe/login!input
2. Logon by using your NUID # and password. (The same logon as you use for “My Red.”)
3. When you are satisfied with your answers for one part, you should click on the “Grade” button on the top frame and
proceed to the next section.
Summary
1. Take the Practice exam; review if necessary
2. Schedule a time where you can be uninterrupted for an hour
3. Take the exam by yourself
4. Questions call New Student Enrollment at 402-472-4646
Remember not following the directions could result in a $1700 mistake.