Testing Services
As part of Montana Tech's commitment to increasing accessibility on campus, our testing center houses several private testing rooms, is wheelchair accessible, equipped with a standing desk option for testing, and all testers have access to text-to-speech software.
There is a one-time flat testing fee of $25 that covers all placement exams that can be paid through our Business Office. Fees for other exams will go through their respective organizations or be negotiated between the student and proctor.
On-campus placement exams are held in our Testing Center from 9 am - 5pm from Monday to Friday, excluding holidays. The Testing Center is located in the Academic Center for Excellence (ACE) within the Student Success Center (SSC) building.
ALEKS PPL has its own online proctoring platform. These exams can be done in any location at any time, so long as the student has a computer with a webcam and can download Respondus LockDown Browser.
Students needing testing accommodations or to make up missed exams are welcome to use our proctoring services. Faculty must submit test requests at least 3 days in advance of the exam.
We are a certified HiSET® testing center and proctor the exam on the 2nd Tuesday of each month.
Montana Tech can proctor exams from other institutions for students who are in the Butte-Silver Bow area but are attending another college or university.
While Montana Tech no longer uses Accuplacer for placement exams, students with a voucher may take the exam down at Highlands.
We are a certified PearsonVUE testing site and proctor a variety of certification and licensure exams.
Main campus students pursuing a 4-year degree will take the ALEKS PPL placement exam for math, while Highlands College students pursuing a 2-year degree will take the College Success math placement exam. All students who need to take a writing course will take the College Success writing placement exam.
Placement exams are required for course registration unless an exception was made during the admissions process. Your admissions representative or academic advisor can tell you which placement exams are required for you to take after you submit your test scores, grades, in-progress schedule, and/or Dual credit/AP courses.
The College Success math assessment consists of 30 questions with a 60-minute time limit, while students have 90 minutes to write an essay based on a randomized prompt. The exam may be taken twice if students are dissatisfied with their initial scores.
The ALEKS PPL exam consists of an unproctored practice test, learning modules, and a proctored practice test. Each exam, practice and proctored, consists of 30 adaptive questions with a 2.5-hour time limit, and the required leaning modules are untimed. The exam may be taken up to 4 times if students are dissatisfied with their score, but must wait 48 hours in-between sessions. Please note that the ALEKS placement exam consists of three parts.
With College Success, students can place into any math class from M065 (Pre-Algebra) to M121 (College Algebra), and WRIT 100 (Writing Fundamentals) or WRIT 101/121 (College Writing/Technical Writing) for writing.
With ALEKS PPL, students can place into any math class from M065 (Pre-Algebra) to M171 (Calculus 1).
The first unproctored attempt allows students to get a feel for the placement test and see where they are at with math. The exam tests students on a mix of mathematical knowledge from algebra to calculus.
The Prep and Learning modules are individualized and adaptive, formualted based on how students perform on the initial assessment. The modules allow students to review topics they may have been forgotten. They also include knowledge checks, which will provide students with feedback on what they may need more help with to address knowledge gaps.
The second proctored attempt occurs after students have refreshed their math skills and knowledge with the Learning Modules so that their score accurately reflects how prepared they are for college math.
Make sure you've entered the right class code and password for the ALEKS PPL placement exam. If the password for your own account isn't taking, try resetting it. If the problem persists, contact their Customer and Technical Support directly.
For all of your testing needs!
Accommodated & Placement Exams: 406-496-4428
HiSET® & Distance Learning Exams: 406-496-4477