Placement Exam

This examination is designed solely to measure your preparedness for beginning general (introductory) courses in chemistry at UCSD. The results will be used only for advising purposes and will not become part of your permanent records.

Deadline: New freshmen and transfer students who opt to take the web-based Chemistry placement exam must do so at least 72 hours prior to their enrolling in classes. See your college orientation site for more information.

In grading the exam, only correct answers will be counted. If you have no idea which of the answers to a given question is the correct one, you should leave the question blank on the answer sheet. If you should happen to guess the correct answers for questions which you do not understand, you may be advised to take a chemistry course for which you are not adequately prepared.

You may use a calculator and scratch paper to work on the problems. You should budget 30 minutes to take the exam. Don't forget to hit the submit button at the end of the exam. Make sure that you have enough time to complete it, since you may take the exam once.

BEGIN EXAM

Troubleshooting

  • Once you advance to the exam page, you cannot use the Reload (or Refresh) button on your browser (such as Netscape, AOL,etc.).
  • If your computer crashes or if you get disconnected while taking the exam, you may register again.
  • As a last resort, call either Richard Gopez (858-534-0220), or Cha Viloria (858-534-6870) for assistance.

Notes regarding Browser Problems

 

Sample Exam Questions

1. The most chemically active non-metal in the following list is:
a) Sulfur
b) Chlorine
c) Sodium
d) Iodine

 

2. The chemical name for H2O2 is:
a) Hydrogen peroxide
b) Hydrogen dioxide
c) Hydric oxide
d) Heavy water

 

3. The chemical activity of an atom is closely related to the number and arrangement of its:
a) Protons
b) Electrons
c) Neutrons
d) Isotopes

 

4. The percent composition by mass of copper in CuSO4 is about:
a) 75%
b) 40%
c) 25%
d) 10%

 

5. What might be done to raise the temperature of water which is boiling in a beaker?
a) Insulate the beaker
b) Increase the rate of heating
c) Dissolve sodium chloride in the water
d) Dissolve methyl alcohol in the water

 

Sample question answers: B, A, B, B, C