Optional Exemption Exams

The College of Arts and Sciences oversees the administration of the Biology Exemption Exam and Calculus Placement Exam in cooperation with the Departments of Biology and Mathematics respectively. These undergraduate-level exams are optional and should be taken only if the student does not have prior academic credit or credit-by-testing for Biology-E 111/E 112, Biology-L 111/L 112, and/or Math-M 211.

Each exam is one hour and is computer-based. New students may take the Biology Exemption Exam and the Calculus Placement Exam in scheduled testing sessions during New Student Orientation and Welcome Week in August. New students needing the Biology Exemption Exam for spring may take the exam by appointment prior to the beginning of the spring semester. The Calculus Placement Exam is not available for spring. Each exam has specific administration and proctoring instructions.

Currently enrolled students who need to take the Biology Exemption Exam should contact the Department of Biology Academic Advising Office to obtain permission to take the Biology Exemption Exam. Students who still need to take the Calculus Placement Exam should review the Department of Mathematics Calculus Placement and Exemption Exams webpage to identify testing opportunities and instructions for the semester.

The Biology Exemption Exam may be taken up to two times. The Calculus Placement Exam may be taken only once.

Calculus Placement Exam

Incoming freshmen and transfer students who already possess strong calculus skills but do not have credit for calculus may choose to take the Calculus Placement Exam. If you score between 20-24 on this exam, you can obtain credit for one semester of Calculus (MATH-M 211) for 4 credit hours and confidently continue studying mathematics at a more advanced level. The exam covers the topics normally taught in MATH-M 211.

Please see the MATH-M211 course description for more course-related information.

Additional information about other math placement and exemption exams is available on the Department of Mathematics Calculus Placement and Exemption Exams webpage. A sample Calculus exam can also be found on this webpage.

Biology Exemption Exam

Incoming freshman and transfer students are eligible to take the Biology Exemption Exam. Currently matriculated students in their first semester at IU Bloomington OR who have NOT yet completed 51 credit hours on the IU Bloomington campus, and who have been approved by the Department of Biology academic advising staff, are also eligible.

Academic credit may be awarded for BIOL-E 111 and BIOL-E 112. Credit earned through testing will appear as BIOL-E 111 and BIOL-E 112, and you will earn a grade of S (Satisfactory). This credit satisfies the BIOL-L 111 and BIOL-L 112 course requirements for Biology majors and other science majors, but it carries no lab credit. Credit through testing can also apply toward College of Arts and Sciences Natural & Mathematical Sciences (N&M) distribution requirements. The exam covers the topics normally taught in BIOL-L 111 and BIOL-L 112.

Please see the BIOL-E 111/L 111 and BIOL-E 112/L 112 course descriptions for more course-related information.

Additional information about Biology credit-by-testing is available on the Department of Biology Frequently Asked Questions webpage. A sample test is not available.

FAQ for Optional Exams

Academic credit for BIOL-L 111/E 111 AND BIOL-L 112/E 112 and for MATH-M 211 may only be awarded once. This includes credit awarded from the Advanced Placement (AP) exam, the International Baccalaureate, the SAT Subject Tests and transfer credit granted by Indiana University for eligible courses completed at other academic institutions. You should take these exams only if you do not have prior academic credit or credit-by-testing for these courses.

Yes, of course! You are not required to take either exam. If you decide not to sit for the exam that you registered for, you do not have to take it. No prior notification is necessary.

A sample test for the Biology Exemption Exam is not available. Students wanting to take the Calculus Placement Exam should take the sample test before testing. You should discuss your need to take these exams with their academic advisor.

Current fees

Fees for undergraduate placement and exemption exams are updated each year on July 1. If you have questions about these fees, contact best@iu.edu.

Undergraduate Placement and Exemption

IU Bloomington Online Placement Exam 1: $54.00*

IU Bloomington Biology Exemption Exam 2: No Cost

IU Bloomington Calculus Placement Exam 2: No Cost

*The non-refundable IU Bloomington Online Placement Exam Fee covers mathematics and foreign language online placement exams that are overseen by BEST and that are taken unproctored by students. The fee will be assessed and appear on a student's bursar bill the first time a student takes an online placement exam in a testing year (March–February), and it will cover any additional such exams taken during that year.

Optional Exemption Exams