How to Place into College Level Math

Most students at Oakton will need to complete at least one college-level math course. The specific course options depend on your intended pathway. Placement into these college-level math courses can be earned through a variety of methods, including appropriate ACT or SAT scores, completion of a high school Transitional Math (TM) course, or appropriate scores on the ALEKS placement test.

The following charts are designed for those who are familiar with high school math courses and math placement methods. Make sure to consult a high school counselor or Oakton academic advisor before enrolling in any courses to ensure you choose the course that best fits your needs.

Detailed Information

Most Oakton students earning a transfer degree will take either Elementary Statistics (MAT131) or General Education Mathematics (MAT125) except for those pursuing Elementary Education, Business, STEM and select transfer programs. Students should confirm their program requirements with their Oakton advisor. Students can place directly into either of these courses through any of the methods listed below.

College Level Math Placement Options (for pathways not requiring College Algebra)
Method Score Time Valid
SAT 490 2 years
ACT 20 2 years
GED Math 165 subscore 2 years
Transitional Math C-minus avg. over 2 semesters 18 months
HiSet 15 2 years
High School (HS) GPA 3.0 and passing 4 years of HS math 18 months

If students don’t have scores meeting these requirements, they may be able to take college-level math with a co-requisite course immediately, or they may need to take a prerequisite course first. Students will be placed into these according to the chart below.

 

Math Placement Levels and Scores (pathways not requiring College Algebra)
Level Placement ALEKS SAT ACT TM
College Math (Gen Ed/Stats) MAT125, 131 37 490 20 TM002
College Math w/Co-Req MAT087/125, 088/131 30 470 18 n/a
Introductory Algebra MAT065 any any any n/a
** a student who places into College Math with Co-Req or Introductory Algebra on the above chart, but who passes an approved Algebra 2 course from a high school within Oakton's district (District 535) within the past 2 years, will earn a placement one level higher than shown

Some degrees and transfer programs require College Algebra. This includes associate degrees and transfer pathways in STEM or Business. Students can earn placement directly into College Algebra through any of the methods shown below.

College Level Math Placement Options (for pathways requiring College Algebra, including STEM and Business)
Method Score Time Valid
SAT 530 2 years
ACT 22 2 years
Transitional Math TM001 C-minus avg. over 2 semesters 18 months

 

If students don’t meet any of these requirements, they will need to take one or two prerequisite courses before enrolling in College Algebra. Students will be placed into these prerequisite courses using the chart below.

Math Placement Levels and Scores (pathways requiring College Algebra)
Level Placement ALEKS SAT ACT TM
College Math (Algebra) MAT140 46 530 22 TM001
Intermediate Algebra MAT095 30 470 18 n/a
Introductory Algebra MAT065 any any any n/a
** a student who places into Introductory Algebra, but who passes an approved Algebra 2 course from a high school within District 535 within the past 2 years, earns a placement into Intermediate Algebra.
** a student with an ACT of 20 or SAT of 490 who passes an approved Algebra 2 course from a high school within Oakton's district (District 535) within the past 2 years, earns a placement directly into College Algebra.

Geometry Options

Most students in these pathways require Geometry, which can be satisfied by any of the methods below:

  • C-minus or better average in a two-semester HS geometry course
  • Meeting eligibility requirements to enroll in MAT140 from any of the methods outlined above
  • Completion of MAT080

Students in the Elementary Education pathway must take MAT128: Foundations of Math for Elementary Teachers I as their college-level math course. Students can earn placement directly into this course through any of the methods shown below.

College Level Math Placement Options (for Elementary Education pathway)
Method Score Time Valid
SAT 530 2 years
ACT 22 2 years
Transitional Math TM001 C-minus avg. over 2 semesters 18 months

If students don’t meet any of these requirements, they will need to take one or two prerequisite courses before enrolling in College Algebra. Their placement into these prerequisite courses follows the chart below.

Math Placement Levels and Scores 
Level Placement ALEKS SAT ACT TM
College Math (Foundations of Math for Elementary Teachers I) MAT128 46 530 22 TM001
Intermediate Algebra MAT095 30 470 18 n/a
Introductory Algebra MAT065 any any any n/a
**a student who places into Introductory Algebra, but who passes an approved Algebra 2 course from a high school within District 535 within the past 2 years, earns a placement into Intermediate Algebra.
** a student with an ACT of 20 or SAT of 490 who passes an approved Algebra 2 course from a high school within Oakton's district (District 535) within the past 2 years, earns a placement directly into College Algebra.

Geometry Options

Most students in these pathways require Geometry, which can be satisfied by any of the methods below:

  • C-minus or better average in a two-semester HS geometry course
  • Meeting eligibility requirements to enroll in MAT140 from any of the methods outlined above
  • Completion of MAT080

Some degrees (the AGS and some AAS degrees) and many certificates may not require a transferable college-level math course. There is no prerequisite for these courses, and students can enroll without any requirements on SAT/ACT or other scores.

College Level Math Options (for non-transfer degrees and some certificates)
Math Placement Levels and Scores
Level Placement ALEKS SAT ACT TM
College Math (Math for Health Careers, Business Math, or Technical Math) MAT102, 111, 114 any any any any

Contact Us

Questions? Please reach out to the Math Placement Coordinator.