Frequently Asked Questions

Accuplacer is a standardized test used by all CUNY colleges to assess math proficiency. Your Regents and/or SAT scores determine your proficiency in math, and Accuplacer determines where you start in your sequence. The content in math courses is aligned with the content of many other college courses, particularly for STEM majors. It's very important to do your best on this test.

If you've taken AP, College Now, or other college-level math courses, submit your scores or transcripts to the Transfer Office in order to officially transfer your credits.

Take time to review before you take the Accuplacer test. The Mathematics Department has WeBWork, an interactive site you can use for review and practice. Take the test seriously—the first half determines your math placement and the second half determines your level of placement in the STEM or Quantitative Reasoning sequence courses.

You are eligible to retest one time if you come close to passing elementary algebra material.

Free retest preparatory workshops are offered by the First Year Programs Office:

http://fyp.citytech.cuny.edu/workshops.html

Email: firstyear@citytech.cuny.edu

Phone: (718) 260-5697

It means you need some extra practice before you can succeed in college-level math.

If your Accuplacer score does not demonstrate proficiency, you may be required to take MAT 0650 with or without MAT 0650CO. It is best to take this course in the summer before you begin college. (Summer immersion programs like free First Year Immersion and Math Start only charge you for fees, not tuition.) Math proficiency is a prerequisite for many courses at City Tech.

You will have two consecutive chances to pass developmental math and demonstrate proficiency. If you can't demonstrate proficiency after two semesters, you will be dismissed from the college.

If you have struggled with math in the past, you may want to consider enrolling in Math Start to master basic algebra before you enroll in your other college courses.

Corequisites are courses that must be taken together. Depending on your math experience and scores, you may be placed into MAT 0650, MAT 1190, or MAT 1275 and also required to take a 0-credit corequisite course that meets for 2 hours each week and focuses on guided hands-on problem-solving and practice.

Every City Tech degree has a Mathematical and Quantitative Reasoning (MQR) requirement. Your degree checklist will tell you if a specific course is required or recommended to fulfill that category.

If it says "MQR" or "MAT 1190 or higher," you can take either Quantitative Reasoning math or STEM math. The math department recommends taking the highest math you qualify for, and you should discuss your options with your department faculty advisor.

If your degree checklist specifically mentions a math course that ends in "75" like MAT 1275, you must take STEM math.

STEM stands for science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Most majors at City Tech are STEM majors. They require math courses in sequence from Algebra-to-Calculus II sequence (MAT 1275 - MAT 1575). Majors in engineering technology, building sciences, computer sciences, applied sciences, mathematics, and many health science degrees require STEM math. These courses must be taken in sequence.

Quantitative Reasoning is focused on the mathematical, logical, critical thinking, and statistical skills needed to solve problems in real world contexts. Courses you might take include MAT 1190 Quantitative Reasoning and MAT 1272 Statistics. Examples of majors for which one MQR course will complete your math requirement are Business and Technology of Fashion, Dental Hygiene, and Communication Design.

Look up your degree checklist in the college catalog from your first semester at City Tech (if you are starting in the summer, consult the fall catalog; if you switched degrees, consult the catalog for the first semester after you switched).

Start with your Mathematical and Quantitative Reasoning (MQR) and Scientific World (SW) requirements. Your degree checklist will tell you if specific math courses are required or recommended to fulfill those categories.

Look at the rest of your degree checklist for other courses that start with MAT and enter them in the Math Sequence Worksheet. If you arrived at City Tech with math credit from advanced placement tests or transfer credits, consult DegreeWorks to see which requirements those courses fulfill and what math requirements remain.

Immediately! Any delay in taking your math courses, especially the STEM sequence—whether due to a course withdrawal, a failing grade, or neglecting to register for a course—could delay your graduation. Understanding mathematical material is critical to your success in other courses, which is why these courses are often pre- or co-requisites for courses in your major. Certain STEM majors also have minimum grade requirements of at least a "C" in math in order for students to progress.

Your Accuplacer score determines the first math course for which you are eligible to register and your major determines what additional math courses are required.

Algebra to Calculus II Sequence

• MAT 0650 (+ MAT 0650 CO)

  Elementary Algebra Developmental

• MAT 1275 (+ MAT 1275 CO)

  College Algebra and Trigonometry

• MAT 1375

  Precalculus

• MAT 1475

  Calculus I

• MAT 1575

  Calculus II

If you're in STEM math, you may need to take MAT 1275 and/or MAT 1375 to prepare for the first math course explicitly listed in your degree checklist.

In the college catalog right after your degree checklist, there is a suggested course of study that shows one way a full-time student could plan courses semester-by-semester. You can use your degree checklist with My Academic Career Planner to make a plan that takes your initial math placement into account. After you have made the plan, share it during academic advisement with a professor in your department.

You should re-take the course the very next semester—or, if you fail a course in the spring, consider taking it again over the summer. Use the tutoring services and your professor's office hours. When you pass the course, a grade of "C" or higher will replace the failing grade in your grade point average (GPA) calculations (however, the failed course will remain on your transcript).

You will also need to look at the prerequisites to your other required courses and talk with a faculty advisor in your department to make adjustments to your plan for the next semester.

Remember to check with the financial aid office to see what implications a "D" or "F" might have on your financial aid.