CHM.Q 130 and CHM.Q 140
Eligibility Information

Incoming Freshmen: Please refer to your Dashboard. If you see Chemistry Readiness Exam (CRE) as a requirement, we have already determined that you need to take the exam for placement. See Chemistry Readiness Exam (below).

Current and Transfer Students: Please read the flowchart for instructions.

flowchart

Questions to Determine Eligibility for CHM.Q 130 or 140

Is CHM.Q 130 (General, Organic, and Biochemistry for the Health Sciences) a course required for my major?

Nursing requires students to take CHM.Q 130.

Is CHM.Q 140 (General Chemistry) a course required for my major?

The following majors are required to take CHM.Q 140 as part of their programs:

  • Chemistry
  • Biochemistry
  • Biology
  • Biomedical Sciences
  • Clinical Laboratory Sciences
  • Environmental Science & Sustainability
  • Physical Therapy
  • Toxicology

What if CHM.Q 140 is not required for my major? Or: If I want to take CHM.Q 130 or 140, how do I know if I can register to take it?

You need to meet ONE of the following requirements:

a. Take high school chemistry AND Algebra 2/Trig and earn the following: 

  • Chemistry: 80% or higher on Regents OR 85% or higher in class
  • Math: 85% or higher on Regents OR 90% or higher in class

b. Or take an AP Chemistry course and earn a score of 3 on the exam. 

A score of 4 or 5 places you out of CHM.Q 140.

c. Or take a college-level preparatory General Chemistry course and earn a C- or higher

  • CHM 120 (old CHM 139) at Nazareth University 
  • or at another college

d. Or take the Chemistry Readiness Exam and earn a 70% or higher.

This exam will help to place you into the course most appropriate for your current level of chemistry understanding: CHM 120 or CHM.Q 130 or CHM.Q 140.

More detailed information is below.

e. Or take ALEKS online course and pass with 95% mastery

Chemistry Readiness Exam (CRE)

The Chemistry Readiness Exam (CRE) is a timed, multiple-choice exam with 50 questions that assess the chemistry, math, and reasoning skills needed for CHM.Q 130 and CHM.Q 140. Students may take the CRE only once. The CRE helps the Chemistry Department evaluate your preparation for college chemistry and place you into the course that best matches your background. Based on your CRE score, you will be placed into one of the following courses:

  • CHM 120 – Preparation for General Chemistry
  • CHM.Q 130 – General, Organic, Biochemistry for Health Sciences (Nursing Majors only)
  • CHM.Q 140 – General Chemistry (all other majors)

CHM 120 is designed to strengthen chemistry and math skills and prepare students for CHM.Q 130 or CHM.Q 140.

How to Enroll in the CRE on Moodle

To take the CRE, you must self-enroll in the Moodle course titled “Chemistry Readiness Exam.”

Follow these steps:

  1. Go to Naz Moodle: http://naz.mrooms3.net
  2. Log in using your Nazareth username and password.
  3. Open the Block Drawer on the right side of the screen.
    • If you see a blue semicircle with an arrow, click it to open the drawer. (Screenshot below.)
  4. Scroll down to Self-Enrollable Courses.
  5. Click Courses for Students. (Screenshot below.)
  6. Select Chemistry Readiness Exam.
  7. On the course page, click the “Enroll Me” button at the bottom.
Moodle screenshots

After enrolling, you will be able to:

  • Read the instructions and documents
  • Take the practice exam
  • Complete the Chemistry Readiness Exam

CRE Completion Deadlines

The CRE should be completed before course registration.

  • Current Students: May 13 (for fall semester) or October 15 (for spring semester)
  • New First-Year Students: Academic Advisement monitors completion of the CRE and ALEKS and will register students for the appropriate chemistry course. Meeting these deadlines helps ensure a seat in CHM.Q 130 or CHM.Q 140.
    • CRE completed by June 12
    • ALEKS completed by July 14 (if required)

Q and A

When is the CRE given? Due dates?

The CRE is available year-round on Moodle. Completion of the CRE and/or ALEKS is due at the time of enrollment. Consent of the Chemistry Department is required for enrollment into the course. Students are encouraged to take the CRE as soon as possible to know of course placement.  For fall, we recommend taking the exam no later than June 12 and for spring we recommend taking the exam no later than October 15.

What material will be covered on the examination?

The exam will cover material that we expect all students who have had a year of high school chemistry to know, including basic mathematical skills, dimensional analysis (a.k.a. factor-labeling), reaction stoichiometry, and solution stoichiometry. This material should be reviewed prior to the examination. Additionally, there is a practice CRE exam, found on Moodle that we recommend taking prior to the exam.  This exam is significantly longer than the actual exam, but will give you a good idea of the various types of questions that will be covered on the exam. 

How will scores on the examination be used?

Scores on this examination will not affect grades for CHM.Q 130 or CHM.Q 140 (or any other course). Students who score poorly on this examination will be required to take ALEKS or CHM 120 in preparation to take CHM.Q 130 or CHM.Q 140.

How many questions on the CRE do I need to get correct to pass?

Students need to get a score of 70% on the CRE to place into CHM.Q 130 or CHM.Q 140 (35 questions correct). If the score is less than 70%, then you can complete ALEKS with 95% mastery to enroll in CHM.Q 130 or CHM.Q 140 or take CHM 120.

If I don’t score high enough on the CRE to enter into CHM.Q 130 or CHM.Q 140, can I take the CRE again so I don’t have to take CHM 120?

No, you cannot take the exam again.  However, you can complete ALEKS with 95% mastery and enroll in CHM.Q 130 or CHM.Q 140.  We also highly encourage you to complete the practice exam, found on Moodle, prior to taking the CRE so that you are prepared for the exam.  You can also use additional internet sources in helping you to prepare for the exam.

How can I prepare for the CRE?

Students can study chapters in a general chemistry textbook (high school or college level) that cover the periodic table, stoichiometry, molarity and solution stoichiometry, balancing reactions -- the basic concepts from an introductory high school chemistry class. Additionally, there is a practice CRE exam that we recommend taking.  This exam is significantly longer than the actual exam, but will give you a good idea of the various types of questions that will be covered on the exam.  Students are encouraged to refresh their chemistry knowledge through the practice exams before taking the actual exam.  There is also a wide variety of resources you can access on the internet to help you prepare.  You will be allowed to take the CRE only one time.

I took the exam with the hope of getting into CHM.Q 130 or CHM.Q 140 next term, but I was not able to enroll in CHM.Q 130 or CHM.Q 140. Will I have to take the exam again?

No. If you take the exam now, but are not able to take the course into which you place (CHM.Q 130 or CHM.Q 140 or CHM 120) next term, you will not need to take the exam again.

If I think I need CHM 120, the preparatory course for CHM.Q 130 and CHM.Q 140, do I need to take the CRE?

No, you do not need to take the CRE in order to take CHM 120.  If you are a freshman, and would like to take CHM 120 instead of CHM.Q 130 or CHM.Q 140, please let Academic Advisement know.

If I have taken CHM 120, do I need to take the CRE before taking CHM.Q 130 or CHM.Q 140?

No, your progress will be based solely on your grade in CHM 120. Students who complete CHM 120 with a grade of C- or higher will be able to enroll in CHM.Q 130 or CHM.Q 140. Students completing CHM 120 with a grade of D+ or below must retake CHM 120 earning at least a C- or complete ALEKS before moving on to CHM.Q 130 or CHM.Q 140.

ALEKS Review Course

ALEKS (Assessment and LEarning in Knowledge Spaces) is a web-based, artificially intelligent assessment and learning system. ALEKS uses adaptive questioning to quickly and accurately determine exactly what you know and don't know, and then instructs you on the topics you are most ready to learn. As you work through a course, ALEKS periodically reassesses you to ensure that topics learned are also retained. ALEKS also provides the advantages of one-on-one instruction, 24/7, from virtually any web-based computer for a fraction of the cost of a human tutor.

ALEKS will be extremely useful to any student who has taken high school chemistry but needs a review of key concepts before taking CHM.Q 130 or CHM.Q 140.  For $41.50, you get access to an 11-week ALEKS license, with which to attain the 95% total mastery that is required for CHM.Q 130 or CHM.Q 140 enrollment. On average, students require ~70 hours in the program to achieve this; however, ALEKS provides a total of 11 weeks before the purchased license expires. First year students need to complete ALEKS by July 14 to enroll in CHM.Q 130 or CHM.Q 140. If the ALEKS license expires before you complete the course satisfactorily, you must purchase a new license if you choose to complete the ALEKS course.

Please read the ALEKS course instructions prior to registering for the course.

Completion of the ALEKS online course is due at the time of registration.

  • Fall registration – August 1 (July 14 for freshmen to guarantee seat)
  • Spring registration – January 1

Students who do not meet the 95% total mastery will not be given permission to enroll in CHM.Q 130 or CHM.Q 140. 

You do not need to complete the ALEKS program if you have received a C- or higher in CHM120 or if you received a passing grade on the CRE.

Current Course Code: YEYRK-KVRHP
For $41.50, you get access to ALEKS for 11 weeks.

ALEKS course