Credit by exam
NAU students can earn credit towards courses
Pass the challenge examination and obtain mathematics or statistics credit
You can earn credit for specific courses by taking a Challenge Examination, which takes three hours and costs $30 per credit hour.
Information for the challenge exam
Courses available to receive credit for Accordion Closed
Credit by Challenge Examination may be earned for the following mathematics course:
- MAT 121 Finite Mathematics with Calculus
CLEP exams, available by the NAU Testing Center, can be used to obtain credit for MAT 125 Precalculus or MAT 136 Calculus I. The NAU Testing Center website also lists the minimum score needed to gain credit.
Regulations Accordion Closed
- University policy imposes limits on the number of credit hours you may earn by Challenge or other Special Examinations. (See the for details.)
- The Credit by Challenge Examination may not be earned for a course in which you previously received a grade. You may not earn credit by Challenge Examination for a course in which you are currently enrolled, unless the Challenge Exam is completed prior to the eighth day of instruction (which corresponds to the Deadline to Add a Course Without a Petition).
- The Credit by Challenge Examination may not be earned for a course which is equivalent to, more elementary than, or substantially overlaps another course in which you are currently enrolled or that you have already obtained credit.
- A particular Challenge Examination may not be repeated within a year of the first attempt. Under no circumstances will a student be permitted to take a Challenge Examination for the same course more than twice.
- Credit earned by Challenge Examination is recorded as a “P” and becomes part of the student’s academic record. Only students who have been admitted to NAU who are active during the term in which they take the Challenge Exam are able to earn credit. Post-Baccalaureate students are not able to earn credit via Challenge Exam.
Dates Accordion Closed
Challenge Exams will be offered (by appointment only) on the following days:
- Monday of the week before classes
- Monday of the 1st week of classes
- Monday of the 2nd week of classes
Notes:
- The result of your exam will be available before the drop/add deadline.
- If a Monday falls on a holiday, then the exam will be scheduled for Tuesday of the same week.
Procedure Accordion Closed
- Complete the online Challenge Exam . You will receive a copy of your responses at the email address you provide on the form (please use your nau email address).
- Take a copy of your responses (digital is fine: email to Adel Mathematics and Statistics) together with a check or money order in the amount of the examination fee (payable to Northern Arizona University) to the Department of Mathematics and Statistics’ main office at least one week in advance of the examination. Cash is also acceptable.
- Send a picture of your payment receipt, at least one week before your proposed exam date, to the email provided on your registration form to arrange scheduling of your exam. Your exam will not be scheduled without completing this step.
- You will receive an email within 48 hours with confirmation about your exam location, date, and time.
- Report to the place of examination 15 minutes before your scheduled time for instructions and for verification of your identification.
Course information
The following table provides the master syllabus for each course, as well as a copy of the formula page(s) that will be provided during the examination. Note that formulas will be provided for MAT 121.
You will not be allowed to bring a formula page for any of the examinations. Please use this information to decide if you are prepared to take the Challenge Examination and to assist in your studying for the examination.
MAT 121 | formulas | calculator restrictions |