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Home Admissions Placement Chemistry Diagnostic Exam

ACS California Chemistry Diagnostic Exams for placement into CHEM 400 are offered in the Natural Sciences Building.

Prerequisites

For CHEM 400 General Chemistry I

  • CHEM 300 with a grade of "C" or better completed within one year prior to enrollment in CHEM 400 (strongly recommended option)
    • or, for students with recent, successful chemistry experiences, placement through the assessment process (ACS California Chemistry Diagnostic Exam) completed within one year prior to enrollment in CHEM 400
    • students having taken CHEM 310, CHEM 305, or another chemistry course must similarly pass the chemistry diagnostic exam prior to enrollment in CHEM 400

The prerequisite will be checked at the first class meeting.

Exam Schedule

Rooms and dates are subject to change. Please check the website the day before your test to confirm details. Additional dates will be posted for upcoming semesters, please check back for updates.

2025-2026

Date Weekday Time Location
November 7, 2025 Friday 12:00 pm Natural Sciences Bldg., NAS-201
November 21, 2025 Friday 12:00 pm Natural Sciences Bldg., NAS-201
December 12, 2025 Friday 11:00 am Natural Sciences Bldg., NAS-201
December 18, 2025 Thursday 1:00 pm Learning Resource Center, LRC 105
January 5, 2026 Monday 12:00 pm Natural Sciences Bldg., NAS-201
January 15, 2026 Thursday 12:00 pm Natural Sciences Bldg., NAS-201
February 27, 2026 Friday 2:00 pm Natural Sciences Bldg., NAS-201
March 13, 2026 Friday 2:00 pm Natural Sciences Bldg., NAS-201
April 10, 2026 Friday 2:00 pm Natural Sciences Bldg., NAS-201
May 20, 2026 Wednesday 1:00 pm Room to be determined, check back for updates
May 21, 2026 Thursday 1:00 pm Room to be determined, check back for updates

The exam takes 45 minutes, but please allow for over an hour in total.

Come Prepared

  • Further information on preparing for the placement test can be found under Preparatory Review below.
  • Please bring a nonprogrammable calculator (if possible, a limited number of calculators will be available to borrow) and a #2 pencil to the exam.
  • Please also be on time or you may not be allowed to take the exam.
  • It is not necessary to sign up in advance to take the placement test.

CHEM 400 General Chemistry I Preparatory Review

Preparatory Review

We recommend that you go through the CHEM 400 Preparatory Review prior to enrolling in a CHEM 400 class. This review is the first homework assignment given in CHEM 400. If you are not comfortable with the material or do not feel ready for CHEM 400, contact the course instructor. To help you familiarize yourself with the CHEM 400 Preparatory Review, there are the following online textbooks for the courses:

These are good places to start learning the material. The CHEM 300 text is a comprehensive introduction to many of the topics in CHEM 400. The CHEM 400 Preparatory Review for CHEM 400 is focused on students knowing the first 3-4 chapters of the CHEM 400 text. After chapters 1-3, all chapters are generally covered in full detail.

Also, it is a good idea to start memorizing the chemistry nomenclature since this is a significant item covered in CHEM 300 and assumed to be known at the beginning of CHEM 400.

Retest Policy

If you do not pass the test you may retest after two weeks. A maximum of two attempts per semester is allowed.

Contact

Dr. Todd Gruber
Email: grubert@scc.losrios.edu

Location

Natural Sciences Building
3835 Freeport Blvd.
Sacramento, CA 95822