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Calculus Preparation Evaluation
The Calculus Preparation Evaluation (CPE) is a mandatory virtual evaluation to register in most of Laurier's entry-level calculus courses: MA100, MA102, MA103; or in the precalculus course: SC101.
Registration into any of those courses will be restricted until you complete the CPE. Once your CPE score has been recorded in LORIS, the restriction will be removed and you'll be able to register for the calculus course of your choosing, provided your score meets the course requirements.
Completion of the CPE is strongly encouraged but is not required to register in MA129, nor for students in Double Degree programs registering in MA103.
The purpose of this process is to maximize your opportunity for successful completion of the calculus requirement of your program, by helping you:
- Decide which course would be best suited to both your skills and your future goals.
- Prepare for an introductory calculus course by reviewing key prerequisite material.
Neither your offer of admission nor your program of study is affected by your CPE results.
Check out the video below for the top seven things you need to know before writing the CPE:
Calculus Courses, Prerequisites, and Your CPE Score
If calculus is a required course, check your program requirements very carefully so that you know what options are available for your specific program. We are available to help you make an informed decision! Contact either a mathematics advisor or an academic advisor in your home discipline if you have any questions.
The Department of Mathematics offers three streams of entry-level calculus courses.
This course serves as the minimum calculus requirement for various programs offered by the Lazaridis School of Business and Economics, and is taken by the majority of students in these programs.
Prerequisites
The prerequisite for MA129 is Grade 12 Advanced Functions (or equivalent).
While completion of the CPE is not required to register in MA129, it is strongly recommended to complete the CPE for the review of important math concepts needed for the course.
CPE Score Results
If you score below 50% on the CPE, you will most likely have difficulty completing MA129, and should seriously consider upgrading your skills beforehand.
Mathematics and Course Support offers a non-credit course over the summer months, called TriAGe: Preparation for Calculus, which can help you review prerequisite skills. They also offer a Calculus Preparation Program which allows you to refresh your skills and build a strong foundation.
Completion of MA129 will limit your choice of senior math courses for which you will have the prerequisite. Therefore, if you have a strong background in mathematics and think that you may want to further your studies in this area, you should consider MA103 instead of, or after, completing MA129.
These courses form the foundation for the calculus required in the programs offered by the Department of Mathematics and the Department of Computer Science and Physics.
You can complete either both MA102 and MA103, or MA103, based on your current skill set.
- MA103 assumes that you have a relatively strong mathematics background, and have already been introduced to foundational calculus concepts (limits and derivatives).
- MA102 incorporates an additional emphasis on basic algebra, trigonometry, and limits, as the foundation of differential calculus.
Prerequisites
The prerequisites for MA103 include Grade 12 Calculus and Vectors (or equivalent), and a CPE score of 75% or better.
If you score below 75% on the CPE and/or do not have credit for Grade 12 Calculus and Vectors, you will start with MA102 in fall term, followed by MA103 in winter term. If required in your program, MA104: Calculus II can then be taken in second year.
Note that while students in a Double Degree program at Laurier (BBA/BA, BBA/BSc) can register directly in MA103, completion of the CPE is strongly recommended for the review of important math concepts needed for the course.
CPE Score Results
While there is no minimum CPE score required to enrol in MA102, a valid attempt must be received.
If you score below 50% on the CPE, you will most likely have difficulty completing MA102, and should seriously consider upgrading your skills beforehand. Mathematics and Course Support offers a non-credit course over the summer months, called TriAGe: Preparation for Calculus, which can help you review prerequisite skills. They also offer a Calculus Preparation Program which allows you to refresh your skills and build a strong foundation.
MA 100 serves as the entry point for most other BSc programs, such as Biology, Biochemistry and Biotechnology, Chemistry, Environmental Science, Health Science, Water Science and Environmental Health, and Psychology.
SC101 provides a thorough review of pre-university skills in algebra, trigonometry and functions. Also integrated with the course content will be a discussion of specific learning strategies to help you with the transition from high school mathematics to university-level expectations. This course has been created specifically for students in BSc programs who may not be adequately prepared for MA100.
Prerequisites
The prerequisites for MA100 include Grade 12 Advanced Functions (or equivalent), and a CPE score of 50% or better.
CPE Score Results
If you score below 50% on the CPE will start with SC101 in fall term, followed by MA100 in winter term.
In many science programs, MA100 is followed by MA101: Calculus I for the Natural Sciences, which can be taken either in winter term, or in second year if SC101 is completed before MA100. You may opt to take MA103 instead of MA101, which then allows the option of enrolling in MA104 and other senior mathematics courses, if you are interested in a mathematics minor.
Content Covered by the CPE
The CPE is comprised of 50 multiple choice problems, and covers topics in secondary-level mathematics that are essential for success in entry postsecondary-level mathematics courses, particularly first-year university calculus. The skills being assessed are those covered by the Ontario mathematics curriculum, up to and including those from Grade 12 Advanced Functions (MHF4U); knowledge of calculus concepts is not required.
- Part A: Simplifying Expressions (15 questions): factoring and remainder theorem, manipulating rational expressions, using laws of exponents, absolute value, set and interval notation.
- Part B: Solving Equations and Inequalities (10 questions): linear, quadratic, and rational equations, absolute value, inequalities and interval notation, systems of equations.
- Part C: Functions and Graphing (10 questions): the arithmetic and composition of functions, domains, ranges, graphs and transformations/translations, inverse functions.
- Part D: Geometry (5 questions): coordinate systems, equations and properties of lines, parabolas and circles.
- Part E: Exponentials and Logarithms (5 questions): evaluating, simplifying and solving equations involving exponential and logarithmic expressions, properties of the exponential and logarithmic functions.
- Part F: Trigonometry (5 questions): radian measure, evaluating, simplifying and solving equations involving trigonometric expressions, properties of the trigonometric functions.
Sample Problems
Once you access the CPE through our course management system, there will be a sample set of questions available for you to preview the types of problems that you will see on the actual CPE.
A complete solution set to the problems is provided upon submission of the Sample Evaluation, which may be useful as a quick refresher of the concepts and methods covered.
How to Take the CPE
Guidelines
- Remember that this evaluation is for your benefit, to help you identify any areas of weakness and to make the right decision as to which introductory calculus course you should take to maximize your chance of success. It is important that your CPE score is reflective of your knowledge base.
- While the system allows you two hours, you should be able to complete the questions within 75 to 90 minutes; requiring a greater amount of time is an indication that you need some extra review on at least some of the topics covered.
- The test needs to be completed in one sitting, so give yourself two hours of uninterrupted time before starting.
- No calculators or other aids are allowed, but have scrap paper and pencil at hand.
Process
The CPE will be accessible online 24 hours/day, seven days/week.
To take the online CPE:
- Accept your offer of admission through the Ontario Universities’ Application Centre and obtain your Laurier email account.
- Use your Laurier credentials to log in to Laurier's course management system, MyLearningSpace.
- Select Self-Registration from the horizontal menu bar.
- Select Calculus Preparation Evaluation.
- Follow the onscreen instructions to register yourself.
- Follow the onscreen instructions to complete the CPE.
If preferred, you may also make arrangements to come to Laurier's Waterloo campus to complete the evaluation. Contact us to arrange an in-person evaluation, or to discuss any academic accommodations you may require in order to complete the CPE.
Notes
- Your results on the CPE will be available immediately upon the completion and submission of your answers. You are encouraged to complete the evaluation by early July, to aid in course selection for September and to identify any areas that you need to review.
- If you feel that your CPE results are not reflective of your skills, you can complete it again. We allow up to a maximum of three attempts; if the CPE is completed more than once, we record the highest score obtained.
- While you get your test score right away, there may be a delay of up to five business days until the restriction on LORIS is lifted. If, after five business days, you are still unable to enrol in a calculus course, please contact us.
- Completion of the CPE is a requirement of the Department of Mathematics. The Evaluation is administered by our Mathematics and Statistics Learning Support staff.
CPE Frequently Asked Questions
The purpose of the CPE is to help you gain an understanding of how well prepared you are for an entry-level university calculus course. No knowledge of calculus is required to complete the CPE!
The Evaluation is made up of 50 multiple-choice questions that cover content from the high school math curriculum, up to and including, Grade 12 Advanced Functions (MHF4U in Ontario). Most of the problems on the assessment will be similar to what you have worked with in your Grade 11 and Grade 12 functions courses.
If you have difficulty doing algebraic work, you won’t be able to complete solutions to calculus problems and you won’t do well in your calculus class. This is because the foundation of good calculus skills is good algebraic skills. To be able to complete calculus problems, you still need to be able to factor expressions, solve equations, decipher word problems, graph functions, work with logarithmic, and in some cases, with trigonometric expressions.
The CPE covers content that your professors are going to assume you already know. Completing the CPE lets you identify any topics that you have either forgotten from high school or maybe never really fully understood when you learned them in high school. This way, you can ensure you have the knowledge base required for calculus and identify concepts/methods you may need to brush up on… before you start your entry-level calculus course!
The score you receive on your CPE will also allow you to make an informed decision as to which is the correct entry-level calculus course for you, according to your background knowledge and future goals.
In short, no!
We will not register you in a particular calculus course based on your CPE results. The decision as to which course to take is yours to make, so long as you have the prerequisites for that course.
You will need to use LORIS to enroll in your entry-level calculus course the same way you will for all your other classes. For more information on how to register in your courses, review the Course Registration Guide.
The answer: that’s up to you!
Your CPE score should reflect your everyday working knowledge in math.
If you are currently completing a math course, or recently completed one, then you should need little preparation before attempting the CPE.
If it’s been a while since you took your last math class, then you may want to do a quick review beforehand. Pro tip: Use the sample evaluation questions! The sample evaluation essentially gives you a preview of what is being assessed by the CPE. After completing the sample evaluation, full solutions to the problems will be provided which can be great to review if you have forgotten how to do some of the problems.
What you do after the CPE is more important than what you do before! Identify any topics you found challenging and look for ways to brush up on those skills before starting your calculus course.
If you are not happy with the results of your first attempt, you can complete the CPE again! The questions will differ with each attempt, but we allow up to a maximum of three valid attempts on the CPE.
There is no time you must wait before trying the CPE again, however, you should make sure you review your results from your previous attempt first to see which questions you answered incorrectly before starting it again.
If you complete the CPE more than once, we record the highest score you obtain. This is what will be used to determine if pre-requisites are met for course registration.
No, the CPE is not an entrance test and your results do not affect your offer of admission to Laurier.
There is no “pass/fail” on the CPE; regardless of your score, there will be an entry-level calculus course that you will be able to register in. But be sure to use your results to identify any areas of weakness and create a study plan to refresh your skills
You only need to self-register for the Calculus Preparation Evaluation once in MyLearningSpace. To return to the site, login to MyLearningSpace and use the grid icon to find the Calculus Preparation Evaluation in your list of courses.
If you experience any network problems while you are taking the CPE, and your page freezes or closes, re-establish your connection and navigate back to the CPE page on MyLearningSpace. You should be able to re-enter your attempt with all of your previous answers still saved. If too much time has elapsed, you can submit the incomplete attempt and then start the Evaluation over again.
CPE scores from valid attempts are often processed the next business day, but it may take up to 5 business days for your CPE score to be reflected in LORIS. A message will be sent to your MyLaurier email if you need to attempt the CPE again; be sure to monitor your MyLaurier email account on a regular basis.
If it has been more than five business days and you are still unable to enroll in a calculus course that requires completion of the CPE, and you did not receive an email asking you to complete the CPE again, contact us and include the exact error message that LORIS displays when you try to enroll.
While there is no deadline to complete the CPE, we strongly encourage you to complete it as soon as possible as it is required to enroll in most of Laurier’s entry-level calculus courses.
The CPE opens by the last week of May, and is accessible 24 hours a day, seven days a week, so you can complete it at a convenient time for you.
Completion of the CPE is not intended to be stressful! It is neither an entrance test nor a placement test and the CPE covers material you’ve already taken.
Use the CPE to make an informed decision as to the best option for what entry-level calculus course to choose, and as a tool to ensure you have set yourself up for success by reviewing key prerequisite concepts.