Math Directed Self-Placement

UW Bothell uses Directed Self-Placement (DSP) to determine which math or composition course students should enroll in. The “self-placement” part of this is that you will decide for yourself what class you will enroll in. The goal here is to determine which class will allow you to be most successful—the class where you will feel challenged and stimulated, but not overwhelmed. In the end, the decision will be yours!

You should complete the Math Directed Self-Placement if both the following are true:

• You have never taken a math class at UW Bothell, and
• You have never passed a Calculus I course at a college or university

Math placement process

This process provides a course placement recommendation, but the final decision rests with you, recognizing that you know your own reading and writing abilities best and will choose the option you feel most confident in. This process takes about 20 minutes.

Here are the things you’ll do:

• You will answer a series of questions about your background in mathematics.
• Based on your responses, you will receive an initial course recommendation.
• You will read more about the suggested class to better understand its expectations and content.
• Using this information and your self-knowledge, you may choose to enroll in the recommended class or select the course before or after it if that feels like a better fit.

If at any point you have questions about filling out this survey, please reach out to uwbmathdsp@uw.edu for help.

Post-survey next steps

• Once you are done with the placement survey, you will receive a confirmation email at the email address you provided while completing the DSP.
• After 1 to 2 business days, you will be able to register for the class you selected as long as you have already completed orientation.
• If it has been more than 3 business days and you have attended orientation but you cannot register for your course, please contact uwbmathdsp@uw.edu.

FAQs