Advice for Non-Exempt Students

We advise you to use the spring semester and summer to prepare for and pass the ELM Exam.

If you haven't taken the ELM Exam yet:

• Prepare for and take the ELM Exam and score higher than 50. Be sure to sign up for an Exam date before April so that your score can be reported to the campus where you have been accepted in time for you to register in June. It can take up to 6 weeks for exam scores to be reported.

If it's after April, plan to take the Exam as soon as possible! Registraion for classes begins in June and most campuses will not allow you to sign up for New Student Orientation or register for classes without an ELM Exam score in your records. Try to sign up for a local campus administration of the exam because scores from these are reported more quickly (sometimes in 1 week). (see ELM Exam schedules)

There are several tools and activities to assist with ELM Exam preparation on this site.

If you have taken the ELM Exam and scored less then 50:

• Contact the academic advisor at the CSU Campus where you have been accepted to find out what course of action they recommend for you. Typically you will have to take and pass 1-3 semesters of ELM Equivalent Coursework. The amount of coursework will vary depending on your ELM Exam score. These non-credit courses do not count toward your degree. Many campuses offer these ELM equivalent courses in the summer. Some campuses have ELM Exam Preparation Programs that will allow you to prepare for, and retake the ELM. You can use the Campus Program Listing to locate the opportunities available at the campus you will be attending.