ALEKS figures out what you already know, then builds your homework plate from there — topic by topic, at your own pace.
A short, adaptive pre-assessment — but the single most consequential thing you'll do in ALEKS all term.
Before any homework appears, ALEKS gives you a short adaptive assessment that decides how many of the course's ~208 topics you'll need to learn over the rest of the term. Topics you can already do are checked off — the rest land on your plate.
Before any homework appears, ALEKS gives you a short adaptive assessment that decides how many of the course's ~138 topics you'll need to learn over the rest of the term. Topics you can already do are checked off — the rest land on your plate.
Rushing or guessing adds topics you didn't need. Honest answers calibrate the system — including clicking I don't know when something's unfamiliar. Use scratch paper, give each question your best shot, and know that you can't simply retake it later to undo a poor run.
Yours runs under LockDown Browser. That means no other tabs, no notes on screen, and this site unavailable while you take it. Have scratch paper and a pencil ready before you start.
After the IKC, your course appears as six slices, ALEKS's map of the material you'll master before the Final Exam. Click any slice in the interactive to see what's inside.
After the IKC, your homework arrives as three modules, each pairing two topics and closing with an exam. Click any module in the interactive to see what's inside.
An interactive map of the 6 ALEKS slices — their topic counts, estimated times, and what each one covers. A calmer way to see the work than a flat topic list.
An interactive map of the 3 ALEKS modules — their topic counts, estimated times, and what each one covers. A calmer way to see the work than a flat topic list.
After the IKC, ALEKS breaks into three ongoing surfaces — each one does a different job.
After the IKC, ALEKS assigns homework topic by topic, sized to what it thinks you're still learning. Two students in the same section can have different loads on the same topic. That's the system working, not a glitch. No penalty for needing multiple attempts.
Each of the first six topics has a Review on ALEKS: exactly six questions, the same six every time, retaken as often as you like while that topic's week is open. Work through the Q1–Q6 walkthroughs on this site first, then take the review.
Topic 7's review is different: a cumulative Final Exam Review with many more questions drawn from across the course. Don't expect the six-question pattern; treat this one as your exam warm-up.
After the IKC, ALEKS assigns homework topic by topic, sized to what it thinks you're still learning. Your homework is paired: Topics 1 and 2 arrive as one module, 3 and 4 as the next, 5 and 6 as the last. No penalty for needing multiple attempts.
ALEKS runs a Post Module Knowledge Check after each homework pair, on top of the Initial Knowledge Check at the start of the course. These re-test what you've already completed, so topics you rushed through can come back.
There are no six-question topic reviews in your section. Instead, an Exam Review opens the week before each exam with the same question count and the same clock as the exam itself. It is not a study guide. It is the exam, a week early.
Worth knowing During the Initial Knowledge Check, every Exam Review and every exam, LockDown Browser is running and this site is unreachable. Everything here is preparation for that window, not help inside it.
The difference between a smooth ALEKS term and a painful one is mostly these five moves.
The number of topics on your plate is decided by one short assessment at the very start of the course. An honest “I don't know” beats a lucky guess every time.
ALEKS is designed for short, consistent sessions. Twenty focused minutes a day moves more topics than a three-hour Sunday cram.
When a topic bites, open ALEKS's Explain panel. You'll save the attempt, see the method, and usually finish the topic on the next try.
ALEKS only credits a topic once you land three in a row correctly. Half-finished topics roll back fast and resurface on knowledge checks.
A topic's Review can be retaken until the six questions feel easy, but only while that topic's week is open. Iterate early rather than saving it for the end of the week.
Your Exam Review is timed, single-attempt and locked. There's no iterating your way through it. Do the iterating here first, on the topic pages, then sit the review once.
Technical issues, login troubles, and the official ALEKS support channels.