Frequently Asked Student Questions 

All students entering Skidmore College in the fall of 2020 or later must complete an Applied Quantitative Reasoning (AQR) course by the end of their third year in order to graduate as part of Skidmore College's General Education curriculum. In an AQR course, you will develop and use quantitative skills in an applied setting to consider, model, and solve discipline-specific or interdisciplinary real-world problems and interpret and communicate the results of your inquiries. To enroll in an AQR course requires either placement at the AQR level or completion of a Fundamental Quantitative Reasoning (FQR) course. Quantitative reasoning placement should be completed prior to speaking with your advisor and registering for classes. Placement can be determined either through standardized test scores submitted to Skidmore or via a student’s performance on the QR Placement Diagnostic. If you have any questions about the requirement or the quantitative reasoning placement process at Skidmore, please email the Quantitative Reasoning Director, Dr. Smriti Tiwari.

No. The AQR requirement is not a math requirement.

Applied quantitative reasoning leverages mathematical skills, reasoning, and knowledge to understand our world and to inform our lives and choices. Accordingly, the emphasis in AQR courses is on using foundational mathematical understanding to characterize, comprehend, and model real world empirical data to examine the behavior of populations or systems, with all the complexity and nuance that entails; to interpret and communicate quantitative results and data; and to use quantitative reasoning to make informed decisions. 

As such, AQR courses are offered from a variety of disciplines including Biology, Chemistry, Economics, Environmental Science, Geosciences, Political Science, Psychology, Physics, Sociology, Social Work, and Statistics. 

• Use statistical and/or mathematical models to characterize empirical data;
• Understand, model, and predict the behavior of populations or systems;
• Interpret and communicate results orally and/or in writing; and
• Use quantitative reasoning for informed decision-making.

• Perform mathematical calculations involving estimation, basic formulas, units, percentages, fractions, statistics, probability, and geometry;
• Formulate and apply basic algebra skills;
• Understand, interpret, and apply mathematical concepts and calculations in his/her/their daily life;
• Effectively communicate and discuss mathematical concepts and results both orally and in writing; and
• Appreciate the power and utility of quantitative reasoning.

Before enrolling in an Applied Quantitative Reasoning (AQR) course, the college will need to determine your quantitative reasoning development either through your performance on the QR Placement Diagnostic or via your standardized test scores. Your quantitative reasoning placement will allow the college to support your quantitative reasoning development at Skidmore to ensure that you successfully complete an AQR course while still enabling you to get a well-rounded liberal arts education. 

You will be placed into one of three levels.

i) MA 100 – You arrived to Skidmore with strong skills and experiences outside of quantitative reasoning, but you need to develop your basic quantitative skills before enrolling in a quantitative reasoning course. You will need to complete successfully MA 100 before taking a Fundamental Quantitative Reasoning (FQR) course.  You will then need to successfully complete an FQR course before enrolling in an AQR course to fulfill the AQR requirement. If placed into MA 100, you need to complete the course by the end of your first year and an FQR course by the end of your second year. The QR Director will provide students placed into MA 100 one opportunity to revise their QR Placement to FQR by taking an in person QR test. The one chance to take the QR  in person test will be during Orientation. The QR Director will make arrangements with students in London regarding the opportunity to take the QR in person test.

ii) FQR – You arrived to Skidmore with strong skills and experiences outside of quantitative reasoning, but you need to refine your fundamental quantitative reasoning skills before enrolling in an AQR course. You will need to successfully complete an FQR course before enrolling in an AQR course to fulfill the AQR requirement.  If you are placed at the FQR level, you need to complete an FQR course by the end of your second year.

iii) AQR – You arrived to Skidmore with strong quantitative reasoning skills and are ready for an AQR course. You do not need to successfully complete an FQR course. You can enroll in an AQR course your first semester. Once you successfully complete an AQR course, you will have fulfilled the AQR requirement and you can focus on other areas of your liberal arts education.

You may only take the QR Placement Diagnostic once. Please plan accordingly. Note, under-placement may result in you needing to take up to two additional QR courses before enrolling in an AQR course. Please take the QR Placement Diagnostic seriously. Such under-placement may prevent you from taking other courses when you want to.

The QR Director will provide students placed into MA 100 one opportunity to revise their QR Placement to FQR by taking an in person QR test. The one chance to take the QR  in person test will be during Orientation. The QR Director will make arrangements with students in London regarding the opportunity to take the QR in person test.

You should have your quantitative reasoning placement before speaking with your advisor and registering for your classes. If you take the QR Placement Diagnostic, it can take up to five business days to receive your placement via your Skidmore email account. Please plan accordingly.

You may use standardized test scores to place at the AQR level. If you scored ≥ 650 on the Math section of the SAT or ≥ 28 on the ACT Math, and officially submitted your score to Skidmore College, you will be automatically placed at the AQR level and do NOT need to take the QR Placement Diagnostic. Please note, listing your scores on your Common Application without having them officially sent to Skidmore does not count.

If one of your standardized test scores meets or exceeds the threshold but you did not officially submit the scores when you applied, you can still submit the scores to be placed at the AQR level. Please go to your College Board or ACT account; take a screenshot of the summary page that shows your full name, date of birth, and all of your scores including test dates; and then email that screenshot to registrar@skidmore.edu. 

If you do not have standardized test scores that place you at the AQR level, you need to take the QR Placement Diagnostic prior to speaking with your advisor. Meeting this deadline will ensure that you will have your placement before your appointment with your summer advisor to discuss registering for classes for the Fall semester. Note that it can take up to five business days to receive your placement. Please plan accordingly.  

Yes. Please complete the QR Placement Diagnostic before speaking with your summer advisor. You must successfully complete an Applied Quantitative Reasoning (AQR) course by the end of your third year to fulfill the requirement. Depending on your placement, you may need to take up to two additional courses before meeting the prerequisite to enroll in an AQR course. The number of courses you will need to complete to satisfy the AQR requirement is valuable information for you to have before you talk with your summer advisor and register for classes.

In addition, AQR courses are required for certain majors and tracks including within a student's first two-years at Skidmore. Your QR placement enables you to appropriately plan to take the necessary courses for your intended majors and tracks. 

You should complete the QR Placement Diagnostic as soon as possible. Late submission of the QR Placement Diagnostic may prevent you from enrolling in a quantitative reasoning course for the Fall semester and, depending on your placement, make it challenging for you to take the courses you want in subsequent semesters. By having your quantitative reasoning placement, you will be able to have an informed discussion with your summer advisor about what courses to take in your first term and to plan ahead.

To enroll in an AQR course requires either A) placement at the AQR level through the requisite performance on the QR Placement Diagnostic or the submission of the appropriate standardized test scores, or B) the successful completion of an FQR course. Please note that individual AQR courses may have additional prerequisites that are your responsibility to learn about and to fulfill ahead of trying to register for the course.

To enroll in an FQR course requires either A) placement at the FQR or the AQR level through the requisite performance on the QR Placement Diagnostic or the submission of the appropriate standardized test scores, or B) the successful completion of MA 100. Please note that individual FQR courses may have additional prerequisites that are your responsibility to learn about and to fulfill ahead of trying to register for the course.

To enroll in MA 100 requires placement via the student’s performance on the QR Placement Diagnostic.

If placed into MA 100, you need to complete MA 100 by the end of your first year. Completing MA 100 sooner gives you the greatest flexibility in choosing which FQR course to take by the end of your second year and then which AQR course to complete by the end of your third year.  

If you placed at the FQR or AQR level, you do NOT need to take MA 100.

The QR Director will provide students placed into MA 100 one opportunity to revise their QR Placement to FQR by taking an in person QR test. The one chance to take the QR  in person test will be during Orientation. The QR Director will make arrangements with students in London regarding the opportunity to take the QR in person test.

If you placed into MA 100 or at the FQR level, you need to complete an FQR course by the end of your second year, so you can complete your AQR requirement by the end of your third year. Please note, if you place into MA 100, you will need to complete MA 100 before taking an FQR course. If you are required to take an FQR course, we encourage you to complete an FQR course as soon as possible to give you the greatest flexibility in completing your AQR requirement by the end of your third year. If you took MA 100, we strongly encourage you to take an FQR course right after MA 100 so the quantitative content from MA 100 is still fresh in your mind. 

If you placed at the AQR level, you do NOT need to take an FQR course.

You will need to successfully complete an AQR course by the end of your third year in order to fulfill the AQR requirement of the General Education curriculum.  We encourage you to take an AQR course sooner in your academic career if possible. If you need to take an FQR course before an AQR course, we especially encourage you to take an AQR course right after your FQR course so the quantitative content from the FQR course is still fresh in your mind. 

Please be aware that certain AQR courses may be required or expected for particular majors or tracks and should be completed within your first two years at Skidmore. Please plan accordingly. 

If you plan to study abroad during your third year, you should not count on taking an AQR course while abroad. Please plan accordingly to complete your AQR requirement before going abroad. 

Yes.  Placement at either the FQR or AQR level means you meet the prerequisite to enroll in an FQR course. Placement at the AQR level does not preclude you from enrolling in an FQR course. Please note that individual FQR courses may have additional prerequisites that are your responsibility to learn about and to fulfill ahead of trying to register for the course.

No. If you place at the FQR or AQR level, you have developed the basic quantitative reasoning skills that are covered in MA 100. You should take other courses to round out your liberal arts education.

Please email the Quantitative Reasoning Director, Dr. Smriti Tiwari.

If you took a college course(s) prior to attending Skidmore College, please read over the Skidmore College Transfer Credit Policies. Afterward, please contact the Registrar’s Office (registrar@skidmore.edu). The Registrar’s Office will work with Department Chairs and Program Directors to determine how the course(s) will count in the Skidmore curriculum.  

If you are transferring to Skidmore from another institution, please read the Transfer Student FAQ. Assistant Registrar for Records Paula Puckett (ppuckett@skidmore.edu) in the Registrar’s Office will be your point of contact. Paula Puckett will work with Department Chairs and Program Directors to determine how the course(s) will count in the Skidmore curriculum. If you have not taken a quantitative course, you will need a quantitative reasoning placement, so please take the QR Placement Diagnostic or submit standardized test scores.  If you scored ≥ 650 on the SAT Math or ≥ 28 on the ACT Math and submitted your score to Skidmore College, you will be automatically placed at the AQR level and do NOT need to take the QR Placement Diagnostic. If none of your standardized test scores are at or above the listed threshold, you need to take the QR Placement Diagnostic.

If you are enrolled at Skidmore and are looking to take MA 100, an FQR, or an AQR course at another institution, you need to fulfill the Transfer Credit Approval Form in advance of taking the course to determine if the course will count.  Such transfer courses to fulfill the General Education requirements MUST be pre-approved by the Registrar’s Office. Please note, you will not receive credit for an AQR course until you have completed the prerequisite for AQR courses (placement at the AQR level or completion of an FQR course). 

You need your official Skidmore username and password to login into the QR Placement Diagnostic. You thus need to make sure to create your account before taking the QR Placement Diagnostic. 

You need to enable JavaScript in your browser for the QR Placement Diagnostic to work properly. If you need help in enabling JavaScript, please follow the instructions detailed on this URL:  https://www.enable-javascript.com/

You need 2-3 hours of uninterrupted internet access to take the QR Placement Diagnostic through a web browser. Once you have begun the QR Placement Diagnostic, you cannot stop or exit until you have completed it. You thus should select a comfortable place to work and have a snack & beverage of choice readily available if so desired. Do not skip any questions.

You may also use a calculator and scratch paper.

The QR Placement Diagnostic is untimed. However, if you are inactive for an extended period of time, you may be automatically logged out of the QR Placement Diagnostic. 

You may use a calculator and scratch paper.  In keeping with Skidmore College’s Honor Code, we expect that you will not have outside help, which could consist of, but is not limited to, consulting or working with another person, using printed materials, or searching the web.

No. The QR Placement Diagnostic is a tool to help determine your appropriate quantitative reasoning course placement to ensure that you are best-positioned both to fulfill the AQR requirement and to develop a well-rounded liberal arts education. Accordingly, we want to assess your quantitative reasoning skills accurately to ensure that we can best support you. Neither over-placement (i.e., placing you in a course that is above your skill-level) or under-placement (i.e., placing you in a course that is below your skill-level) is in your best interest. In keeping with Skidmore College’s Honor Code, we expect that you will not have outside help, which could consist of, but is not limited to, consulting or working with another person, using printed materials, or searching the web.

The QR Placement Diagnostic is untimed. In addition, you may use a calculator on the QR Placement Diagnostic and you may use scratch paper and a pencil, or equivalent, to work problems. In the Placement Diagnostic, if you click on a mathematical formula or expression, an enlarged view of the formula or expression will pop out. If you need to enlarge the text overall, please use the zoom features in your browser. The Placement Diagnostic should also be compatible with a screen reader. If you need additional accommodations, please contact the Coordinator of Student Access Services, Meg Hegener (mhegener@skidmore.edu), who will coordinate with the Quantitative Reasoning Director, Dr. Smriti Tiwari.

Please go to the Disability and Accessibility Services page if you want additional information about the services Skidmore provides, relevant policies and standards, and how to apply for services.  

No. Please take it seriously but do not study for the QR Placement Diagnostic.

You may take short breaks (a few minutes), including using the restroom. Please remain logged into the QR Placement Diagnostic with the page open when you take a short break. However, once you have begun the QR Placement Diagnostic, you cannot stop or exit until you have completed it. An extended period of inactivity will log you out of the QR Placement Diagnostic.

You will receive your quantitative reasoning placement via an email to your Skidmore College email address. It can take up to five business days to receive your quantitative reasoning placement. Please plan accordingly. If you do not receive your quantitative reasoning placement within five business days, please contact the Quantitative Reasoning Director, Dr. Smriti Tiwari.

For first year students, you will not be able to register for classes until your registration time in June. Once you receive the email to your Skidmore account with your quantitative reasoning placement, it may take up to 24 hours before the placement is in the registration system. Both conditions, the opening of the registration period and at least 24 hours since receiving your placement, must be met before you may register for a quantitative reasoning course. If both conditions are met and you are still unable to register for a quantitative reasoning course, please first double check that you meet all the prerequisites for the course. If you believe you are meeting all the prerequisites, please forward the email with your quantitative reasoning placement to the Registrar’s Office (registrar@skidmore.edu), CC'ing the Quantitative Reasoning Director, Dr. Smriti Tiwari, with a clear, concise, and polite email message noting the difficulties you are having. 

You must use your official Skidmore username and password to access the QR Placement Diagnostic. If you do not have your username and password, you can create your account at https://www.skidmore.edu/it/accounts/create.php

If you have your username and password but cannot enter the QR Placement Diagnostic, please contact the SKIDMORE IT HELP DESK via e-mail helpdesk@skidmore.edu or via phone at 1-518-580-5900.  The Skidmore IT HELP DESK is open 8:30 am to 6 pm Monday through Friday, Eastern.

Please contact the SKIDMORE IT HELP DESK via e-mail helpdesk@skidmore.edu or via phone at 1-518-580-5900.  The Skidmore IT HELP DESK is open 8:30 am to 6 pm Monday through Friday, Eastern.

Please contact the SKIDMORE IT HELP DESK via e-mail helpdesk@skidmore.edu or via phone at 1-518-580-5900.  The Skidmore IT HELP DESK is open 8:30 am to 6 pm Monday through Friday, Eastern.

Please e-mail the Quantitative Reasoning Director, Dr. Smriti Tiwari.

Please e-mail the Quantitative Reasoning Director, Dr. Smriti Tiwari.

Please e-mail the Quantitative Reasoning Director, Dr. Smriti Tiwari.

You will receive your quantitative reasoning placement via e-mail to your Skidmore College e-mail address. It can take up to five business days to receive your quantitative reasoning placement. Please plan accordingly. If you do not receive your quantitative reasoning placement within five business days, please contact the Quantitative Reasoning Director, Dr. Smriti Tiwari.