BIOL 1010-1040 Placement Exam Information 

Q: What is the BIOL Placement Exam? And what does placing out mean?

A: There’s an online placement exam for each of the BIOL 1010–1040 modules that you’ll have the option to take in July, before you begin at Yale. These exams are designed to give you flexibility: if your score shows that you already have a strong grasp of the material, you can choose to “place yourself out” of that module. This means you won’t need to take it in order to move forward into any major or upper‑level course where it’s listed as a prerequisite.

Each exam is 45 minutes long and features questions taken directly from Yale BIOL module tests that 80–90% of students in the course typically answer correctly. The idea is simple: if you can demonstrate mastery of these questions without taking the BIOL sequence, you’ve shown that you may be ready to move into upper‑level courses without needing this particular foundation step. Scoring above 75% suggests you already have the knowledge base that would likely earn you at least a “B” in the course. Around August 5, instructors will email you with your results. For most modules, even if your score falls below the cutoff, you’ll still have the chance to meet briefly with the instructor over Zoom for an advising appointment. After that conversation, you’ll be empowered to decide for yourself whether you’d like to place yourself out of the module.

Many incoming Yale students interested in biology—including those who took AP Biology—ultimately enroll in some or all of the BIOL 1010–1040 courses. Others skip the placement exams and simply sign up for BIOL. Either way, completing or placing out of these modules fulfills prerequisites for all five bioscience majors at Yale. Since most students aren’t yet sure which major will be the best fit, taking the BIOL modules can be a great way to explore and discover your path.

Q: Am I eligible to take the BIOL placement exams?

A: To be eligible to take the biology placement exams, you must be an incoming first-year student. Any incoming first-year student may take these exams.

Q: Am I required to take a placement exam to enroll in the Biology 1010-1040 sequence?

A: You are NOT required to take the Placement Exam to enroll in BIOL.

Q: What is the process for accessing and taking the placement exams?

A: There is an individual placement exam for each of the four BIOL modules. The exams open on July 1^st @ 9 AM, and close on July 31^th @ 12 PM EST. These exams are only available via a Canvas website (https://canvas.yale.edu/login). Once you are logged into Canvas, you must join the BIOL Placement Exam site in order to access the exams. To do so, use the following self-enrollment link: https://yale.instructure.com/enroll/RFBJRE 

Once you have successfully joined the BIOL Placement Exam Canvas site, under the Quizzes tab on the left side of the Canvas webpage, you will be able to locate an individual exam for each of the BIOL modules (BIOL 1010, BIOL 1020, BIOL 1030, and BIOL 1040). Each individual module’s exam must be completed in one sitting (they are each timed exams); however, it is not required that you complete all four exams in one sitting. The exams also do not need to be taken in order. You may only take each exam once, so make sure you are connected to a reliable Internet source as you take the exams.

As a policy, we do not offer make-ups or extensions. Therefore, if you do not take the placement exams sometime during the month of July, eligibility to place out of any of the BIOL modules is then forfeited. These placement exams are only offered incoming Yale students during the summer before setting foot on campus as an official enrolled student.

Q: What is the format of each placement exam?

A: The exams consist of a mix of multiple choice, true-false, and multiple answer questions taken directly from BIOL exams used during the academic year. The questions that were chosen are ones that over 80% of students were able to successfully answer after taking the corresponding BIOL module.  Taking the placement exams will familiarize you with some of the content we teach and the level of mastery of this content we expect of our students. We note that all the BIOL modules focus on teaching you to critically analyze primary research papers, and our actual in-class exams have many questions about the research papers we analyze in class.  Such questions have been removed from our placement exams since we cannot assume you would be familiar with the specific papers we analyze in class.  Thus, taking our placement exams will not give you a complete picture of the most important critical thinking skills that are emphasized in BIOL 1010-1040.

Q: When will I find out how I performed on the individual exams for each module?

A: You will see your raw score on each placement exam immediately upon completion of the exam. Around August 5 we will email all students who completed one or more of the BIOL placement exam.  The email will inform you of each of the 1010-1040 modules whether your score on the respective placement exam is high enough to place out of that module, and if not, provide some options available to you.

Q: What if I do “poorly” on the placement exam?

A: Do not be discouraged! The questions that you will encounter during the placement exam reflect the level at which we teach the BIOL modules, and we teach these courses at a more advanced level than that of a high school advanced placement Biology course. If you find yourself struggling to answer a question, we encourage you to just skip that question. The reason we teach the BIOL modules is that most students entering Yale have not mastered this material yet, and we are here to teach students at this higher level.

Your score on the placement exam is not a grade that will follow you on your transcripts. So, check out the placement exams without fear of any negative consequences.

Q: What are my next steps based on my BIOL placement exam scores?

A: You will learn your raw score on each module’s placement exam immediately upon completing the online exam. Around August 5 you will receive an email from the BIOL instructors notifying you if your score(s) for each module are above the thresholds set to allow you to automatically place out of that module.   Keep this email so that in the future you can show as evidence of your placing out.

If you do not score above the threshold to place out of a module, for BIOL 1010, 1020, or 1030, you may still choose place yourself out of the module anyway.  You will be notified via email of the procedure to schedule a 10-minute Zoom meeting with the instructor for the corresponding module. After you meet with the professor, no matter what happens in the meeting, you will receive an email stating that you have met the conditions to choose to place yourself out of the module. So, the decision to place out of BIOL 101 and BIOL 1020 is ultimately your own.

For BIOL 1040, if you score below the threshold for placing out, you are ineligible to place out of BIOL 1040.  BIOL 1040 covers ecology and evolution at a level that is higher than what is typically covered in even the best high school advanced placement courses.  If you pursue a bioscience major that requires BIOL 1040, you need to take 1040.  However, there are paths through some of the Yale bioscience majors that do not require you take or place out of 1040.

What is the Foundations BIOL sequence, and why should I take it?

Biology 101–104 is Yale’s foundational biology sequence: four half‑semester modules that together span the breadth of the field. You’ll explore Biochemistry and Biophysics (BIOL 101), Cell Biology (BIOL 102), Genetics and Developmental Biology (BIOL 103), and Ecology and Evolutionary Biology (BIOL 104).

The real purpose of BIOL isn’t just memorizing facts…but rather to strengthen your ability to think critically which is a skill that is vital not only for aspiring scientists and physicians, but for any engaged citizen navigating complex information in today’s world. In fact, medicine and science evolve so quickly that today’s details may be outdated tomorrow. What lasts is your ability to critically analyze and interpret data, ask creative questions, design experiments to test those questions, and build new knowledge. That’s the skill set BIOL 101–104 is designed to introduce to you while simultaneously teaching you Biology, and it’s exactly the kind of thinking medical and graduate schools look for, what the MCAT tests, and and what will serve you well in any career or field where careful reasoning and problem‑solving matter. One of the most valuable parts of the BIOL sequence is learning how to engage directly with science: you’ll begin reading primary research papers, analyze data from landmark experiments, and ask questions like, how do we know what we know?—for instance, how did scientists discover that mitochondria are the cell’s ‘powerhouses’? Alongside this, you’ll strengthen your scientific writing by creating your own proposal in BIOL 1030 or a literature review in BIOL 1040. It’s a sequence where you might begin with little background or confidence, but by the end you’ll have built a solid foundation of skills for navigating academic life at Yale and for engaging deeply with biology.

All five bioscience majors at Yale (MCDB, MBB, EEB, BME, and NSCI) require some or all of these modules, and every upper‑level bioscience course has at least one BIOL module as a prerequisite. So, if you’re considering medical/graduate school or a bioscience major, BIOL 101–104 is a great place to start. It not only fulfills requirements but also gives you a strong foundation for advanced coursework and MCAT preparation.

You can begin with BIOL 1010/1020 in either the Fall or Spring. Both options are equally good. About half of first‑years take BIOL 1010/1020 in the Fall, while the other half wait until Spring to focus first on math or chemistry. To balance enrollment, Fall sections are capped, but rest assured you’ll have the opportunity to start it during your first year; if not the Fall, then the Spring!

Lastly but importantly, BIOL 101–104 is designed to meet you where you are. Whether you’ve taken AP Biology and Chemistry or are brand new to the sciences, the course adapts to your background. Optional enrichment sections provide extra support, while individualized projects starting in BIOL 1010 give you one‑on‑one mentorship with a professor or TF to set goals at the right level for you. Even if you’ve seen some of the material before, you’ll encounter it in new, deeper ways, and the pace quickly moves into territory that’s fresh for everyone.

In short: BIOL 101–104 isn’t just a requirement or prerequisite. It’s where you’ll build the intellectual toolkit that will serve you in upper‑level courses, in medical or graduate school, and on the MCAT.

Hope to see you in class! 🙂