All graduating seniors are required by the university in compliance with state guidelines to take an exit exam to assess their performance in their degree program. The Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry uses the major field achievement test (MFAT) available from the Educational Testing Service (ETS), who also prepare and administer the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) and the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT). The MFAT is administered late in the semester in chemistry 4897 (Seminar) taken during the last semester of enrollment by seniors. The MFAT results consist of an overall score as well as sub-scores in the fields of inorganic, organic, physical, and analytical chemistry. The scores are matched with percentiles based on the performance of students in the group of schools nationwide taking the MFAT. Your scores and percentiles will be sent to you by letter as soon as the department receives the results from ETS. The scores are shared with the entire chemistry faculty and can be a consideration in faculty assessment of individual student performance in the chemistry program such as when writing letters of recommendation, for example, for students. The overall average scores for the department are viewed and considered seriously by the College of Arts and Sciences and the UMSL administration as a measure of the quality of the chemistry degree programs. We urge that you take the exam seriously and perform to the best of your ability.