Hello,
I am a seventh grade student that is currently taking geometry. Next year I will be taking either Algebra 2 or Precalculus. I am a member of the JHU Study of Exceptional Talent, and attend a small Quaker school with about a fifteen students per class size. I already mastered a decent amount of information that would be taught in Algebra 2 or Precalculus, and I was wondering if it was worth taking the AB exam in 8th grade to show a dedicated interest in mathematics. I would self-study differential and integral calculus using textbooks and prep books. I am applying to private high schools as well as Lawrenceville, who has competitive admissions. Will earning a 5 on the AP Exam show these schools ability in mathematics and/or give a boost in admission chances. I recognize that this AB exam would not count towards college credit, and that I would have to take the BC exam in high school. Thank you for any advice or review!
No, I would recommend showing in-depth interest in math by doing math competitions instead. AMC 8 and AMC 10 should be doable without calculus, I believe. Plenty of other math contests. Exeter has its own.
Focus on Algebra2/Trig. Use Art of Problem Solving. Don’t rush to calculus - most top programs would rather see you have a very strong foundation in Algebra2/Trig.
+2 on AOPS. Doing well in AP Calculus is not a challenge for even very young students who have some talent in math.
On the other hand, scoring a 24 or 25 in the AMC8 or making AIME in middle schooi off the AMC10 or 12 would be a lot more impressive in my opinion.
Best of luck with your high school admissions journey and keep up the interest in math!
Agree with the above.
My D is in SET and DYS. We limited her to moving ahead 1 year of the honors math track. Instead she’s been participating with a college-sponsored math team at ARML, PUMAC, etc., and qualifying for AIME, MPfG, etc.
It may be useful to read the article “The Calculus Trap” by the founder of AoPS. One of my college fraternity brothers, now a Math professor at Harvey Mudd, also agree with our approach when we were trying to decide how to proceed.