A small intro about myself. I am an international student, who has completed IB diploma and got a 7 on Econ HL. As far as I understand, UChicago does not accept HL Econ as a substitute for the placement test.
So my main question is whether HL Econ is adequate preparation to take the placement test in fall or should I do more reading around the subject?
Thank you in advance!
My understanding is that AP or IB is not a proper substitute for Econ 198 or 199; however, they do offer that placement test so it won’t hurt for you to take it and see what happens. In any case, you can’t take Econ 200 w/o having completed Math 153 (or equivalent) so you likely have time to figure this out. Register for Econ. 198 if that’s what you are thinking about, and take the placement test as soon as possible so that if you do place out, you can drop 198. If you don’t place out, you will at least be on track to be able to take 200 by spring or Fall of 2nd year (depending on where you are in the Math sequence).
@JBStillFlying thank you! And what do you think about the preparation for the Econ placement test: is Econ HL enough or would you recommend some more reading?
Not sure. But like the other placement tests (math, chem, foreign language) it’s supposed to be assessing your given level of knowledge. You shouldn’t be doing extra prep in order to get a higher score.
Never do preparation for a placement test. The whole point is to place you in the correct class. If you score higher than your actual level of understanding, you will be placed in a class where you will struggle to succeed. You have plenty of time to take many, many Econ courses before you graduate.