<p>Hello, </p>
<p>I don't know if this really belongs under this thread, but I thought I'd give it a whirl. </p>
<p>For my math classes next year at a Division 1 school in my state, they place you by your math subscore on the ACT. In order to proceed to Calc 1, you need a 28. What do I have? A 27, which will place me in pre-calculus. </p>
<p>I'm currently in AP Calculus AB, and my grade right now is 102%. We took the Exam today, and I'm pretty sure I failed with a 2, though I maybe got a 3. I just can't test well! My teachers always tell me that I'm very good with mathematics and that I have nothing to worry about, but I always do. :/</p>
<p>Anyway, I'm wondering what I should do for next year??? If I don't pass the AP exam, I'll be put into pre-calc unless I take a placement test and place into Calc 1. If I DO pass, I can potentially move up to Calc 2, but do you really think getting a 3 proves my skills in that I can handle it when my ACT score puts me in pre-calc??? </p>
<p>I just really don't know what to do!! I'd study this summer if I got into Calc 2, but I feel that pre-calc would be a waste if I'm doing pretty well in Calc 1 in high school!! My test just doesn't show it!! And I don't want to spend more money than I have to!! </p>
<p>Thank you. Any replies would be appreciated.</p>
<p>Is calc a class you’ll need for other classes (ie are you a science, econ, etc major). I think deciding placement by act scores is asinine because they’re on different subjects. Definitely don’t do pre calc.</p>
<p>If you get a 1 or 2, I would do calc 1. A 4 or 5 and do calc 2. A 3 is kind of up to you. If you won’t take more math classes after calc 2, then you’re probably fine doing 2. If not, you may want a better grounding, You can also do some work in the summer to brush up on certain parts you may not know too well.</p>
<p>Take advantage of your college’s department that will teach you how to take tests well.</p>
<p>Contact your school. Sometimes there’s an in-house placement test that you can take in the event that your ACT/SAT test score places you in what you think is an inappropriate level.</p>
<p>I am going to need Calc for my Applied Statistics major, but only up to Calc 2 and multivariate. However, i am going to be double-majoring with Writing and Rhetoric, so the less classes I have to take the better!! </p>
<p>I guess I’m just wondering how difficult Calc 2 really is? Is it just more detailed integrating and differentiating? Also, are college math classes in a totally different league than high school ones? I mean, math is math, but is high school Calc 1 maybe comparable to college pre-calc or something? I wouldn’t want to start off too high or too low, you know!! </p>
<p>Thank you for the responses!!</p>
<p>If you aren’t getting a 4 or a 5 in Calc AB then you really should contemplate taking it again before going to Calc 2 in college. You really need a strong understanding of the fundamentals before you go on to Calc 2 & 3.</p>
<p>If you actually did get a 2 or 3 on the AP exam, I would strongly suggest taking Calculus I over again in college (wouldn’t you have to anyway, with that score?). I would also strongly suggest not going back to pre-calc if you can help it. You can practice and review that stuff on your own, no need to spend money on it.</p>