<p>I'm just wondering how serious they are when they say that we shouldn't study for the placement exams. I'm an incoming freshman at Harvard and I'm planning on studying Physics, so obviously I want to place into Math 21 and Physics 15/16. However, I haven't touched calculus (or any real math, for that matter) since sophomore year, and physics since junior year.</p>
<p>Like so much at Harvard, the placement exams are mostly for your own guidance, in that nobody is going to stop you from taking what you want to take, even if that turns out to be a mistake. If I were you, I would quickly turn the pages just to make it a fair fight and let the test tell me whether I had or had not mastered the material.</p>