<p>Back in November I took the math placement exam and I was placed in College Algebra. Math is by far a very strong subject for me. However, due to moving constantly and attending three different high schools I was unable to take any math class above Algebra II Honors. I didn't even get to take a math class this year, my senior year, because of scheduling difficulties.</p>
<p>I really did not want to take College Algebra because I knew that it would be too easy for me, and I did not want to be behind on my math classes, like I was in high school. So, I went to the Placement Exam page again and it stated that I can take the exam more than once. I was thrilled. So, I just finished taking it and I have been placed in Calculus I. </p>
<p>The whole point of this thread it to encourage everyone to retake their placement exams so that they will be ahead, rather than behind on their Gen. Ed. requirements. I took about a half hour longer this time on the test than last time, and I believe that ACT prep has helped boost my score as well.</p>
<p>I have yet to take the Chem. Placement test, but I will soon.</p>
<p>Does every major require you to take Calculus? I’m in AP Calculus in high school and have found it to be incredibly difficult (meaning I’m not planning on getting a 3, 4 or 5 on the AP exam). </p>
<p>I’m going to be majoring in Marketing and when I looked at the suggested schedule for all four years the only math that it showed was college algebra. Is this true, or do I have to go farther?</p>
<p>If you don’t need calculus for your major then you don’t have to take it. Many kids just do college algebra and then they are done. If your major requires a higher level math you should start where the placement test puts you then do all the math classes that you need to take the level that is required for you. My daughter is a Health Science Major and she needed college Trig only. She only needed to take that (per the placement test) but others in her major had to start with college algebra before going on to trig. FYI- college algebra is very tough at UCF. My daughter heard it was harder than her trig class!</p>
<p>You will need:
“Select MAC 1140 Pre-Calculus 3 hrs
Select CGS 2100C Computer Fundamentals for Bus 3 hrs”</p>
<p>Therefore, you do not need calculus, only pre-calculus. However, if you take the placement exam and it says that they recommend College Algebra, you will have to take College Algebra, then Pre-Calculus. That is why I recommend taking the exam a number of times so that you do not have to take classes that you don’t need. College Algebra is a prerequisite to Pre-Calc, and without passing the exam, you can’t take it. You may need to double check with an academic advisor, but this is how I interpreted it.</p>
<p>knightforum is correct. I do recommend retaking the math placement exam until you get “recommended/placed” for Precalculus. Don’t let them make you slog through college algebra.</p>
<p>I just took the Chemistry Placement Exam, and I was recommended for CHM 2045. I am assuming this is good, since CHM 1020 and CHM 1032 are below that.</p>
<p>For my major all I need is CHM 2045 & 2046, so I think that I am on the right track.</p>
<p>Also, due to my scheduling mishaps, I am in Chemistry I Honors with a classful of sophomores, and all the material on the Chem. exam has been recent topics that I have learned.</p>
<p>Yes. My daughter is currently in CHM 2046. She took CHM 2045 last semester. She was an A student in Chemistry in high school and had no problem with the placement test but is finding college chemistry KILLER.</p>
<p>Since I will be a Computer Science major CHM 2045 is recommended for my junior year, on the course catalog. I am going to try to take it sooner, while everything is fresh in my mind.</p>
<p>I was just looking at the myUCF Course Catalog at the math classes, and I am so relieved that I took the exam again. I would have to have taken College Algebra, College Trig, and Pre-Calc.</p>
<p>But I am wondering if I should start with Pre-Calc anyways, since I have never taken calculus before. What do you recommend?</p>
<p>That I don’t know, since my D only took MAC 1114, trig. She got a B in it. She took Honors Calculus in hs and did well in it. I would imagine that all the math classes are tough. Maybe someone else will have an opinion here.</p>
<p>The only thing I can say about UCF calculus is anecdotal. But I have talked to three students, including my son who had honors calc in high school and got “A’s,” and they’ve all had difficulty with the calc. My S’s best friend who had AP calc in high school and got a 4 on the exam flunked calculus at UCF. This is the one area we’ve been the most disappointed with at the university. There are so many kids needing calc and not enough pure math teachers to go around. For instance, my s’s class was assigned a physics teacher who hadn’t taught math in years. He n/c’d that class. He’s now taking Quantitative Business Tools 1 and 2 because he realized he didn’t actually have to have the calc as he decided not to do the accelerated Economics master’s program, which he originally was considering. Please, anyone who takes calc … make sure you avail yourself of the oncampus tutoring opportunities. Students are there and waiting to tutor; you have to make sure you go and not get behind. Calc teachers are hit and miss … and because Calc (especially Calc II) is a weed-out course for some of the physical sciences like engineering, they can be even more wicked.</p>
<p>Do you think taking Pre-Calc in the fall and Calc in the spring would make Calc any easier?</p>
<p>Also was your son in Honors Calc classes at UCF? I am still waiting on my honors decision, so I don’t know which one I will be in. I noticed that the honors Calc classes have only 3 students. Is that what he had?</p>
<p>I also noticed that the prerequisites for Calc are only College Algebra and Trig, which I know both very well. Would pre-cal really help that much, or would I just be getting behind?</p>
<p>Sorry, I keep editing this, since I have more thoughts pertaining to the subject. How are math clases taught? Are we expected to just read the text book and figure out math problems ourself? That is mainly how I learned throughout my high school math classes, because teachers were extremely slow in teaching, so I just learned most of it on my own. I wouldn’t mind going to tutoring either. I just don’t know anything about Calc, so I don’t know what is required to know before entering the class.</p>
<p>Oh okay, thank you for that! I was definitely more than a little confused!</p>
<p>I’m just ecstatic that I don’t have to take calculus at UCF. Honestly the worst class I’ve ever taken, and before this year I considered myself a math person. =P</p>
<p>I just have a lot of trouble on the more complex problems. I easily understand the example problems that we are shown in class, but then we get the homework and it is something on a whole other level and I don’t even know where to begin a lot of the time.</p>
<p>I got A’s on every single test in my pre-calculus class last year… this year I’m lucky to get a C on a test in Calculus.</p>
<p>Now, of course there are a lot of kids in my class that understand the material fairly easily, so you could be one of those. It’s just a tough class for me, personally.</p>
<p>Well, I took the placement exam last night. It took me about an hour to an hour and a half. It said that it suggests that I go into Calculus 1. Does that mean that I don’t have to take any math at all? Or do I still have to take pre-calculus?</p>
<p>The placement test does not give you credit. You still need need your Gen. Ed. math credits, this just means you can take higher level math classes.</p>
<p>What is your major?
Unless your major is heavily involved in math and science you do not need to take the placement exam since you can take any math or science classes that you want.</p>
<p>You still have to take some math to fulfill the gen ed requirement (6 credit hours) unless you have CLEP/AP/IB credit for it. For my daughter’s math gen ed for instance, she took MAC 1114 and will be taking stats this fall. If your major only needs precalculus and not the calculus, you can just take the precalculus OR you can take calculus and it will count (since it is a higher level than precalc).</p>