<p>Yo, so I just finished self-studying MV Calc in 3 weeks. I have some free time this year, so I plan on self-studying a lot of math. So I figure if I get accepted, would MIT allow me to take a placement exam or what not so that I can prove my abilities and thus go to higher-level math right away?</p>
<p>“Yo”?</p>
<p>I’m not really sure if self-study is satisfactory- I’m not even sure if credits from the college course I’m taking right now would be accepted anyway. </p>
<p>Also, I covered multivariable calculus only lightly before, and then did it again, and even then I would say that a few weeks is not enough time to cover the breadth of all topics therein. Which topics have you covered so far, out of curiosity?</p>
<p>Partial differention, mutliple integrals, stokes/greens theorem, line/surface integrals, and some vector stuff that was in one of the chapters (but it was more like calc II). I did about 20 problems from each section 8-9 sections in each chapter, 3 chapters (excluding the calc II vector stuff), and not just the straightforward ones, but a lot of the harder ones. Admittedly, I still do not understand a few of of the proofs.</p>
<p>Edit: I used the book written by Stewart.</p>
<p>Did all of that except most of the vector stuff. I’m just getting into vector analysis and I still can’t remember anything about gradient, divergence, curl or the Laplacian, and I always find anything with a combination of dot and cross products somewhat hard to visualize for some reason.</p>
<p>I first started by filling a notebook with a couple notes on the fundamentals and then started to go on to differential equations, Laplace transforms, multiple integration, etc. and did some of the problems as examples in my notes (as well as to see if I actually did understand them). Then I did the more complex ones but I’m kinda lazy so I really didn’t want to try anything too elaborate.</p>
<p>And that’s okay. Proofs and theorems are occasionally worded in some strange way or use some kind of logic that’s hard to follow initially.</p>
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Yup.</p>
<p>Different subjects have different rules, but the relevant information for the math department is [url=<a href=“http://www-math.mit.edu/academics/undergrad/first/]here[/url”>First Year Subjects]here[/url</a>]. For most classes, you would need to take an advanced standing exam (which you could do during orientation); for some classes, you also need to complete a homework packet.</p>
<p>To get credit for 18.01 and 18.02 (single and multivariable calc) you just need to take the ASE (advanced standing exam), but for most other subjects you also have to do a homework packet (this is definitely true for 18.03 (DiffEq) and 18.06 (linear algebra)). </p>
<p>However, I definitely know people who had a way more advanced math backgrounds coming into MIT, and so starting first semester freshman year they took very advanced math classes, without having the official prereqs.</p>