<p>Hi all.</p>
<p>So...I have some questions about the ASE.
I am planning on taking the ASE for 5.111, 8.01, and probably 7.012.</p>
<p>I have heard that the 5.111 one and the 7.012 one are notoriously difficult...
Has anyone here taken either one?
I took AP Chem in 10th grade and AP Bio and Physics M in 11th grade (5 on all).
I was fairly comfortable with the chem when I took it (didn't really study for the course or for the AP exam) but that was two years ago so I have forgotten quite a bit of it...</p>
<p>A) I have heard that the 5.111 ASE is far harder than the exams for 5.111 and 5.112.
Is this true?
Are you responsible for anything not covered in the classes?
I have looked through the list of lectures for both and I don't see some things such as stoichiometry...(it may just be covered in a class without having a separate lecture title...).
But if, for instance, stoichiometry is not covered in either 5.111 or 5.112, would I still have to know the material?
How well prepared would I be if, say, I could get 85+ on the tests and exams for 5.111 on OCW?</p>
<p>B) For the 7.012 and 8.01 ones, once again, are they harder than the course materials?
Or if I go through all the OCW and the problems on there, would I be well prepared?
I took both AP exams in my junior year and did pretty well in the courses too...</p>
<p>Any help would be appreciated!</p>
<p>Thanks.</p>
<p>From my understanding, ASE’s tend to be akin to final exams in the classes - and yes, 5.11x and 7.01x tend to be graded more harshly.</p>
<p>Don’t depend on a good AP score to indicate you know the material well enough to pass the ASE - but if you’re being honest with yourself in grading your OCW practice exams, you have a good chance at 8.01. If you are acing your OCW practice exams, you might have a chance at 5.11x and 7.01x too ;)</p>
<p>A. Stoichiometry is somewhat common sense, so of course you’ll be responsible for that.
I took the 5.111 ASE, and yes it was harder than the ocw tests. Can’t say about other years. Basically, the 5.111 ASE will cover things in zumdahl & adkins they don’t teach you in high school: MO theory, Crystal Field Theory and maybe some slightly elaborate techniques in solving equilibria concentrations for dilute acids (charge balance + material conservation…)</p>
<p>B. I heard 8.01 is pretty easy. The 8.02 ASE was pretty easy when I took it (think AP physics C level). 7.012 was hard, but not insurmountable (a little bit harder than the ocw materials). Just make sure you know well how to solve problems on the ocw psets.</p>
<p>For 7.012, did you (faraday) just watch the videos and do the psets/exams on OCW, or do you think it would be useful to get the textbook and read the assigned sections? Do you know why the passing rates are always so low for 5.111 and 7.012 ASE’s? Is it because people don’t take the time to study everything on OCW? </p>
<p>Also, for 5.111, how much 5.112 information is there on there? Which specific topics are covered in 5.112 (and are on the ASE) but not in 5.111?</p>
<p>Thanks in advance!</p>
<p>I didn’t watch the videos, I just did the psets & exams a few days before the ASE. I didn’t get the textbook, since most of them are very similar (Campbell 6th edition or higher should be fine), and are loaded with too much information.</p>
<p>Passing rates: somewhere between 5-15 % for chem & bio.</p>
<p>Actually, I though the 5.111 ASE had MORE 5.112 material than 5.112: yes, paradoxical, but there was more crystal field theory etc… on the ASE than on actual 5.112 tests.</p>
<p>
For 7.012, it’s likely because the types of questions that the MIT biology department asks are different from the types of questions AP biology teachers typically ask. It’s not that the material is harder, it’s that the problem-solving skills required are different. </p>
<p>I also feel that studying a biology textbook would not be very useful for passing the 7.012 ASE – what you need to be able to do is understand the material well enough that you can focus on solving the experimental problems they’re giving you. </p>
<p>(Incidentally, I’m happy to help people with 7.012 questions over PM or email. I’m a biology grad student. I find solving 7.012 problems fun. :))</p>
<p>So if you’re used to the types of problems on the 7.012 psets and exams on OCW, would you be well-prepared for the ASE? Is the ASE more like 7.012, 7.013, or 7.014?</p>
<p>Does this apply to 5.11x as well?</p>
<p>The ASE is more like 7.012, but 7.012 and 7.013 problem sets and tests are pretty similar to each other, so studying either would be fine.</p>
<p>It’s tougher for me to say anything about the 5.11x ASE – IMO, the 5.11x pass rate is so low because the chemistry department is a bunch of jerks. But I’m not a big fan of chemistry, so YMMV. :)</p>
<p>All right then. I was hoping to pass out of both, but just passing out of Bio is acceptable(assuming I get in, of course).</p>
<p>What percentage of points on the ASEs are considered “passing”?</p>
<p>Often 60%, although it’s not necessarily a fixed percentage. The professors can decide what the passing score is after the test is administered, if they want, and it’s not uncommon for them to look at the grade distributions to see if there’s a natural break which would make sense as a dividing line.</p>
<p>For 7.012 and 5.11x, if you watch all the OCW lectures and understand them, are you basically set to pass the exams? Or is there some material that’s harder than what’s covered in the lectures?</p>
<p>An answer would be nice.</p>
<p>I can’t speak for the 5.111 and 7.012 ASEs specifically, not having taken either, but in general, the more relevant skill for doing well on MIT exams is to be able to successfully do problems from problem sets and past exams. Lectures do generally define the material available to be tested (there won’t usually be problems on material that wasn’t covered in lecture), but being able to do the problems is more important than just understanding the material.</p>