So, last year I’ve tested out on Algebra 1 to be in Geometry honors in 8th grade. So, I passed the test and now learning geometry which is really easy for me right now because I’ve been studying it all summer. I don’t know why, but now I’m really eager to be in Pre calc in 9th grade and in order for me to do that I need to testout on Advanced Algebra 2. Do you guys think I should testout on it? Some of my friends said I should not because it’s one of the most important math subject and they said I might have a weak foundation.
My son tested out of it and is taking precalculus now in high school (9th grade). We have been supplementing his math outside of school for years so he is more advanced than most kids his age. We didn’t want him to be bored repeating material he had already been taught and is why we had him advance to the next math sequence. Keep in mind that he never skipped Algebra II - he had already taken it outside of school. I don’t advocate skipping any core math.
What for? (To what end/what’s your goal there?)
What path is that?
You need a progression throughout high school - so what would your progression be in Math?
Skipping Algebra2H is a stupid idea considering how important it is for everything else in the calculus sequence, however if you find math really easy and can handle a fast paced summer course, see if a local community college offers it as a summer course (it’ll be faster paced and more in-depth than a HS algebra2 summer course.) It wouldn’t be called “Algebra2”, it’d be the math class below “College algebra”, often it’s called “Intermediate Algebra” .
You will still need 4 more levels of Math, so what would they be?
Remember you’ll need to take English, History/Social science all 4 years too, + bio/chem/physics and 1 AP science + Foreign language through level 4 + (depending on the state) CS, Art, Health, PE…
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I wanted to do other stuff than math in 11th grade because if I do pass the test, I would be taking Calc BC in 10th grade ( I’m not sure what kind of math there is after that). One of the other reasons I’m preparing for the test is because I love math. I enjoy solving hard problems that are out of my reach – which is why I also started studying discrete mathematics. I’m planning to take the PE and Health in summer so I don’t need to take them in school. Also, I’m learning Spanish 1 right now and I’m kind of struggling because of the subject pronouns and ser’s. Hmm maybe you’re right, I should not testout on this afterall 
DO NOT skip if there are no classes for you to take after AP Calc BC. it’d disadvantage you - you really need to take math through senior year, so figure out how to do that either through your HS or through dual enrollment (also called Running Start, CollegeNow, PSEO…)
(Once you’re done with Calc BC, you’d have a choice: Multivariable Calculus, Discrete Math, Linear Algebra, Calculus-based Statistics would be the most obvious possibilities. Is that available?)
Work on your Spanish. Use “English grammar for students of Spanish”. Watch Casa de Papel and other shows in Spanish, with English subtitles, but you’ll start picking things up quickly.
Of course if your HS offers another language, you can take the other language, but you need to get through level 4 (that’s for a highly selective college; you’re just applying to a selective 4-year college, 3 years is enough.) It’s one of the 5 core courses.
Taking Health/PE over the summer is a good use of your time but remember to do something else - go to a focused camp (Concordia language camp for Spanish, Coding Camp, Museum Camp…) after 8&9th grade, read, spend time outside with friends and family, swim, tinker, doodle, draw a comic, etc.
Have you looked into Art of Problem Solving? If you like math because you like solving problems, it should right up your alley!
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If you love math and solving hard problems I would advocate for you to take an Honors Algebra 2 course. Lots of problem solving and tough problems that get your brain used to looking at a problem and saying: I don’t know how to solve this but I’m willing to explore different avenues and see where that gets me. This type of thinking is invaluable and rushing through math sequences is not the way to achieve it. After that consider honors PreCalc and Calculus BC. You can finish with a course in Multivariable Calc if your school offers it.
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I’m not sure, but there’s a forum dedicated to CS I think, posters there would likely have recommendations.
Summer after 8th and 9th grade v. after 10th and 11th should be treated differently.
Remember that running, swimming, playing, reading, etc, also matters. During your interview you don’t want to say that all you did during your summers is go to class… and some colleges will ask you a list of books you’ve read, or they could ask your favorite TV shows etc (to see if you are not a robot :d )
Sounds like you are good at math, and like it. if so, then why try to rush through it? if you want to have a career that’s math-based down the line, it will only help you to really learn the subject thoroughly.
my kid took calc BC as a junior. did fine, passed the AP test; it was all good. Fast forward a year to college, he was placed in Calc 3. and It’s been hard! I wish now we had not have had him progress so quickly like the school system recommended .
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The only reason I’d suggest testing out of Algebra 2 is if you actually took an Algebra 2 course elsewhere. There’s much more to be gained from an actual class than just learning how to solve the problems that may be on a test.
Since you’re on AoPS, look up Richard’s “Don’t Fall Into the Calculus Trap” article. It has very good advice.
My D is similarly talented in math. She advanced 2 years and we chose to stop there. AoPS courses - number theory, counting, the Intermediate series - plus AMC/AIME/MPfG and a local math club have been much, much more valuable than accelerating through HS curriculum. She’ll already run out of HS offerings and we’re look at local CC offerings for Senior year. Running our earlier is not a real advantage.
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Yes, I think I agree with you now. I’m also aiming to get a good score in AMC8 and to qualify
for AIME. I’m trying to finish all the intro series, but intro to Geo is really challenging for me.
Challenging is good 
Yep, that’s the reason AoPS is valuable. It is much more difficult/challenging for advanced students, which best way to learn.
Fwiw, Geometry is usually the hardest/least favorite subject among any groups of advanced math students with which I’ve interacted.
Yes. It’s my dream to qualify for AIME. I think I’m really bad in competition math though. I got 13 on the 2019 AMC 8 :(. I want to qualify for AIME by 9th grade but my chances are not that high. I will grind though 
I’m going to soon take the Intermediate Algebra class from AoPS when I finish the intro to Alg book. What kind of AoPS intro/inter books did you use to study? Did you use anything else than AoPS to study comp math? I’m thinking of applying to Awesome math summer program but idk if it’s good. Anyways, Thank you for your responses because I greatly appreciate the different view points.
Uhh I think you shouldn’t skip algebra 2 lol. Its pretty important like algebra 1 . I really don’t think you shoulda skipped algebra 1 and shoulda gone for geo instead because your wanting to be an amc/aime qualifier and its kinda impossible without good algebra 1 skills. im an aime qualifier and whew algebra 1 and number theory came in handy so hard. Skipping classes imo just seems like a way to boost ur ego most of the time and I’d say only do it if you need to. Like if you dont have a good reason to test out/skip classes don’t do it. Only if you are behind should it be acceptable.
The only reason I passed Advanced Alg 1 is because I thought I knew all of it. So in my district, they give you 3 hours to solve 180 questions for it. You can only pass if you get higher than 94%. I took it and I passed so I thought I had pretty good foundation in Algebra 1. ( I did self-study a lot but I sometimes got help from my tutor )
My daughter likes math, took algebra 2 as a freshman, pre-calc and AP stat in sophomore year, then AB and BC calculus. She loved statistics and plans on majoring in actuarial science. I think she only took one elective that wasn’t an academic class, has 7 this year.
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I think that you should take Algebra 2. It is likely that you will find it relatively straightforward. However, Algebra 2 is the basis for a LOT that you are going to take in future years. It is worth knowing Algebra 2 very well. If you can get an A+ in it that will be an A+ that will keep helping you for years.
By the way, I was a math major at a highly ranked university. I did not take calculus until I was a freshman in university – my high school did not even have calculus as an option. Understanding the prerequisites really well was a big help.
Another vote here for not skipping Algebra 2. Even if you take Precalc in 10th grade, you still have plenty of time to get through Calculus AB and BC before graduating.
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