Calculus Placement Exam
Choosing a Calculus Course
If you have a strong background in high school mathematics not including pre-calculus, register for Introduction to Calculus, Mathematics 124. This course is equivalent to Mathematics 125 - Calculus I (see below) in all ways, but meets more often so that students can learn the necessary pre-calculus skills while they learn calculus.
If you have a strong background in high school mathematics not including calculus, register for Calculus I, Mathematics 125.
If you have taken a high school course in calculus and did not take an AP test in calculus, you should take the Advisory Calculus Placement exam below.
If you received a 4 or 5 on the BC calculus test you have completed the equivalent of Mathematics 125 and 126 and will receive six credits in mathematics. You should register for Calculus III, Mathematics 225.
If you received a 4 or 5 on the AB calculus test (or on the AB subtest of the BC test) you have completed the equivalent of Mathematics 125 and will receive three credits in mathematics. You should take the placement exam to help you decide between Calculus II and Calculus III.
Even if you scored well enough on the AP test to earn credit for Calculus I or Calculus II at Whitman you may want to take our placement exam, to get a better idea of what we expect you to know. In all cases the placement exam is advisory; you may consult with a member of the Mathematics and Computer Science Department when you arrive on campus if you still are not sure which course you should take.
Placement Exam
The exam consists of 18 questions, 9 on Calculus I and 9 on Calculus II. A score of 7 out of 9 indicates that you are prepared for the next course. Exception: Two of the questions on Calculus II material concern infinite series. If you have never seen this you should probably take Calculus II, even if you get the other 7 questions correct. You may want to consult with a member of the mathematics department about this if it applies to you.
Download the exam by clicking below. The exam is a PDF document that you can print. When you have finished the exam, return here and click below to submit your answers.