Are you prepared for Math 131?

To take Math 131, you should be proficient in high school algebra, plane geometry, trigonometry, and analytic geometry.

To succeed in Math 131, you should already:

• be able to do long sequences of algebraic manipulations quickly and without error;
• be able to write down with little hesitation the value of trig functions (sin, cos, tan, sec, etc.) at “standard” angles, and to recall quickly fundamental trig identities;
• be totally comfortable at using and understanding function notation f(x), etc.;
• be able to recall quickly basic geometric formulas such as for the area of a circle and the volume of a cylinder.

One way to assess your readiness for calculus is to take the Diagnostic Tests in the front of your textbook. You should be able to answer most or all of the questions there—without having to look anything up!

If you are still in doubt that you are adequately prepared, consult your instructor.

Should you skip Math 131 and take a later calculus course?

Did you already take AP calculus in high school and take the AP exam? If so, you might be a lot better off going directly into second-semester calculus (Math 132) or even into multi-variable calculus (Math 233) instead of Math 131. You may even get credit for Math 131 and/or Math 132 after taking that subsequent course!  (See the Department’s AP credit policy.)

For either the “AB” or “BC” AP exam, a score of 5 definitely means you should not be in Calculus I (Math 131) but rather at least in Calculus II (Math 132); and a score of 4 means very likely the same thing. Moreover, a score of 5 on the “BC” exam (which includes everything in “AB” plus parametric curves and series), you should be taking Multivariable Calculus (Math 233); and a score of 4 there means very likely the same thing. On the other hand, AP exam scores of 3 are problematic.

For students who have taken calculus course in high school that was not an AP course, the situation is not so clear-cut, and no general advice is possible.

One way to assess whether you are ready to skip Math 131 and go into 132, or to skip both 131 and 132 and take 233, is to try old sample exams that are posted. For example, from the Exams page on this Math 131 web site you may access old 131 mid-semester and final exams.

From the Exams page on a recent Math 132 web site you may similarly access old 132 mid-semester and final exams.

Caution: Some advisors in some major programs go out of their way to persuade students to repeat beginning calculus (131 or 131-132) who have already taken, and mastered, a solid AP calculus course before in which they learned a lot. For some students who might be overwhelmed by the heavy course load, this might be good advice. For other students, however, repeating calculus they already know can be deadening and boring—a real waste of time!

If you are in doubt as to whether you are ready for Math 132 or 233 after taking AP Calculus, you might want to sit in on a few meetings of that course, and/or talk directly to an instructor there.

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