Yeah man, after doing some of these practice tests for the placement exams I finally realized why we are given a formula booklet on our exam. For IB problems, It is more than just regurgitating formulas and plugging them in it is utilizing them and being creative. It was definitely a hard class and took a lot of my time but I am gratefully looking back that I didn't just do the normal AP curriculum. The one thing that hit me very hard was a lot of the learning on my own I had to do since the teachers we had were just kind of there to fill in the spot, regardless I am looking forward to doing well on the IB exams here soon, even though I am doing HL Math, HL Chem, and HL Physics, it's going to be fun lol.
Math Placement Test
- Thread starter Pluto
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small_fry_can_fly
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- Apr 15, 2022
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Is there any way to tell where you’ll be placed based on the tests? I finished two of them (doing the third one later this week) and was wondering if my score could give any insight.
You'll be placed at the level you need to be. There is absolutely nothing to stress about.
Out of curiosity, to what course level do the placement tests allow students to test out of? This was something we were talking about recently since DD is taking Calc 3 her Junior year and will take Linear Algebra her Senior year. She's hoping not to waste time retaking courses.
Since you're not chasing credits at USAFA, I think they are placing at the proper level. It might be if they are not happy with her Calc 3 retention that she retakes. Hopefully she is solid there and moves on. She should brush up before placement tests. Others here may have better insight.
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In theory you can just keep testing until you find the right level. It takes a bit of self-advocacy, but in my experience, USAFA will look at your results and keep offering placement tests until you meet your match.
For me, this meant I tested all the way out of calc 1,2 and 3 and straight into differential equations. Because I knew I was majoring in something technical like physics or math, and I felt my calc 3 knowledge was a bit shaky, I opted to start with honors calc 3 instead of diff eq. It was definitely the right choice. I learned a ton in that class and it was great to have a challenging class with other 4 degrees (when I was in several other classes with upper classmen).
Major matters as well - only a few majors (Some engineering majors, math, physics) require linear algebra. It may be worth looking at what majors she is interested and their math requirements. Linear algebra is a great class if taught correctly, but I have seen quite the spread of linear algebra classes. Spending 4 pages manipulating a matrix into the identity matrix? Maybe not the best use of time. Learning what that means and how to apply linear algebra to real problems- much more useful.
For me, this meant I tested all the way out of calc 1,2 and 3 and straight into differential equations. Because I knew I was majoring in something technical like physics or math, and I felt my calc 3 knowledge was a bit shaky, I opted to start with honors calc 3 instead of diff eq. It was definitely the right choice. I learned a ton in that class and it was great to have a challenging class with other 4 degrees (when I was in several other classes with upper classmen).
Major matters as well - only a few majors (Some engineering majors, math, physics) require linear algebra. It may be worth looking at what majors she is interested and their math requirements. Linear algebra is a great class if taught correctly, but I have seen quite the spread of linear algebra classes. Spending 4 pages manipulating a matrix into the identity matrix? Maybe not the best use of time. Learning what that means and how to apply linear algebra to real problems- much more useful.