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Placement Information for Incoming Students
Mathematics, Statistics, and Computer Science

departments.oxy.edu/math/placement

Take the  Math Placement Exam now (http://departments.oxy.edu/math/placement/creonline/CalculusReadinessExam.asp)

See a Sample Test (http://departments.oxy.edu/math/placement/cre-sample.shtml)

Mathematics Placement

All students must participate in the math placement process:

All students must take the math placement exam  (see link above) before entering Occidental College, except those with

  1. a score of 3 or better on the Calculus AP Exam (AB or BC), or

  2. a 5 or better on the Higher Level Mathematics International Baccalaureate Exam, or

  3. a grade of C or better in a Calculus course taken at a college or university

Students in categories i-iii above should not take the Calculus Placement Exam, and must instead attend the Math Advising Session during Orientation.  If you have taken an AP or IB exam but do not know your score before start of fall semester, you must take the placement exam.

 

Calculus AP Exam Score

 Which Math course to take

BC 4 or 5

150, 210, 212, or 214.

BC 3 (AB sub-score of 4 or 5)

128 ( possibly 120 after consultation with Math Dept)

BC 3 (AB sub-score of 1, 2 or 3)

108, 114, or 120: attend Math Advising Session

BC 1 or 2

Take math placement test

AB 4 or 5

128 ( possibly 120 after consultation with Math Dept )

AB 3

114 or 120: attend Math Advising Session

AB 1 or 2

Take math placement test

 

IB Exam Score

 Which Math course to take

IB 6 or 7

150, 210, 212, or 214.

IB 5

114 or 120 or 128: attend Advising Session

IB 4

114

IB 3 or less

Take math placement test


In addition to calculus courses, Mathematics 150, 210, 212, 214, and Computer Science 211 may be taken by first-year students meeting the prerequisites. Please refer to the Online Course Catalog (departments.oxy.edu/math/courses) for more information on these courses and their prerequisites.

Students with  a score of 5 in Calculus BC earn 6 units of credit towards graduation, while students with a score of 4 in Calculus BC or 4 or 5 in Calculus AB earn 4 units. For a complete description of the College's policy on AP credit, please refer to the Advanced Placement and Credit section in the College Online Course Catalog.

Some majors have no "math requirement." However, you may take Calculus, as well as most other math courses (please see the Online Course Catalog) towards satisfying core requirements. Note that Math 108 does not satisfy any core or major requirements; it serves only as a prerequisite for 109. Math 109 counts as a core requirement; it also counts for any major or minor that requires Calculus 1. To only satisfy a core requirement, however, you may choose from among several one-semester math courses (105, 146, etc.) instead of the one-year sequence 108-109.

Transfer students
Students who have taken courses beyond Calculus must attend the Math Advising Session during Orientation for advice on placement in an appropriate mathematics course.

Statistics Placement

Advanced placement is available to students with qualifying scores on the College Board Advanced Placement Examinations in Statistics. Students scoring 4 or 5 on the AP Examination may receive a prerequisite waiver for courses that have Math 146 as a prerequisite. Math 146 and Math 150 are similar courses; we advise students who are interested in taking an introductory statistics course and who have a Calculus I background (either coursework or AP placement) to enroll in Math 150: Data Analysis rather than Math 146: Statistics.

Computer Science Placement

Advanced placement is available to students with qualifying scores on the College Board Advanced Placement Examinations in Computer Science. Those scoring 4 or 5 on the A Examination or 4 on the AB Examination may enroll in Computer Science 211 without the Computer Science 161 prerequisite. Students scoring 5 on the AB Examination do not have to take Computer Science 211.

Calculus Courses

The following are brief descriptions of Occidental's Calculus courses. For a more detailed description of each individual course, please refer to the Online Course Catalog (departments.oxy.edu/math/courses)

Unified Precalculus and Calculus: Math 108-109

For students who have studied only three years of high school mathematics or who are unready for the pace of Calculus (see below).   This is a two-semester sequence that is equivalent to one semester of Calculus 1 (Math 110 or 114).

Calculus 1 & 2: Math 110 & 120

For students with no prior experience in Calculus, but who have studied Algebra 1 and 2, Geometry, and a fourth year of high school mathematics (such as Mathematical Analysis, Elementary Functions, or Pre-Calculus).

Calculus 1 (Experienced): Math 114, followed by Calculus 2: Math 120

For students who have studied one or two semesters of Calculus in high school but who did not take or pass the Calculus AP exam. Students are not assumed to know any Calculus. They are separated from students who've never seen any Calculus, only for pedagogical reasons.

Calculus 2 (Advanced Placement): Math 128

Similar to Math 120, but for students who have passed the AP Calculus exam version AB with a score of 4 or 5, or version BC with an AB sub-score of 4 or 5 (but not a BC score of 4 or 5).