Department of MathematicsThe resources on this page are intended for students to self-assess their preparation for or mastery of courses in calculus. This includes:
- students who have corresponding AP/IPC/PMC credit for a course and want to assess if they might be well-advised to take it at Duke anyway;
- students who have corresponding AP/IPC/PMC credit for a prerequisite of a course and want to confirm their preparation is sufficient;
- students who might not have (or need) any such credit(s), but want to check their preparation to help decide on a starting course.
These resources are self-assessments provided for your guidance only, and are neither official placement exams, nor means to obtain course credit, nor means to bypass major requirements or course prerequisites. If you have questions about the math course requirements for your major(s) or minor(s), check the associated department website(s) and direct any follow up questions to the associated Director(s) of Undergraduate Studies.
If, after taking the appropriate self-assessment below, you still have questions about your placement, you might consider attending the Math Placement Open House -- details on the Placement Page.
Pre-Calc Self-Assessment
This self-assessment is designed for Duke students planning to enroll in Calculus I who are unsure whether MATH 105L or MATH 111L is the best fit. Instructions are in the PDF file for the assessment.
Recall this is a self-assessment only: all Calculus I students (both those originally enrolled in MATH 105L and those in MATH 111L) will take a Calculus I Placement Test on precalculus material on the first day of class. Regardless of results on this self-assessment, students must score above threshold on that test to take MATH 111L.
Calc 1 Self-Assessment
If you have taken Calc 1 in high school and are interested in assessing your calc 1 proficiency compared to Duke standards, take this exam. Instructions are in the PDF file for the assessment.
The prerequisites for the above-noted Calc 2 offerings (MATH 122L in Fall terms; MATH 112L in Spring and Summer terms) are not enforced. So, if your score on this self-assessment is sufficient, you can plan to enroll directly into one of those offerings.
Calc 2 Self-Assessment
If you have taken Calc 2 in high school and are interested in assessing your Calc 2 proficiency compared to Duke standards, take this exam. Instructions are in the PDF file for the assessment.
If you do well on this exam, you might consider starting beyond single variable calculus. Depending on your major(s) and interests (check those departments' webpages for their requirements and recommendations!), there are different starting points you might consider. Some common choices are MATH 218D-1 and MATH 221; these courses do not enforce any calculus prerequisites and you can plan to enroll directly into these courses.
If you are interested in starting with MATH 202, MATH 212, MATH 218D-2, or MATH 230, note importantly that these courses do enforce their Calc 2 prerequisites. The AP/IPC/PMC credit (MATH 22 or MATH 122) must be on your Duke record to enroll in one of these courses. The Mathematics Department cannot accept alternative evidence of scores expected to result in such credit and will not make you eligible for a permission number. See the Registrar's webpage for information on how to have your AP scores, international placement scores, or possible PMC courses officially reported to Duke.
If you do not have any such credits, but are very confident in your Calc 2 proficiency and performed well on the above Calc 2 Self-Assessment, it remains that this performance will not get you into these courses. However, you might consider taking the MATH 122L Proficiency Exam, which you can read about in detail on its registration page. Students registering for this exam are encouraged to enroll in MATH 122L (in the Fall; or MATH 112L in the Spring) for the moment, as this would be the correct course choice in the event of not performing sufficiently on that exam.