It depends. MIT specifically cites the example of showing calc proficiency using an AP test score (in cases where the HS doesn’t offer it). They don’t say what score is needed, but I can’t imagine anything less than a 4 would suffice (OP should call MIT and get clarity). If OP doesn’t get at least a 4 (assuming that’s the right answer) on the test, they will need to prove calc proficiency senior year in one of MIT’s approved ways:
As we’ve said above, having a strong foundation in math—especially calculus, the building block for many of our courses—is essential to a student’s success at MIT. If you don’t have access to a calculus class through your high school, there are many ways to access advanced math curricula and demonstrate your knowledge, including:
Enrollment at virtual high schools or structured programs, such as SPCS, CTY, and VHS Learning
Certification through Khan Academy and Schoolhouse.world; you can take a free online calculus course with Khan Academy, receive free tutoring through Schoolhouse, and then take a free exam through Schoolhouse to receive a certification transcript
Reporting scores for exams such as AP Calculus AB, AP Calculus BC, IB Mathematics HL, or CLEP Calculus that you self-studied; there are many free study resources online, such as Khan Academy, MIT OpenCourseWare, and MIT Open Learning Library
Most college websites are not as transparent as MIT, so I would strongly encourage OP contact all the schools on their list and ask how they would treat no HS calc course but an AP BC test score.
The AP in Calc BC is necessarily mostly computational (based upon my review of recent years’ exams). So, the concern for a very STEM-intensive place like MIT might be not having the benefit of a rigorous class where the “how” and the “why” of calculus would be emphasized. It’s trivial to take a limit, but more rigorous to understand the theory behind what a limit truly is (interestingly, not even Newton knew about this as it wasn’t formally arrived at until at least 150 years later!). My 2 cents…
MIT allows a 5 on calculus BC to place out of 18.01 (single variable calculus, which is accelerated compared to most other colleges’ single variable calculus courses) and start directly in 18.02 (multivariable calculus).
The thing that concerns me about this is that the only students who could successfully self-study calculus are students who are very good at mathematics. These are exactly the same students who are likely to be using calculus a LOT in future classes and in future work. For these students it pays to understand calculus very well.
I think that it is difficult to get the same understanding through self study as you would get through a year long course.
I was in the same situation and just took calculus as a freshman at MIT. The course was very well taught, and was a relatively small class – presumably because most MIT freshmen had AP’d out of 18.01.
One obvious alternative would be to self study the course, but then repeat it anyway as a freshman.
Perhaps the most important advice would be to do very, very well in all of the prerequisites for calculus. For anyone who belongs at MIT this is however just what they are likely to be doing anyway.
For someone who is strong at math, goes to MIT, and skips 18.01, it is likely that 18.02 will be sufficient to make sure that they have caught up on anything in calculus that they were weak on.
And of course MIT is a high reach for nearly all students.
Although MIT still offers 18.01, I have to wonder if the usual and expected level of preparation for academically ambitious students has changed (both at MIT and at other colleges) since the time when you would have been a student. I attended MIT as a graduate student and helped undergraduates as a TA in introductory courses, and I remember many things about the undergraduates of that time, but I have the sense that some (or many) things may have changed at MIT since I was there.
MIT 18.01 covers single variable calculus in a semester rather than a year at many other colleges or high school AP calculus BC, and there are no lower level math courses than 18.01. So there is a higher expectation of preparation in math at MIT than elsewhere.
Indeed, it may be that many students in 18.01 had calculus in high school, but did not get high enough scores on AP, IB, or MIT math placement tests to get advanced placement beyond 18.01.
They do also offer 18.01A-18.02A for students who have had a year of calculus and want a review. From the page on Calculus
If you have some calculus experience but not enough to get 18.01 credit, or wish to review some of the material even if you were given 18.01 credit, consider the 18.01A-18.02A sequence.
Regardless, if users want to probe her reasons for self studying a course that’s offered, feel free. But we can move on from MIT’s calculus offerings, their placement exams, or (since it doesn’t apply to OP) how to take calculus if the HS doesn’t offer
I missed that, so yes that changes things not only for MIT, but likely other schools as well. I would encourage OP to take AP Calc AB next year.
Also noting that AP Stats is not ‘higher’ than AP Calc as OP stated on their other thread. AP Stats is best case seen as equivalent in rigor to AP Calc AB, some schools would consider it less rigorous.