MIT reinstates ACT/SAT test requirement

theloniusmonk
Sun, 03 Apr 2022 17:49:51 +0000

Data10:

I’d expect MIT math to instead emphasize longer and more complex calculus+ questions that are not multiple choice.

They do if the applicants can provide them, it’s just not available to everyone so it’s an additional barrier and can’t be used broadly as mentioned above. The kids in the bay area I know that get into MIT have taken Calc in 10th or 11th and Stats as well so they have those AP scores (hint -they’re 5s), the AMC or AIME as well. These are public schools btw, that being said you can’t assume the bay area is representative, it’s an outlier.

“Of course, to even have an AP calculus score by the time one applies to colleges in 12th grade, one has to have been on the +2 math track (calculus in 11th grade), which is a lot less common than being on the +1 math track that reaches calculus in 12th grade.”

It’s a lot more common than you think and the middle school placements are based on tests, which MITChris said is indicative of the first year at MIT. And you can retake these placement tests in middle school if you want the accelerated track.

“They could do Algebra 1 and Geometry freshman year, Allegra 2 and pre-calc in sophomore year, and then calc AB or BC in Junior year (usually a full year class fall -spring blocks)”.

I don’t think you can two math classes in one year, I guess you could if one was an elective. But that’s not a typical MIT applicant profile I mentioned, it’s a lot cleaner that:

Precalc-Honors in 9th, Calc BC in 10th, Stats in 11th, DE (MV, Linear Algebra, Diff Equ) in 12th.