<p>What is the fitness test like? Is it like the army where you need to a certain amount of push-ups or you fail or is it a completion test like the swim test? </p>
<p>Also, How difficult is the Spanish Competence exam? Is it roughly as difficult as the AP level?</p>
<p>Finally, How difficult is the Calculus placement test? I took AB and got a 4, in order to be placed into the mainstream calculus course should I expect a similar level of difficulty as the AP test?</p>
<p>If you’ve already taken Calculus, you should most definitely be placed into the 1500 sequence. No idea about the difficulty.</p>
<p>Fitness – I think they test three things, one of which is flexibility (and I don’t remember the others, since I only heard about it). Plus an easy swim test (two widths, untimed, no prescribed stroke). Nothing like doing 100 push-ups. Really, this is a total non-big deal. If you flunk, you have to take some gym classes, which are fun, not terribly time-consuming, and popular. You should want to take them anyway – it’s a great opportunity to do stuff for free that people in the real world pay good money for.</p>
<p>Calculus: If you have taken AB, you will probably be offered a choice between 160s and 150s.</p>
<p>There are a number of different things tested during the fitness test- some seem useful, some a bit arbitrary, but it all works out. What I remember was having to do a grip strength test, a shoulder flexibility test, a sit and reach test, a step test (stepping at a certain rhythm for a set period of time and testing heart rate before/after for endurance), a seated bench press at a machine (they give you a fraction of your body weight- the ratio differs for men and women), and you also have to do some crunches. The swim test is as easy as JHS says- if you’ve ever swam before (not on a swim team: literally, if you will not drown when put in a body of water), you will pass. If you haven’t, take swimming- not that hard.
You can pass out of some, none, or all of your PE requirement. I didn’t take PE in high school and was not active in a sport, but still passed out of all of the requirements, and have elected to take some PE classes (Ballet, and want to take Social Dance) just for fun. Most PE classes are of the “if you show up and participate, you will pass” variety, and my Ballet teacher even said that if you couldn’t make it to the required number of classes, she would give you an incomplete until the next quarter when you came to make them up and then give you a pass, but never fail you.</p>