taking calculus even though pre-calc was taken over 8 years ago?

[Gauss44]

A student of mine is considering taking calculus even though pre-calc was taken over 8 years ago in high school. Is this a bad idea?

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[WedgeDawg]

If they have generally strong math skills then sure. Even if they don't, they could easily do a quick refresher on key things and probably be fine. Probably depends on the capabilities of the individual though.

 

[banthapug]

I personally would like to advocate for taking precalc again. I was in a similar situation when I started post-bacc. I hadn't taken a single math class for 4 years and even though I had taken through AP calculus. I started with precalc, and I am so thankful I did. It gave me such better foundation/refresher and I was able to ace all my calculus courses. It's better to be safe than sorry in this situation, I think.

 

[Lawpy]

A student of mine is considering taking calculus even though pre-calc was taken over 8 years ago in high school. Is this a bad idea?

No. It is fine. All they need is just a quick refresher. A precalc course is unnecessary

 

[ifnotnowwren]

I had a three year gap between pre calc and calc and did well in calculus. I actually found calculus to be a whole different beast than other math I had taken in the past, but maybe that speaks more to an incongruity between the classes themselves. If you google "calculus aptitude test" or "calculus readiness test" it looks like there are a few free tests online that could help your student decide if they would be ready or if they should brush up on pre calc.

 

[terra330]

Precalc is pretty useless IMO. If the individual is comfortable with algebra and trig, they're ready for calculus. Otherwise they're not.

 

[Annabell Lee]

Precalc is pretty useless IMO. If the individual is comfortable with algebra and trig, they're ready for calculus. Otherwise they're not.

I'm taking calculus without precalc and this is a relief. I've already signed up for tutoring (because I'm neurotic and want an A) and the tutor said something similar, and told me the most important thing was to keep practicing my algebra so I'll do well on the tests.

I'm kind of nervous (haven't had college algebra, got a B in trig). I've been doing the algebra program on Khan academy to review and practice and I'll probably read the first few chapters of the book once I get it and do some of the practice questions before the semester starts. Anyone have tips on some last minute things I should learn/review before class starts?

 

[terra330]

I'm taking calculus without precalc and this is a relief. I've already signed up for tutoring (because I'm neurotic and want an A) and the tutor said something similar, and told me the most important thing was to keep practicing my algebra so I'll do well on the tests.

I'm kind of nervous (haven't had college algebra, got a B in trig). I've been doing the algebra program on Khan academy to review and practice and I'll probably read the first few chapters of the book once I get it and do some of the practice questions before the semester starts. Anyone have tips on some last minute things I should learn/review before class starts?

If I had to pick the "high yield" stuff from algebra and trig that helps in calculus...

Algebra:

• Polynomial manipulation
• Graphing of functions

Trig:

• Unit circle
• Identities

The "calculus" part of calculus is pretty easy. But you'll often need to manipulate expressions with your algebra and trig skills before you can do the calculus steps. And more often than not, you'll need to use a lot of algebra to simplify the solution at the end.