Credit by Examination for Calculus

Credit by Examination for Calculus
          Procedure

Department of Mathematics

Advising Notes

(see also University Faculty Senate policies 42-50)

Please note that this site is for use by advisers assisting students with schedule planning decisions pertaining to MATH 110 and/or 140 and is intended for use only with those students whose mathematics placement action is in the top tier, or Roman numeral "I."

Please have the student answer each of the questions thoughtfully, and discuss the student's responses in accordance with the recommendations and cautions that follow the questions. 

Please make sure the student is aware at the outset that the $120 fee ($30 per credit for 4 credits) must be paid before the exam is attempted and is non-refundable.

1. Have you completed at least one year of calculus in high school?

 Yes

 No

2. Was your grade in your highest level high school mathematics class at least a "B"?

 Yes

 No

3. Did you complete a calculus course within the last three months?

 Yes

 No

4. If your major requires MATH 110 or MATH 140, does the calculus requirement end with MATH 110 or 140? Select "No" if the next level of calculus (MATH 111 or MATH 141) is required, select "Yes" if no calculus is required other than MATH 110 or MATH 140.

 Yes

 No

5. Have you ever taken a course at a college or a university?

 Yes

 No

6. If you took the AP Calculus AB exam, did you earn a score of at least 4?

 Yes

 No

7. If you took the AP Calculus BC exam, did you earn a score of at least 3?

 Yes

 No

If the student answered "No" to one or more of the questions above, make sure the student is aware that he/she may be risking poor performance in choosing to complete MATH 110 or MATH 140 via credit by examination. 

Notes of caution for Credit by Examination

• The student must pay for the examination before taking it, and the money is not refunded if the student fails the examination.
• Credit by Examination does not result in a quality grade (A, A-, etc.) or affect the calculation of a student's grade-point average. Credits earned are included in total credits on the student's Penn State transcript; however, they are not included in cumulative credits. On the student's transcript, the course is listed, the grade column is left blank, and CRX is noted in the field to the right of the grade column. If a student earns less than a grade of C, credits are not earned and there is no notation made on the student's transcript.
• If the student is not confident in his/her calculus skills, it may be in her/his best interest to simply take the course rather than attempt credit by examination.
• If the student already has AP credit for MATH 140, he/she does not need to attempt credit by examination. 
• If the student has already taken an equivalent course to MATH 110 or MATH 140 at another institution and received a grade of "C" or better in the course, she/he also does not need to attempt credit by examination. However, the student should verify with you that the course she/he took at the other institution will indeed satisfy a MATH 110 or MATH 140 requirement.