Welcome to Principia College! We are delighted that you will be joining us soon, and we look forward to getting to know you.

Like many other colleges and universities, Principia recognizes that students who do not major in the sciences or mathematics still need an understanding of basic quantitative applications to prepare them for life in the global economy of the twenty-first century. This year the Mathematics Department will offer two courses to help students meet this need.

Shortly after you arrive for New Student Orientation, you’ll have the opportunity to take a Mathematics Placement Exam that will help us determine the best way for you to meet the quantitative requirement during your first year. You’ll have up to two hours to complete the exam, and the results will place you on one of three paths:

• Placement in MATH 110 or 111
• Placement into a basic mathematics refresher followed by one of these two courses the next quarter
• The opportunity, though not the obligation, to enroll in any of Principia’s mathematics courses for which you have the prerequisites.

Both MATH 110 and 111 emphasize applications of basic mathematics in a variety of situations and may include topics such as voting systems, game theory, coding methods, financial growth models, patterns and tilings, mathematics and music, geometry and art, or loans and payment plans, to name just a few. Each student who satisfactorily completes one of these courses receives five quarter-hours of college credit and fulfills a general education requirement.

To help you prepare for the placement exam, we’ve created a math brochure. It contains a list of topics for you to review, as well as fifteen example problems. We recommend working through the problems using paper and pencil. The test itself has around thirty-five to forty problems separated into two sections. The first and larger section needs to be completed without a calculator, while the second, shorter section (about five problems) requires a calculator. You’ll need to bring your calculator for this second part. Cell phone calculators are not allowed. Please click on the Math Brochure link to work through example problems.

New Principia College students who have demonstrated a knowledge of mathematics at the calculus level by obtaining a 3, 4, or 5 on either the AB or BC version of the AP calculus test, by obtaining a 5, 6, or 7 on the Standard or Higher Level IB mathematics test, or by passing a college-level calculus course at an accredited college or university, are not required to take the placement exam. To qualify for exemption from the placement exam, be sure that the Principia College Registrar has your official test results or your college or university transcript.

If you have questions, call or e-mail any of us on the list below. We’d be happy to hear from you and are eager to discuss any concerns or questions you may have. We look forward to seeing you soon.

Sincerely,

Cathy Hooper
Mathematics Department
Director, Math Learning Center