You should seriously consider this program if you have already taken, or are currently taking, Calculus I, II, or III at the high school or college level.

The core mathematics graduation requirement consists of a mathematical modeling course (MA103 or MA153), a college-level Calculus course (MA104, MA205, or MA255), and a probability and statistics course (MA206/MA256). 

There are two primary core mathematics tracks at West Point: Advanced Core Mathematics Program and the Core Mathematics Program. Students enrolled in the Advanced Core Math Program take MA153, MA255, and MA206/MA256 to meet their core math requirement. Students in the Core Math Program take MA103, MA104 (or MA205), and MA206/MA256 to satisfy their core math requirement. Any of these courses may be validated based pon previous college transcripts, validation exams, or additional interviews. 

Students who qualify for placement into the Advanced Core Mathematics Program but who choose not to enroll will be placed into the Core Mathematics Program. However, they will be given an opportunity to validate MA104 (Calculus I) by passing an exam administered during the second week of the fall semester. Students who are successful will then be placed into MA205 (Calculus II) for the spring semester.

Review material from your previous calculus course, but note that we make placement decisions based on your knowledge of AP Calculus AB. There is a plethora of resources at APCentral/AP Calculus AB. Khan Academy also has some great free resources.   

Enrolling in the Advanced Core Math Program is an opportunity to optimize your academic and intellectual development at West Point. You will be exposed to topics not covered in the Core Math Program, such as modeling using differential equations. This is particularly important if you are considering a math, science, or engineering major as you will be better prepared for the advanced classes you will take in your second, third and fourth years. 

Additionally, enrollment in the Advanced Core Math Program enables you to validate MA205, which would be a required course for most math, science, engineering, and economics majors. You can begin taking courses in your major a semester early or possibly take an additional elective of interest to you.

Acceptance is based on Summer Calculus Placement Exam scores, SAT/ACT math scores, Advanced Placement (AP) calculus scores (if applicable), and any college-level calculus grades.

The two-hour Summer Calculus Placement Exam tests your comprehension of single-variable calculus concepts (typically topics covered in Calculus I and Calculus II courses) without the use of technology (i.e., graphing calculator). This voluntary exam is part of new cadet testing administered remotely from mid-May to mid-June before the start of Cadet Basic Training. If you take the exam, we assume that signifies your intent to enroll in the Advanced Core Mathematics Program should you achieve a passing score. You must take this exam to be considered for the program.

Taking the Calculus BC exam would give you a definite advantage in the advanced mathematics program. The exam covers several topics not tested in the Calculus AB exam. These topics include integrals in polar coordinates, sequences and series, as well as some additional integration techniques (such as integration by parts and integration by partial fractions). 

Those who score a 3 on the BC exam or a 4 on the AB exam would be a good candidate for our program. Candidates who score even higher would be considered more competitive for entry!

Yes. Although we strongly encourage our students to take an AP Calculus exam, we understand that this is not always possible. Students with no AP exam scores can be accepted into the program based on their Summer Calculus Placement Exam score, SAT/ACT math scores, and any college-level calculus grades. Historically, students accepted into our program without an AP Calculus exam score performed very well on the Summer Calculus Placement Exam.