Advanced Placement Exams

Advanced Placement Exams in Calculus and Computer Science

August 2008

If you did not take the AP exam of the College Entrance Examination Board, or if you took one and scored below 4, you may still receive advanced placement and credit by passing Clarkson's exams during Orientation Weekend.

  • Don't take the exams if you already have AP or transfer credit, unless you have doubts about going into Calculus II right away.
  • The exams are strictly voluntary.
  • No record is kept of failures.
  • Exams are available for Calculus I (MA 131) and Intro. to Computer Science I (CS 141)
  • See Dr. A. Maciel if you are interested in an AP exam for Computer Science II (S.C. 379)

Calculus I
Exam date: TBD
Location: Science Center Room 356
No calculator, notes, books or other references permitted.

Topics:

  • Functions
  • Trigonometric functions and their inverses
  • Exponential and logarithmic functions
  • Limits and continuity
  • Differentiation
  • Tangent lines
  • Inflection points
  • Maxima / Minima
  • Curve sketching
  • Integration and areas
  • Integration by substitution
  • Note: If you pass the placement test for Calculus I, you must also pass the corresponding ABCs test to receive credit for MA131. Details

Introduction to Computer Science I
Exam date: TBD
Location: Science Center 356
This exam may be taken in either Pascal, C or C++.
No notes, books or other references permitted.

Topics:

  • if statements
  • while loops and for loops
  • functions - with and without inputs and outputs
  • value parameters vs reference parameters
  • arrays
  • strings
  • files I/O
  • classes, structures or records
  • During the examination students will be required to write programs or functions, and maybe analyze a program or a function. The exam is paper and pencil, not on the computer.