Subject Tests: How To Place In Higher Classes
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So you’re a native French speaker and want to be placed into a higher-level French class. You took a math course over the summer and you want a more advanced curriculum. If you’re ready to progress in a subject, looking at being placed into more advanced courses might be for you.
Benefits of Placing Up a Class
- You want to show colleges that you’re challenging yourself with your coursework. Taking more advanced classes than your peers is a strategy to make yourself stand out.
- Colleges would rather you get a B in an AP class than an A in a standard class.
- A class that’s too easy invites boredom. Make sure the course load strikes the balance between ease and difficulty for an optimally stimulating class.
Is Placing Up Right for Me?
- However, skipping a level of a class shouldn’t be taken lightly. For example, if you took precalculus over the summer and went straight into calculus, you might find yourself lacking in foundational skills for calculus.
- Prerequisites are there for a reason.
- This might put you at a disadvantage, as the other students have taken the full prerequisite.
- If you take AP French 6 and get Cs, when you could take AP French 5 and get As and Bs, for example, placing up might not be for you. It’s important to keep your GPA high.
- Again, strike the balance between ease and difficulty.
How To Take A Subject Placement Test
- Track down your teacher whose class you’re planning to switch into. Discuss your options with them.
- They can give you an idea about course load, topics, and degree of difficulty.
- Be consistent. Send them an email, arrange to meet with them in person, and make sure you make a good impression.
- Also, make an appointment with your guidance counselor. They can help you navigate the particulars of switching classes.
- Note that sometimes, this requires some third party to come in and ascertain that you’re ready to take on a greater course load.
- Especially if you’re planning on taking a summer course for higher placement, check with your guidance counselor first before committing to it, so you’re sure that your school will accept it.
Testing Tips
- If your school requires you to sit down and take an exam for placement, employ the usual testing strategies.
- Break down the content into categories so it’s not so overwhelming to study.
- Recall practice is the best way to ensure good performance on a test. Don’t just read over necessary knowledge—it won’t stick as well if you don’t practice recalling the information from memory.
- On test day, fill everything in, even if it’s a total guess. You just might be right.
- Check over your answers, but know that if you feel the impulse to change an answer, your first instinct might be right.
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Angela Qian
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Senior at Dulaney High school. Editor-in-Chief of Sequel literary arts magazine and Baltimore County student council president.
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