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I'm
going on vacation during the course. What happens if I miss a class?
All of our classes are transcripted, so you'll be able to review everything
that happened in class. There is also a message board to support each class,
so you'll be able to ask any questions you might have. Finally, instructors
will occasionally stay after class to answer questions.
Which
course should I take?
The Pretest and Posttest are meant to be a guide for the subject courses; you
can find these on the Enrollment page. If you
can't correctly answer more that 75% of the Posttest, you should strongly consider
taking the course. You can also correspond with the instructors via the message
board or email, or give us a call at (619) 659-1612 to ask more detailed
questions about the course.
I
took the Do You Need This test but I'm still not sure if I should take the class
or not. What should I do?
If you can't
answer more than 60% of the problems correctly, you should probably take the
class. If you can answer 90%+, you shouldn't. If you're in-between, you can
use your prior experience as a guide. If you have never passed the AMC-12, or
haven't scored more than 3 or so on the AIME, then you should strongly consider
our introductory courses. If you have never qualified for the USAMO, then you
should strongly consider our intermediate courses, such as Intermediate Counting
and Algebraic Problem Solving. You can also contact us directly at classes@artofproblemsolving.com
for more guidance.
What
is the difference between the Problem Series courses and the subject courses?
Problem Series courses are designed to prepare students for particular programs
such as MATHCOUNTS and the AMC series of contests. Each class will be a series
of problems designed to teach students a certain set of problem solving tactics
that are useful for the program in question. Test-taking strategies and preparation
methods are also discussed. The subject courses investigate a certain subject
area in mathematics, sometimes to greater depth even than these contests. One
primary difference between the two is that there are no problem sets in the
Problem Series courses. In these courses, extra problems are given for student
discussion on the class message board.
Will
I get to work with other students?
A message
board is provided for each class. Students can use this message board to correspond
with each other about the course.
Are
there solutions to all the problems given?
Full solutions
are provided for every problem on the problem sets.
Can
I take a class more than once?
Yes. Students
do sometimes take our classes more than once to help reinforce the course material.
We offer a 25% discount for students taking a course for a second time. (Not applicable to WOOT.)
When are transcripts available, and for how long?
Transcripts of every class are available to participants
until about 3 weeks after the course ends. They are usually posted
immediately after class.
Do I need any special software to participate? Is my internet connection fast enough?
All you need is a Java-enabled web browser like Internet
Explorer or Firefox. All recent computers come with one installed.
If you want to make sure that you have Java installed, visit our classroom
page. If you can see the interactive fractal picture, you have
Java. To try out the classroom itself, you can attend one of our
free math
jams. You can use the classroom with any internet connection; you don't need high-speed access.
Do I need to know LaTeX to participate?
Knowledge or mastery of LaTeX is fully optional. Students do not need to learn it or use it for the course.
