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Advanced Standing Examinations (ASE)

General Information

  • 18.01, 18.02, 18.03, and 18.06 ASEs are offered four times a year:
    • August/September before classes begin
    • End of IAP (January)
    • During final examination week of the Fall term
    • During final examination week of the Spring term

    If you are unable to make it to the exam as scheduled, you are welcome to register for another term/the next time it is offered.

  • 18.01 is a prerequisite for 18.02.

    You cannot take 18.02 ASE without 18.01 credit.
    Obtain 18.01 credit by one of the following:

    You must already receive 18.01 credit before attempting 18.02 ASE.

  • 18.03 and 18.06 ASEs both require the completion of extensive homework packets due at the time of the exam. You can only take one in the Summer but may take both in the Fall, IAP, and Spring.
  • You may take an ASE in each subject once, regardless of whether you pass/fail. You can email MAS Staff to withdraw prior to the exam and re-register for another term as long as:
    • You have not taken the exam,
    • You have not been registered for the subject or its equivalent (e.g. 18.02 / 18.02A, 18.022), OR
    • You signed up but withdrew from the class before the end of Week 1
  • If you’d like us to arrange testing accommodations for you:
    1. Contact Disability Access Services so they can process your request and issue you a letter. This takes time so reach out to them as soon as possible.
    2. Submit the letter to the math office at least 2 weeks prior to exam date. We cannot guarantee accommodations without a DAS letter or if one is provided without enough advance notice.
  • A passing grade on an ASE confers full credit for the subject. Your letter grade appears on your permanent record but is not incorporated into your term or cumulative GPA.
  • Grades for August/September exams are posted to the Fall record. Grades for IAP exams are posted to the Spring record and do not count toward your IAP/Spring credit load limit.

ASE Dates for Academic Year 2024-2025

We do not offer alternative dates as Course 18 ASEs are offered four times a year. If you are unable to make it to the exam(s) as listed, you are welcome to take it at another term. All times below listed in EST / Boston time.

  • Summer 2024:
    • 18.01 ASE (Online): Tuesday, August 6 @ 9 AM-noon or 4-7 PM
    • 18.02 ASE (Online): Thursday, August 8 @ 9 AM-12 PM or 4-7 PM
    • 18.03 ASE (On Campus):Tuesday, September 3 @ 9 AM-noon
    • 18.06 ASE (On Campus): Tuesday, September 3 @ 9 AM-noon
  • Fall 2024: All ASEs (18.01, 18.02, 18.03 & 18.06) will be administered during the week of final exams in December
  • IAP 2025:
    • 18.01 ASE (Online): Tuesday, Jan 21 @ 10 AM-1 PM EST (3 hours)
    • 18.02 ASE (On Campus): Tuesday, Jan 28 @ 9 AM-noon (3 hours)
    • 18.03 ASE (On Campus): Tuesday Jan 28 @ 9 AM-noon (3 hours)
    • 18.06 ASE (On Campus): Tuesday, Jan 28 @ 1-4 PM (3 hours)

Since the math department offers these ASEs 4 times a year, we do not offer alternative time slots or an online version of on-campus exams. If scheduling conflict arises, students are welcome to register for the next offering.

  • Spring 2025: All ASEs (18.01, 18.02, 18.03 & 18.06) will be administered during the week of final exams in May.

For Current Students

The procedure to take the ASE is:

  1. Check the petition deadline on the Academic Calendar
    • Summer ASE registration opens May 1st (might be slow response until after Finals);
    • Fall & IAP registration: first day of Fall Term;
    • Spring registration: first day of Spring term

    Note for Summer ASE/Exam 1: Summer & Fall ASE credits apply to Fall Term, so mark your Fall Term class standing when applying for Exam 1, i.e. if you are wrapping up your first year at MIT, put down Year 2.
    Incoming students about to start your first year at MIT, see below.

  2. Fill out the ASE petition form
  3. Obtain advisor’s signature (NOT instructor in charge).
  4. Submit signed petition to Sefanya Hope-Hiennadi () for departmental approval.
    • If you petition for the 18.03 or 18.06 ASE, the compulsory homework will provided at this time
  5. Submit the form to the Registrar’s ( or Room 5-117) before the deadline. Your petition is not complete until it is received by the Registrar's office.

See the Office of the Registrar site for ASE petition deadlines and grading policies.

For Incoming First-Year and Transfer Students

You do not need to fill out the petition for Exam 1/Summer ASE. The First Year office will send out a link to register for ASEs.

Once first day of classes begin, you are no longer “incoming” but “current” student and will have to fill out the ASE petition as outlined above.

For 18.03 and/or 18.06, you must contact Sefanya Hope () to obtain the required homework assignment. The information becomes available at the beginning of the summer term.

The 18.01 ASE is divided into two parts. Passing the first part completes an entrance requirement for 18.01A. Passing both parts earns credit for 18.01.

For incoming first-year students, ASE results are recorded as Pass / NoRecord for exams taken during orientation or Fall term and A / B / C / NoRecord for exams taken during IAP or Spring term. If you fail the exam, no record will be kept other than an internal notation that you attempted the exam. For upperclass transfer students, standard letter grades are recorded.

Units for ASEs passed in the orientation and IAP exam periods do not count toward your credit load limit. Units for exams taken at the end of Fall and Spring terms do count toward your credit load limit. This means that, as a first-year student, you most likely cannot take ASEs at the end of the Fall or Spring term because the 12 credits earned would cause you to exceed your credit limit for that term.

Preparing for the ASE

Advanced Standing Exams are intended to give you the chance to demonstrate knowledge you have already acquired, but it is helpful to review and practice in preparation for the test. We recommend that you check out class materials available through MIT's Open CourseWare, where you can find final exams to practice, as well as lectures, homework problems, and more. Another wonderful resource is the on-line class 18.01x (in three parts: 18.01.1x, 18.01.2x, 18.01.3x), available through MITx. See https://openlearning.mit.edu/beyond-campus/first-year-stem-classes-mit for more information. We also recommend the MITx version of 18.03, for those planning to take that ASE.

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