Widely considered to be Peddie’s most rigorous class, Honors Pre-Calculus (PCH) is the Precalculus course currently taught by Mrs. Victoria Montgomery in the Honors Track for Mathematics.
A number of students who are currently or have been enrolled in Honors Pre-Calculus were asked to participate in a survey about the course.
About the Survey
This survey was conducted through Google Forms with a total of 19 distinct student responses. The survey followed a generally open-response format; however, it utilized multiple-choice selection with a write-in option to facilitate ease of graph depiction. This may have influenced the results of the survey by providing visible selections as students completed the survey.
On average, Honors Pre-Calculus was rated 7.89 out of 10 in difficulty and 7.00 out of 10 in enjoyment, showing to be a remarkably difficult yet enjoyable course.
When asked how long students take to complete each Honors Pre-Calculus assignment, the majority of students recorded that they take at least one to one and a half hours, and certain students said that they spend three hours when they have a Check Your Understanding (CYU), the term for an assessment within the Mathematics Honors Track.
At the end of the survey, students were asked to give personal opinions about Honors Pre-Calculus, the Mathematics Honors Track in general and some advice for students who may take Precalculus Honors.
Below are two example responses received:
- Sophomore who took PCH during their Freshman year
Difficulty: 10
Enjoyment: 2
Time for each assignment: 30 minutes to two hours
Opinion about PCH: “It is a very difficult course that goes not only deep but also fast. It is a real challenge.”
Advice for future PCH students: “Don’t fall behind on any material, and be sure to seek help whenever you need.”
- Junior who took PCH during their Sophomore year
Difficulty: 9
Enjoyment: 5
Time for each assignment: two to three hours
Opinion about PCH: “PCH is a big time commitment: you need to spend a lot of time on homework and on studying (if you want a decent to good grade on CYUs).”
Any thoughts you would like to share about the Honors Track?: “It feels competitive, so it’s stressful to me.”
Advice for future PCH students: “You should study for CYUs and maybe practice AMC style questions. Another option is to just know the material really well.”
- Senior who took PCH during their Sophomore year
Difficulty: 6
Enjoyment: 9
Time for each assignment: one hour
Opinion about PCH: “It’s a great class, challenging and fun. I don’t understand why people dislike it to such an extent.”
Advice for future PCH students: “If you choose to take it, you should be ready for it.”
When Mrs. Montgomery heard of these responses, she expressed, “I was struck by the numbers: an average difficulty of 7.89/10 but an enjoyment rating of 7.00/10. It’s rare to see such a high enjoyment score for a course that you also describe as ‘remarkably difficult.’ This tells me that while the pace is fast and the concepts go deep, you find the intellectual ‘heavy lifting’ rewarding. It appears you’re looking for a challenge that feels worth the effort.”
Additionally, Mrs. Montgomery sympathized with many of the remarks from her students about time: “I recognize that this is a significant time commitment. The advice from your peers to ‘not fall behind’ and to ‘study for CYUs’ is spot on. This course is a marathon, and staying consistent is the best way to manage that stress,” she said.
Finally, she hopes that students will reach out to her for help and hopes to work with students to continue navigating through “the ‘deep and fast’ waters of Pre-Calculus Honors together.”
If you would like to look at her full response, please click here.
Overall, while students almost unanimously agree that Honors Pre-Calculus is an extremely difficult course, many still enjoy the class, suggesting that the experience is worth the struggle.