Who is the MTH 299 waiver exam meant for?

All students who need MTH 299 as a prerequisite for other mathematics courses and who feel they are already comfortable with doing proofs. Students are only permitted to take the waiver exam once, so prepare accordingly.

What is the MTH 299 waiver exam?

The waiver exam covers the same material covered in MTH 299. The topics include: introduction to mathematical reasoning, basic logic, set theory, integers, natural numbers and induction, basic number theory, real numbers, limits, sequences, series. More information about the topics covered can be found in the study material.

The waiver exam is given in two parts: a multiple choice part and a written proofs part. Students must pass both parts of the exam in order to get MTH 299 waived.

The multiple choice portion

The multiple choice exam is 25 questions long with a time limit of 50 minutes. To pass this portion of the exam you need to get 16 questions correct. Students take this portion of the exam first and have it graded before moving on to the written portion. Since you must pass both portions of the exam if a student does not pass the multiple choice portion they will not be permitted to take the written portion.

The written portion

In this portion the student must display their knowledge of logic and proof writing over a variety of topics. Students may be asked to generate their own proofs or critique a given proof. There are 7 questions worth a total of 70 points. Students have 70 minutes to complete this portion of the exam. To interpret your score on this portion of the exam use the table below

Score	Meaning
0-35 points	Your score suggests you would benefit from taking MTH 299. You cannot waive the course.
35-45 points	You are permitted to waive the course however the department suggests that you take it. You can still benefit from its content.
45-70 points	You are ready to start taking 300 level courses. MTH 299 is waived.

Because this portion of the exam must be graded by a Math Professor/Instructor typically your score will be emailed to you within one week. These exams will be carefully and thoughtfully graded so all grading decisions are final. Students are permitted to see their graded exams however, they are considered confidential and must be retained by the department for one semester.

Where/When can you take the MTH 299 waiver exam?

The multiple choice portion of the waiver exam is offered during the fall and spring semesters via D2L. To setup a time to take the multiple choice portion please email Ryan Maccombs. Note that the waiver exam is not currently offered during the summer.

Those who pass the multiple choice exam will be emailed to setup an individualized time to take the written portion of the exam. Remember that you can only take the exam once so make sure that you are well prepared before attempting it.

Why should you consider taking the MTH 299 waiver exam?

Passing the exam permits you to take any upper level math course for which MTH 299 is a prerequisite. This means you can get started on such courses earlier in your MSU career.

How can you prepare for the MTH 299 waiver exam?

To help you prepare to take the waiver exam the department as provided several key resources under the "Study Materials" drop down menu on the navigation bar at the top of this page. It is recommended that students spend 10-25 hours in total going through this material to help prepare before attempting to take the waiver exam.