Quantitative Reasoning Benchmark

Every incoming student is required to demonstrate Quantitative Readiness (QR) either by reaching a benchmark on one of these:

• mSAT
• mACT
• Bryn Mawr's Q test (during Customs New Student Orientation)

or

• by passing QUAN 001 (Qsem) during the student's first year at Bryn Mawr.

Every student is required to complete one QM course before the fall semester of the senior year. Many courses in the Social Sciences, Sciences, and Math fulfill the QM course requirement.

Some classes list QR as a prerequisite. A student may not enroll in these classes before fulfilling the QR requirement.

Below are some of the courses that list QR as a prerequisite. Please see BiONiC for additional courses.

• BIOL 110 Biological Explorations
• BIOL 201 Genetics 
• BIOL 215 Experimental Design and Statistics 
• BIOL 250 Computational Methods in the Sciences 
• CHEM 103 General Chemistry I   
• CHEM 211 Organic Chemistry I      
• CMSC 110 Intro to Computing 
• CMSC 113 Computer Science I     
• DSCI 100 Intro to Data Science  
• ECON 105 Intro to Economics
• ENVS 202 Environment and Society 
• GEOL 101 How the Earth Works
• GEOL 202 Mineralogy and Crystal Chemistry
• MATH 100 Intro to Calculus
• MATH 101 Calculus I 
• MATH 104 Intro to Probability and Statistics
• PHYS 101 Intro to Physics I
• PHYS 121 Modern Physics 
• PHYS 201 Electromagnetism
• PSYC 105 Introductory Psychology
• SOCL 265 Quantitative Methods 

Students may fulfill the QR requirement by meeting the benchmark scores on standardized math tests (mSAT or mACT only). Bryn Mawr's Admissions Office must receive the official score report directly from the testing service. The QR benchmark scores are:

1. Math SAT score. You have automatically fulfilled the QR requirement if you scored 580 or above on the math section of the regular SAT test.
2. Math ACT scores. You have automatically fulfilled the QR requirement if you scored 24 or higher on the math section of the ACT test. (Please note that the composite score alone is not sufficient to fulfill the QR requirement.)

• The Q test is used to determine the Quantitative Readiness of students who did not submit mSAT or mACT scores when they applied to Bryn Mawr. 
• It is also available for students whose mSAT or mACT scores were not high enough to automatically fulfill the QR requirement, but who want to try again. 
• A student may take the Q test online with remote proctoring during July or early August, or on campus during Customs Week.
• A student may fulfill the QR requirement by meeting the benchmark on the Q test.    

• A student who does not reach the benchmark for QR on the mSAT, mACT, or the Q test will be enrolled in QUAN 001 (Qsem) by the Registrar.
• Students are welcome to opt into Qsem!
• A student may fulfill the QR requirement by completing Qsem with a grade of 2.0 or higher during the Fall semester of their first year of study at BMC.

QUAN 001 Intro to Quantitative Reasoning (Qsem)

1.0-credit. Offered Fall only. This course can fulfill the Quantitative Readiness (QR) requirement at Bryn Mawr. It is designed to prepare students to succeed in entry-level quantitative courses in the Social Sciences and Sciences. The course addresses various basic topics in Mathematics and Statistics with an emphasis on applications. Topics include: computation, basic probability, central tendency, tables & graphs, basic algebra, magnitude & scale, and the interpretation of word problems. Qsem is taught in a collaborative, small seminar format.

QUAN 100  Intro to Quantitative & Computational Methods

0.5-credit. Half-semester (7-week) course.  Introduction to Python programming.

Open to all students during the first half of the Fall semester.

Enrollment during the second half of Fall semester is possible in concert with CHEM 103, MATH 101, PHYS 121, CMSC 110, and Econ 105 only. 

QUAN 121  Topics in Quantitative Analysis

1.0-credit. In this course, students will assess the scope of quantitative problems in disparate disciplines, and use mathematical calculations (linear, exponential, or log functions), and/or computing algorithms to solve them. Former topics: Research in a Quantitative World, Python Computing and Art, Python Computing and Sound (Language or Music). This course fulfills the QM requirement. 

Prerequisites:  QR Readiness required; permission of the instructor required

Qsem FAQ's:

*Who takes Qsem?  Creative, talented, and highly motivated students!  Many students in Qsem have good basic skills, but have difficulty working with abstraction in math.  Many students are pre-med or are interested in studying economics, psychology, or sociology.  Some Qsem folks are future humanities majors with a long-standing dread of anything quantitative.  We work to diminish that dread and build on their strengths!  Approximately 20% of all first-year and transfer students take QSem each year.

*Do students who have already taken calculus need Qsem?  Yes, many do! Most Qsem students last year had completed at least 1 semester of high school calculus. Quantitative reasoning and calculus are very different disciplines. 

*Why is there a QSem course?  The Bryn Mawr curriculum is rigorous.  In 2010, the faculty concluded that promising students were entering Bryn Mawr with such a tentative set of quantitative skills that they were not able to complete quantitative courses with satisfaction, or to flourish in their chosen majors. The faculty established the QR requirement and Qsem to help students succeed in any discipline.

*What is the goal of Qsem?  The goal of Qsem is to refine one's critical reasoning skills and to strengthen one's ability to solve complex, novel problems accurately.  These skills are crucial to success in social science and science courses across the Bryn Mawr curriculum.

MATH 100  Introduction to Calculus  

Cross-listed as:  QUAN 111  Modeling Change with Functions

1.0-credit.  This course covers functions that provide useful models for studying motion and change: linear, polynomial, rational, exponential, logarithmic, and trigonometric. Practice with these concepts and skills will prepare students for success in calculus, where they will use functions to model real-world phenomena, such as falling objects and growing populations.  This course fulfills the QM requirement.

Prerequisite:  QR Readiness required

MATH 101L Calculus I Lab

0.5-credit. Offered Fall and Spring. This lab course will reinforce the concepts and skills that are needed to be successful in Calculus I. Co-requisite: MATH B101 Calculus I