Ohio State MATH 1152: Calculus II
MATH 1152 is the standard second-semester calculus course, covering integration techniques, applications of integrals, sequences and series, and parametric and polar topics. It follows MATH 1151 for science and math majors and shares the departmental common-exam format and evening midterm slots.
Fennie is independent and not affiliated with The Ohio State University. This is an unofficial study guide.
What makes it hard
Calc II's reputation as the hardest course in the sequence holds at Ohio State: integration techniques demand pattern recognition built only through volume, and then series convergence arrives, the most abstract material yet, where choosing the right test matters more than executing it. The common exams chain topics together, so a weak integration foundation resurfaces inside series problems.
What you'll cover
- • Integration by parts, partial fractions, and trig substitution
- • Improper integrals
- • Applications: volumes and arc length
- • Sequences and series convergence tests
- • Power series and Taylor series
- • Parametric and polar curves
The MATH 1152 study guide
How to study for Ohio State MATH 1152, step by step.
- 1
Rebuild 1151 integration before the semester
MATH 1152 assumes substitution is a reflex. A few days re-sharpening antiderivatives before week one prevents weeks of compounding debt.
- 2
Build integration pattern recognition through volume
Technique selection (parts versus partial fractions versus trig sub) is learned by doing many mixed problems, not by reviewing each technique in isolation. Mix your practice from the start.
- 3
Treat series as a decision problem
For every series, commit to a convergence test and a reason before computing. The common exams grade test selection, and that judgment only comes from classifying dozens of examples.
- 4
Bring your worst problems to recitation
Recitation is the one small-room hour the course gives you. Specific failed setups get fixed there; general confusion doesn't.
- 5
Run timed departmental past exams
Old MATH 1152 midterms and finals show exactly how topics chain. Timed evening runs rehearse the real format and expose pacing problems early.
Today
Today's MATH 1152 plan
What a Fennie Daily Plan looks like for MATH 1152. Yours is built from your own syllabus and adapts every day to your deadlines and progress.
First plan free, no card required. Fennie is independent and unaffiliated with your school.
FAQ
Is MATH 1152 the hardest calculus course at Ohio State?
It has that reputation, and series is the reason: convergence arguments are more abstract than anything in 1151, and the common exams expect fast, justified test selection. Students who practice series daily from the start of the unit manage it; the unit cannot be crammed.
How do I pass series questions in MATH 1152?
Practice the decision, not just the execution. For every practice series, write which convergence test you'd use and why before computing anything. After enough classified examples the choice becomes recognition, and that's what timed exams reward.
What's the difference between MATH 1152 and MATH 1172?
Both are second-semester calculus, but 1172 (Engineering Mathematics A) moves faster and adds vectors and 3D material for engineering majors. 1152 is the standard pace for math and science tracks. The series material, the hard part, is in both.
More Ohio State courses
MATH 1151: Calculus I
MATH 1151 is Ohio State's standard first-semester calculus course, covering limits, derivatives, and an introduction to integration. It is required for most STEM, pre-med, and business-adjacent majors, which makes it one of the highest-enrollment courses on campus, taught in large lectures with recitation sections.
MATH 1148: College Algebra
MATH 1148 is Ohio State's college algebra course (functions, polynomials, rationals, exponentials, and logarithms) and the on-ramp to precalculus and the calculus sequence. Thousands of students take it every year, many placed there by the math placement test rather than by choice.
MATH 1172: Engineering Mathematics A
MATH 1172 is the accelerated second calculus course for engineering majors, combining integration techniques, sequences and series, and an introduction to multivariable ideas into one five-credit semester. It follows MATH 1151 and is a prerequisite gate for most of the College of Engineering's sophomore curriculum.
MATH 1149: Trigonometry
MATH 1149 covers trigonometric functions, identities, equations, and applications: the trig half of the precalculus preparation for MATH 1151. It's the standard route for students whose placement score clears algebra but not trig, and it runs every term at high enrollment.