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Have a great winter break! Please note that AoPS Online will not have classes Dec 21, 2024 through Jan 3, 2025.

Missing A Class

Note: These instructions are specifically designed for students who will miss one or more classes in the middle of a course. If you have enrolled in a course late, please see the If You Enroll Late: Catching Up page.

While we hope you can make it to every class, we understand that students sometimes have busy schedules and anyone can need a sick day. If you miss class or get a little behind, be sure to set aside some extra time in the following week to catch up on all the material. Below are a few strategies to help you organize that process.

On this page

Catching Up With Content

In general, we recommend working through all course material as outlined on the Working Through Course Material page.

  1. Complete any assigned readings in the textbook or on handouts before reviewing the transcript, as you would before a class.
  2. After the class occurs, review the transcript of the class that was missed. Transcripts are typically posted within an hour of the end of the live class session and contain a complete record of what happened in each class.
  3. If you have any questions while reviewing a transcript, the transcripts offer a feature that allows you to post to the class message board. Our instructors keep a close eye on the class message boards and will be happy to help!
  4. After completing any readings, reviewing the transcripts, and asking any questions that came up from those, try working through the Homework assignments as usual. If you need a little extra time to get caught up with the homework from the missed class week, please see Making Up Homework below.

Making Up Homework

If you just miss the class session, but don't get behind on the homework, then there's nothing more you'll need to do. Here are some strategies if you do get behind on the work.

  • If your homework includes Alcumus assignments: Alcumus topics can be worked on at any time, even after the week's official due date. While we want you to keep up with your homework as much as possible to avoid falling behind, you won't be prevented from working on these topics after the due date.

  • If your homework includes short-answer Challenge Problems: short-answer Challenge Problems can be completed at any time, even after the due date. While we want you to keep up with your homework as much as possible to avoid falling behind, you won't be prevented from completing these problems even after the due date.

  • If your homework includes writing problems: Writing Problems cannot be completed after the week's official due date without an extension. Please see this page for more information about requesting an extension.

    If you will miss more than 2 classes in a row, please send an email to extensions@aops.com to set up a new due date schedule for those weeks that will allow you to get caught up as soon as possible.

  • If your class includes Practice Tests (Contest-preparation courses for the AMC 10, AMC 12, and AIME): Practice Tests are typically given an informal "due date" for the test answers to be entered—you are asked not to discuss the content of the test until after that date. However, answers can be submitted after that date.

What If I Will Miss All Class Sessions?

Not a problem! We have had plenty of students who cannot attend the live classes successfully complete our courses. These students can catch up at times that work better for them by reviewing the transcripts that the instructor will post shortly after each class session.

In general, students who cannot attend the live classes should follow the Working Through Course Material guide for each class: complete any assigned readings, review the transcripts, try the homework, and ask questions at any time!

If you'll be requesting a grade at the end of the course, please remind us of your situation when submitting your request for documentation. Because class participation is such a small part of a student's course progress (typically 0-5%), a student who is unable to attend the live class sessions will not be prevented from successfully completing the course with high marks.