Is AP Calc BC hard Reddit

So AP Calc BC was one of my blowoff classes. I took it online as a junior in high school, slept through most of the instruction hours, didn’t take any notes, never studied, and still ended the semester with a 99. I have always been naturally good at math and AP Calc BC was a breeze. I can come up with a solution for any question from any unit immediately. It’s just very straight forward and boring. (I still retain all of the information I have learned from AP Calc).

A typical university-level calculus 1 and 2 course is more rigorous, covers about 33% more content (just a rough estimation from what I’ve seen so far), and requires out of the box thinking. It’s a lot more enjoyable because it’s not very straight forward and requires you to actually use your brain. With my knowledge from AP Calc BC, I’m not able to immediately come up with solutions, and I am not able to solve about 5% of the questions I see. (My source for my university-level calculus 1/2 content comes from Rice University. For those who aren’t familiar, Rice University is “the Harvard of the south.”)

Why isn’t AP Calc BC like this? After all, it’s supposed to be “prepare you for college.” I don’t feel prepared enough. I wish it was more like university-level.

Math is not something you want to rush, especially if you want to take calculus-based physics and have any aspirations to become an engineer or hard scientist.

That is not to say you cannot learn BC on your own, but you need to be aware it is a big commitment and you will be responsible for your own success or failure over the coming years if you do a poor job of reviewing the material but manage to pass the BC exam.

While everyone else is concentrating on studying for the AB exam, you'll be tacking on:

  • Polar graphs with derivatives

  • Functions expressed in polar coordinates

  • Improper integrals

  • Partial functions

  • Euler’s method

  • Parametric curves

  • Polar curves

  • Geometric series

  • Harmonic series

  • Taylor series

  • Power series

  • Integration by parts

  • Lagrange error bound

  • Logistical growth models, etc.

It's not a small task. I would say, if you get to the end of the 1st semester and you can already ace an AB practice exam, then at THAT TIME make the decision to do the BC material. If you are unable to ace the AB exam, you are better off studying with the class and saving physics for after you already have had a solid foundation in calculus.

Is AP Calc BC hard Reddit

I have seen many students complain about this class and I wonder what seems to be the hardest section for most of yall, wondering if it is content or just how it is taught. I personally had someone who was only on their second year ever teaching the course and was mostly unknowledgeable.

69

13.2%

By parts/ Improper Integrals/ Partial fractions

234

44.8%

The Teacher's teaching ability

Voting closed 10 months ago

Is AP Calc BC hard Reddit

level 1

My BC teacher is a math genius (no clue why he’s a highschool teacher) so his explanations are terrible. He will solve entire problems and just go “there.” I’ve learned more from khan academy than my actual teacher.

level 2

If he doesn’t know how to explain things well then he might not fully understand it as much as you think he does. I think that fully understanding something comes with understanding how to explain it.

level 2

He probably isn’t nearly as smart as you think lol, this math to us seems so hard because it’s completely new, it’s like taking algebra for the first time except harder. If you look at algebra 1 you could probably easily do it while some 8th graders really struggle with it even though they might be as smart if not smarter than you. Now imagine your teacher who likely has at least a bachelor if not a masters in math he likely took these topics within his first semester and to him it’s extremely basic + the fact he’s been doing it every year for however long he’s been teaching. Calculus 1 and 2 is child’s play for anyone who has a math degree

level 1

· 10 mo. agoWH[4], USH[5], Lit[3], CalcAB[5], Bio[5]

level 1

It’s not even calculus that makes calculus hard. It is surprisingly the complex algebra and remembering the options you have to solve problem.

level 1

Series was a pain. The teacher’s teaching ability is not a problem. My teacher is single-handedly the best math teacher I’ve ever had. He makes things crystal clear and never hesitates to help us when we need it

level 1

· 10 mo. ago20' WH5/S.Lang4 21' Euro4/Psy4/S.Lit5 22'Lang5/APUSH4/Seminar3

All the precalculus + AP Calculus teachers in my school have a notorious reputation for teaching weirdly, moving too fast or not teaching at all and giving an exam on the topic. I am in precal but all my friends in my grade lvl who are in AB or seniors in BC are lucky to pass a test with a D or C without corrections. Depends on the school so ask around.

level 1

· 10 mo. ago[5]: CSA, Chem, Calc BC [and 4 others]

Tbh series hasn’t been that hard but the caveat is that we haven’t finished it yet. My hardest unit was probably Area and Solids of Revolution because it was pretty difficult to visualize.

level 2

Wtffff, god damn, we just started disc method, y’all on series already. You guys are going to have 2+ months to prep for the ap test, getting a 5 would be easy with that much review time.

level 2

If you have issues visualizing then watch out for Lagrange Error Bounds or anything in multivariable calc later on

level 1

· 10 mo. agoCalc BC, Physics C: Mech, Micro, Macro

I still think it’s weird to take AB before BC, I would rather do 1 and 2 at the same time rather than dragging 1 out for way too long. At least that’s mainly because I jumped straight to BC.

level 1

My school didn’t offer bc this year, so I’m in AB, my teacher has been teaching for ages now and she said she has attended conferences on AP math courses. The explanation she gave for success factor in BC was that many of the successful bc students had exposure or had completed AB before hand, so a lot of the AB students who did well go into bc. Of course this doesn’t encompass everyone but the takeaway is that teaching BC to those with no exposure or calculus experience makes in significantly more difficult as you’re teaching more content in less time, removing the wiggle room for when the class runs into issue.

level 1

BC was honestly so much easier than AB for me. And it was a lot more fun.

level 1

hard part is 98% of people get a 5 on BC but the tests are harder than the AP and graded harder than necessary

level 2

Can attest: my class got averages of 60 percent then more than half the class got 5s without even solving entire sections of the test.

level 1

· 10 mo. agoAPPC, APCSA, AP Lang, APUSH, AP Psych, AP HUG, AP Calc BC, APWH

Euler and his method and differential equations

level 1

My teacher grades super strictly. I can get every answer right but if my work is missing an intergral or I spell secx as sex she takes off a whole point. (Speaking from personal experience). Without her horribly strict grading I probably would have a B+ or an A.

How difficult is AP Calculus BC?

Students with a strong background in and aptitude for math are likely to find AP Calculus BC easier than students with strengths in the humanities. When deciding whether to take AP Calculus BC, think about your skillset and what your favorite courses are. Students with strong math skills may find AP Calculus BC easy.

Is a 5 on AP Calc BC hard?

What is a good AP® Calculus BC score? Receiving a 3, 4, or 5 is generally accepted as scoring well on an AP® exam. According to the College Board a 3 is 'qualified,' a 4 'well qualified,' and a 5 'extremely well qualified.

Is AP Calc BC or AP harder?

BC is more difficult because it covers the all topics of single-variable calculus. AB only covers approximately 60% of the BC topics. Both AB and BC are meant to be one-year courses in high school, so in AB, more time is spent learning the 60%. That's why there is a AB subscore on the BC exam.

What percent is a 5 on AP Calc BC?

AP Score Distributions.