swim2daend

I already posted a like thread in the AP forum but w/e. I'm taking Calc AB at school, but plan to take the Calc BC test. I'm taking Calc I/II at the college (Calc I over the summer and Calc II spring semester). Is there enough info in this class to allow me to get a 5 on the exam. I REALLY want to get a 5 on this exam. I know I would if I took the Calc AB exam because Calc AB and Calc I are almost the same class, but I would like to know the chances of me getting a 5 on the exam. I'll be a sophomore studying for 4 other AP exams that year.

gricklegrick

I was in virtually the exact same situation. I took Calc II freshman year at the college, forgot most of it over the summer, and then took AP Calc AB at my high school as a sophomore. The teacher let a few people self-study the BC stuff, but it was a true self-study with little to no assistance from the teacher.

To answer your question, though, the Calc II class should be sufficient, and may even give you a bit more information than you need for the BC test.

Also, keep in mind that forty percent of people who take the BC test get fives. If you're competent in calculus, you should be fine.

swim2daend

Okay thanks!!! ANyone else?

fhqwgads2005

I am pretty sure CalcI/CalcII is what BC is. Some colleges might vary though. Look up the course description on collegeboard, and compare it with the syllabus for your college classes. is this a community college?


As for getting a 5, it's all about how much work you put in, how much you study and learn it.

mr_chipset

CalcI/CalcII is BC. I was a sophomore, I took Calc AB and I self-studied for Calc BC test

swim2daend

Ya, it's at a community college. It'll be w/ my old math teacher from my old private school. She's a REALLY good teacher. I could've taken it at FAU, but I wanted to have that teacher.

fizix2

Things in Calc BC that weren't in the Calc I course that I took (at FAU):

--Areas and volumes by integration (shell method, washer method)
--Applications of integration (this goes with areas and volumes, also think about work, arc length, etc.)
--Advanced integration techniques (this ain't just u-substitution, folks. this is hardcore integration by parts. and partial fractions, and trig substitution, etc. You can just go to the Larson book, which you probably already have, and check out chapter 7.)
--Sequences and series (the first part of this is basically tests for whether series converge or diverge. and the second part is on taylor series, which is a way to represent many functions as infinite polynomials.)
--Parametric/polar differentiation and integration.
--Other random little things

Basically if you want to learn Calc BC you'll have to read about four more textbook chapters. So if you only took the AB test it'd be about two-thirds as hard as taking both tests.

Oh, and keep in mind that actually learning calculus is much more important than just getting a 5 on the exam. Don't cram for the test, you'll need calculus for lots of the courses you'll be taking in college. You don't want to fail out of your major because you've forgotten the chain rule. And keep in mind that just because you've gotten a 5 on BC Calculus doesn't mean you have a firm grasp on the fundamentals of the material -- you don't need a high percentage to get a 5, and people often forget stuff anyway.

Just a warning.