Calc AB or Calc BC?

TheSlacker16
Sat, 01 Aug 2015 22:00:38 +0000

Calc BC at my school has an infamous reputation for being extremely hard (people have legit gotten raw 0/100s on tests), but also rewarding (because of grade inflation) and people usually do well on the AP test because of our teachers (>90% pass rate, one class got all 5s).

This shows that Calc BC people are well-taught and get 5s, even though the workload is tough and their grades may suffer.

I don’t hear much about AB because not that many people take it, but I hear that people who do take it usually regret it because they realize they had the time to take BC.

That depends on the individual’s schedule most of the time. If he/she had easy classes or weren’t challenged by their AP classes (see: AP Lite), they might feel they could have taken more on. This also depends on how far he/she has gotten with college applications during 1st semester.

I got 2 As in Geometry, 2Bs in Alg 2/Trig (it’s not like I didn’t understand the material, I was depressed during this time), and a B and then an A in Pre-Calc H.

Do you feel you’ve learnt all you need to know for Calculus? If not, there is still around a month (I start school after Labor Day) to practice and review what you don’t feel comfortable with.

I am taking a physics course at a local CC this summer, but I am unsure if it will waive enough credit for me to go to AP Physics C.

If the class teaches basic physics (algebra based) then I would recommend switching to AP Physics C.

Whether you choose AB or BC Calc Physics C should be fine, through you might have some lag where you’ll get to a physics topic before learning the Calculus needed for it if you take AB.

Overall you can take AP Bio and Calc AB for a relatively difficult but manageable schedule good for a potential bio major (who wants to get 1st semester Calc out of the way), Calc AB and Physics 1 for a decent schedule, Calc AB and AP Physics C for someone looking into the STEM field and wants to test it out, or AP Physics C and Calc BC if you are really interested in STEM and looking for a challenge. Calc BC and Bio is also an option, but it’s pretty uncommon at my school.