Calc BC Mistake Suggestions

adidinescu
Wed, 22 Apr 2015 05:50:27 +0000

Hey guys, I just took a practice AP test for Calc BC this past weekend and I found out that I got a 5, so I figured I was prepared, but when I got the test back today to look over, I was very disappointed. I got a 5 on the BC, but got a 4 on the AB subscore within just 2 points of a 5.

Obviously I don’t want this to be my final result when I take the AP test, and I feel like I am skating a thin line for a 5 when I end up taking the AP test in a couple of weeks.

So to share my performance, the whole test was out of 108, FRQs at 54 points and MC at 54 points. I got 41 of 54 on the FRQs which is a 3 by itself, but then I only got 27 of the 54 MC questions with many of my mistakes within the AB curriculum.

I was wondering the best course of action in this situation. I already plan on going through the test and seeing exactly what I got wrong and why I did to get the 100% for practice. I know I don’t need a 100% but that I feel is the best solution.

beyond just this test, I feel like I always do my math too quickly and make the smallest mistakes that result in my losing points, but I do it often, so I end up not performing as well. On the ACT and SAT I always did this, and that is why I feel I didn’t score too highly in the math sections. they were some of my weakest sections, and as an aspiring engineer, I can’t afford to keep making these mistakes as I go into college math classes.

What are some solutions to checking myself while I do the math? I feel like I understand the concepts well, but when I apply them it is usually incorrect. One of my mistakes was forgetting to take the derivative of the sine, so I take the sin(x) instead of the cos(x) within some problem which throws everything else off. I know that I should have, and I understand it, but, I worked quickly and the AP test does a good job of predicting possible incorrect answers.

Thanks for your help.