Calculus AB vs. BC Which test to take??

TheMathProf
Sat, 16 Feb 2008 12:11:01 +0000

The topics that are being covered in the class, as you mention them, are the topics on the AP Calculus AB exam.

The AP Calculus BC exam would also cover derivatives and integrals using polar coordinates, sequences and series, as well as some additional techniques of integration (such as integration by parts and integration by partial fractions) that may or may not be covered by that course.

If the course doesn’t plan to cover these additional topics, I would probably plan on taking the AP Calculus AB exam, unless your daughter also plans to study those independently. About 60% of the BC exam covers AB topics, but if she doesn’t study the other BC topics, she’d probably need to get a 75% (or so) on the AB topics on the test to earn the 3. She won’t need to score that high on AB topics to get a 5 on the AB exam most years.