<p>Does anyone know if it is possible to take Calculus AB, take the AB Advanced placement exam, and then challenge the Calculus BC advanced placement exam as well?</p>
<p>I don’t know what the word “challenge” means in this context. But you can take the Calc BC placement test and you will be given a Calc AB subscore in addition to your Calc BC score. So if you want to take the Calc BC test, go for it. Your teacher should be able to tell you which topics you should self-study that will be covered on the BC test and not the AB test (or covered in the AB class).</p>
<p>In a world with BP, FEMA and the SEC … yeah anything is possible. But … unless the student is totally brilliant (in which case why isn’t s/he taking Calculus at a local university?), what would be the advantage of attempting this? I question the assumption that the content difference between Calculus AB and Calculus BC is essentially nil.</p>
<p>There is a semester-worth of difference between AB and BC. If your school only offers AB, but you want BC, you can ask for BC test (everyone gets AB sub-score, so no special “asking” needed), but be prepared for a lot of self-studying.</p>
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I’m asking in regard to DS, who will be taking Calculus AB next (senior) year. The assumption is not that there is no difference, but that if he finds the material interesting (and he is completing his 4th year of advanced/honors math now), I can help him with any additional material given that I have an MA in Applied Mathematics.</p>
<p>ETA: It’s my understanding that if you have not actually taken a particular course at the AP level, you can “challenge” the exam, walk in and take it anyways. DS did it with one of the AP English exams this spring, but we don’t know the outcome of that yet. Next year he thinks he will probably challenge the AP Psychology exam.</p>
<p>If your son is a good math student (and it sounds as if he is), I’d encourage attempting the BC material. Why not talk with your son’s teacher about it? There may be other students who want to do BC as well- at least that was the case when D did it. She and two other students worked at the pace to complete all of the BC material while the remainder of the class focused on the AB. More work for the teacher, but if they’re agreeable to it, why not?</p>
<p>Any student can sign up for any AP exam, as long as they can find a school willing to give it to them. I’ve never heard this called “challenge.” Normally at CC it’s called “self-study,” and is routine for homeschoolers as well as schooled students who want to get an AP credit without taking an AP class.</p>
<p>Sylvan, your son should sign up for the BC exam if he thinks he can do well on it.</p>
<p>You can certainly take an exam you haven’t taken a course for, but I don’t think you can just walk in on the day of the exam. You need to be sure that the school has ordered a copy of the exam for you to take. Sounds like your school has different terminology than I’ve heard before.</p>
<p>You cannot take both the AB and BC exams in the same year, but it is certainly possible to self-study BC topics and sign up to take the BC exam.</p>
<p>My kid took the Calc BC AP test (and passed) after taking only the Calc AB course (the only one offered at the HS). So, it’s possible. They do have the exclusion the previous poster stated though - you can’t take both the AB and BC tests in the same year (I don’t know why they have this rule) so if the kid already took the AB test this year then they have no option on taking the BC test until next year. </p>
<p><a href=“College Board - SAT, AP, College Search and Admission Tools”>College Board - SAT, AP, College Search and Admission Tools;
<p>I don’t know what you mean by ‘challenge’ - you either take the test or not. I don’t think you have to complete any course in order to take an AP test - you can take whatever AP test you want if you can find a place willing to let you take it.</p>
<p>BC doesn’t have that much extra material. Make sure he has both a textbook and a prep book so he can practice/learn from the text and still keep to the test requirements.</p>
<p>Most people on CC say “self-study” instead of “challenge” in this context.</p>
<p>My daughter took the AB class this year because she loves the instructor (this was 3rd year with him) and heard less than great things about the BC teacher. The class was done with AB material in February and gave her & another student who was taking the BC exam the extra material & they met with him 1x/week after school to review it. She won’t know how she did until July, but believes it was the right choice, as there were only 12 kids in the AB class, but nearly 30 in the BC class. (they met at the same time, which is why she switched). </p>
<p>Outside of the academics, I think it was good for her longer-term, as the instructor encouraged her to become a student tutor for his remedial Algebra I class during her lunch period 3 days/week, which got her one of the highly sought after peer counseling positions that <5% of seniors get.</p>
<p>Is it possible that one can’t take both AB and BC in the same year because they have some questions in common?</p>
<p>“Challenge” must just be the term they use at his school. Regardless, I’m glad to hear he has the option of taking the more difficult one if it suits him. We will have to see how he fares. I have no idea about how the teacher is.</p>
<p>^^ They do indeed have some of the same questions (some of the BC FRQs are the same as on the AB test because BC also covers AB material). However, it’s also logistics - the two tests are offered at the same time. Besides, who would want to take both? BC has the AB subscore…</p>
<p>^^ That must be it - they have the same questions which would probably be why they’re given at the same time. Also, as you stated, with the AB subscore, it’d be pointless to do the AB if one already did the BC.</p>
<p>He can take any AP tests he wants with or without taking the class, but he has to register for the test way ahead of time (and pay part of the fee). I don’t think he can register for both AB and BC tests, so he will have to choose one.</p>
<p>I would recommend taking the BC class if it is offered. If he finds it to be too difficult, he can always drop to AB.</p>
<p>^^ The problem is that some schools only offer the AB class and not the BC class.</p>
<p>Many many years ago I took the BC test after taking what amounts to the AB course. Got a 3, and the school gave me credit for 1 semester, which was about right. Looking back, as an engineering major at a private school, I would not have been well served skipping the whole year of calculus even if I somehow scored a 4 after self-study. You should take the test you are actually prepared for.</p>
<p>Calc A is defined as differentiation, covered in the first semester of Calculus at colleges. Calc B continues on to integration which is more complex and more difficult to master. That is the second term of Calc at college. Calc C is what is called Advanced Calculus or Calculus 3 at colleges, and is again a semester course. However, the AP Calc BC course does not usually cover Green’s and Stoke’s theorems which are covered in a serious college Calc 3 courses. If a student is going into mathematics or math based majors, s/he is likely to have to repeat Calc 3 despite a 4/5 score on the BC Calc exam.</p>