EECS - Any point in scoring more than a 3 on Calculus AB?

Colleges & Universities University of California - Berkeley
1

<p>I’m going into EECS this fall and I’m only signed up to take the Calculus AB exam this Wednesday. I looked at the EECS AP exam page and it says this:</p>

<p>Mathematics AP (AB Exam)</p>

<p>Score 3, 4, 5. Units: 2.7. Math 1A will be satisfied. However, those with a score of 3 may wish to repeat Math 1A. A student may accrue only 4 units of degree credit for the Math 1A requirement, so will lose the 2.7 AP credit units after completion of the four-unit Math 1A course at UCB.</p>

<p>So, according to this, there is really no benefit in scoring a 5 on the AB exam versus a 3 on the AB exam, correct? So, there’s no point in shooting for a 4 or a 5 on the AB exam for EECS majors as far as getting credit goes, correct? This really sucks as I just lost a whole deal of motivation and it seems that the test on Wednesday will be trivial (I know I can get a 3 without doing any more studying, I’m just asking myself what’s the point in even trying now; I was shooting for a 5 until I read this bit of information…).</p>

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<p>that is a correct assessment; only way to pass out of both math 1a and 1b is with a 5 on BC, so if you’re not even taking bc, then all you need to do is get a 3 to satisfy math1a.</p>

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<p>Unless you are going for the AP Scholar distinctions.</p>

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<p>thats the same reason I don’t plan on trying hard on my US Gov AP exam tomorrow</p>

<p>I’ll get 2.7 units whether I get a 3 or a 5</p>

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<p>The only real motivation is by studying more and learning the material better, you’ll be more prepared for Math 1B at Berkeley. It’s not a walk in the park.</p>

<p>This applies to most AP exams students take. Most students I know don’t skip out of THAT many classes with their AP scores, if any. The classes that are “equivalent” really are a level above what the AP exam tests. Their motivation for getting a good score is just to do well and learn the material.</p>

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<p>I skipped the entire Math 1 sequence with a 5 on BC and I did just fine in 53. It’s definitely possible, and a bunch of people do it (especially among students from academically competitive areas like Cupertino, CA).</p>

<p>There is a point in scoring above a 3. Not necessarily for UC purposes, but for you. Unfortunately, if you can’t manage at least a 4 or 5 with ease on a calculus AP test, I’m afraid you’re going to have a hard time in EECS. We use a LOT of math. If your math background isn’t extremely solid, you can end up losing points on exams even if you know the material you’re taught in the class.</p>

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<p>Although, you have to consider that Math 53 doesn’t need a strong background from Math 1B whereas Math 1B probably needs a solid Math 1A background. If you don’t have your integrals down you’re pretty much screwed for the first third of Math 1B, whereas the infinite series and taylor polynomials junk you don’t really need to know for Math 53.</p>

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<p>If you get a 4 on the BC AP, is it really worth taking Math 1B?</p>

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<p>differential eqns are covered, which you don’t learn in bc, but are revisited (with a lot more depth) in 54</p>

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<p>If you get a 4 on AP BC, you can’t skip out of Math 1B.</p>

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<p>I’m guessing it’d be too late to take a course equivalent to Math 1B at a JC or CSU this summer? Ugh, I’m really not looking forward to Math 1B and how much it will destroy my GPA…</p>

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<p>Brace yourself, baby! It was rather tough indeed.</p>

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<p>unlimitedx - What was the curve for the class for your year? What % got A’s, B’s, etc.?</p>

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<p>No idea on the exact breakdown, but no more than 10% according to my GSI. The thing was that my professor was being very secretive on what our midterm grades meant and such, so many couldn’t argue or complain to her.</p>

<p>Also, be careful of which professors you pick. Some WILL fail a certain percentage of students. A few semesters back a 1b professor failed 50% of the class-my friend was in it! He scrapped by with a B-.</p>

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<p>Yeah I’ve heard of the occasional professor who fails 40-50% of the class, but from what I know, if you have a pretty good understanding of calculus and put in the work, it shouldn’t be too hard to get a B. It might be hard to get an A, but I think a B is pretty doable.</p>

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<p>My friend with 3.9 eecs gpa got his only B in math 54 in a bad year with a bad prof. From what I’ve heard, lower div math is a crapshoot. Sometimes you really get stuck with a bad draw. Math here is definitely a step up from what you’re used to in high school. I wouldn’t recommend skipping more than 1A and 1B, although, if you’re dedicated, you can take whatever you want and see how you do.</p>

<p>I skipped the whole lower div series and went straight to 110 without any problems. It wasn’t too hard but a bit of an adjustment.</p>

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<p>Azure,
I believe Reshetikhin gave out ~20% As, ~40% Bs in Fall 2005. I know each Professor varies and unfortunatly theres no data on Pick-A-Prof. Most Profs will let you know in the first few lectures, so check it out and you should know pretty early on. </p>

<p>Personally, I did around average on two midterms and studied my ass off for the final. It was a collection of his older exams with some minor changes and I made sure not to make any careless errors - got a 98 on the final (avg was around 70) and walked away with an A, not that many of my friends did. Thank god for that 35% final weight! </p>

<p>I can recommend Reshetikhin for fair grading and good explanations - brace yourself for a tough Russian accent though! He’ll be lecturing again in this fall.</p>