HOW TO: Self-Studying Calculus BC while taking Calc AB

Equilibrium
Sun, 17 Mar 2013 22:22:50 +0000

Sorry for the delayed reply (I don’t regularly check CC anymore, PM me for a faster response)! Yes, of course it’s still doable! Since you’re short on time, this is my advice for your situation:

1. Focus on the easiest topics, and don’t get caught up with the more challenging topics. If you ever get stuck / caught up on a challenging topic, just skip it and move on. Focus on doing things that will get you the fastest gains. Remember you only need a 60% ish for a 5 usually!

2. Similarly, focus on doing practice exams and practice problems - the old FRQs give a very decent representation of what you’ll actually see on the test! Moreover, doing practice problems is usually the best way to learn calculus!

3. I know your schedule is probably very crazy right now, and it might be tough to cram in all of BC in just 1.5-2 months. If you try to do it, and feel that it’s not plausible, please feel free to give up. Self-studying BC is not going to make or break your college app, and will not make a huge difference for you in the long-run. Although self-study can be very worthwhile, it only is if you feel that doing so is a plausible option.

Good luck!