<p>Hi, I took AP Calculus AB in high school and got a 4 on the exam. I didn’t really get a good grade in the class though. My biochem major requires me to take Calc all the way up to Calc III. Should I retake Calc I in college despite getting a 4?</p>
<p>…and talking about “weeder” courses, should I take Calc in community college?</p>
<p>A lot of people retake calculus. If you’re doing biochem, you’re probably going to have to take pchem at some point. You need to make sure that you know calculus really well for that.</p>
<p>Since it relates to your major, you’re going to need to know calculus backwards and forwards. A 4 is fine, but if you don’t feel very confident in your work in it, then maybe retake it. Also, was your grade just low because you had a super tough teacher? Or did you not understand the material and just got lucky on the AP test?</p>
<p>College-level calc is much different than high school calc, even if it’s AP. If you feel that retaking Calc 1 will make you feel comfortable for Calc 2, go for it. Calc 2 was a lot more difficult than Calc 1.</p>
<p>Eh, they don’t have to be that different. I took BC Calculus in high school, and I was able help my friends out just fine on any given topic.</p>
<p>I took AP Calc AB my junior year of high school, and since my high school didn’t offer BC I took AP Stats my senior year. I did not retake calculus I and while I had to do a lot of review in the beginning of the course (mainly about integration - I remembered the important things about differentiation, btu since it had been a year and a half I was rusty). After about a week and a half, though, it got a lot more intuitive, and I’m glad I didn’t waste a class when I passed Calc II and III anyway. But if you feel you are shaky, I wouldn’t hesitate to repeat it because I know a lot of people who did so, and recommended it. It’s up to you.</p>