<p>Should I take AP Calculus BC as a class then self-study AB? Should I do it the other way around? Or should I just drop AB and only do BC?</p>
<p>I have no idea why you would want to do that. Unlike Physics B/C, which have different material, AB is completely contained in BC. In fact, when you do the BC test, you get an ‘AB subscore’, based on the questions on the test which were on AB content.</p>
<p>If you know the BC material, then there is nothing to self-study for AB, since AB is a subset of BC.</p>
<p>Taking BC and self studying AB afterwards is an incredibly bad idea; it just shows you’re padding your AP tests since BC = everything in AB plus some more topics. You could take AB and self study BC, but your best option would be to only do BC.</p>
<p>Thanks for the responses guys! My school, however, requires AB before BC. I could take BC online though and therefore avoid the conflict. Is taking BC online advisable?</p>
<p>^ Take AB, teach yourself the BC material (for example, in the Princeton Review book it labels which content is “BC Only”), and register for the BC exam. This way you satisfy your school’s policy while also taking advantage of the credit BC could offer.</p>
<p>I presume you’re going to be a senior?</p>
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<p>I’m actually going to be a sophomore.</p>
<p>Is it possible to take both exams in one year?</p>
<p>^^ OP-read the following again-</p>
<p>'“it just shows you’re padding your AP tests since BC = everything in AB plus some more topics.”</p>
<p>in other words, don’t bother taking both tests- it wont impress the colleges</p>
<p>“Padding AP tests” is a ridiculous and illogical way to put it. Of course it wont impress colleges, as AP exam scores are used solely for credits, not for admissions consideration. It doesn’t matter if you take them both, tbh. APs aren’t intended to impress colleges. </p>
<p>@OP: I’m a junior in AB and am taking BC next year; why can’t you do something similar in your remaining 3 years.</p>
<p>I don’t understand what’s wrong with taking both AB and BC if you have the time to do so. It’s better than going a year without math.</p>
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<p>I know that AP isn’t the only way to impress colleges. I need EC positions, community services, sports, and all that. But AP does or should be a factor when it comes to accepting students. If the college had to choose between someone who has similar EC, community service, sports, etc to you but hasn’t taken as many AP classes as you, which one would the admit people choose? Wouldn’t it be the one with more AP?</p>
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<p>Again, why would taking a rigorous course not impress colleges, especially if you have EC, community service, etc.</p>
<p>I do plan to use the exams for credit. But since BC has am AB subscore, does that mean it also counts as credit similar to that received by taking the AB exam?</p>
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<p>I am taking AB since I will be finishing Pre-Calculus this year. Then I plan to continue to BC in junior year. Senior year, I will do MV calc. That way, I will have done math continuously instead of going a year without math.</p>
<p>Is it advisable to take Calc AB to introduce yourself to BC? Is the jump from Pre-Calculus to BC too much or is it possible to do this especially when taking 3 or 4 other AP classes?</p>
<p>^ As has been explained already, BC and AB aren’t two separate curricula. BC is AB with a little extra; in some areas you go further in BC than you do in AB. So no, there really isn’t a “jump” or major gap between the two.</p>
<p>The jump from pre-calculus to BC is not much different than going from pre-calculus to AB. It’s what the majority of the seniors at my HS do and it’s what I would’ve done if I didn’t have the year to spare to do both.</p>
<p>You can’t even take both exams in the same year. The Collegeboard won’t allow it.</p>
<p>I do have the time to do them both. Doesn’t taking the AB exam and having the AB subscore give duplicated credit since the AB subscore is the same as taking the AB exam?</p>
<p>Essentially, yes. But it’d be just like taking the same exam twice. Say I get a 2 in AP World History one year, for no credit, and then take it again the following year and get a 5 – which is actually worth some credit. Same concept: if you don’t do great on the AB exam, which in my case, I don’t think I will, you get to go through it all over again (plus a little more) with BC, and then have the potential to earn whatever credit BC offers plus do better on the AB content and get a higher subscore.</p>
<p>No, it is not possible to take both exams, seeing as the AB and BC exams are scheduled for the same time AND Collegeboard policy forbids it.</p>
<p>In two separate years, yes, it is possible.</p>
<p>Yeah, I would definitely not do that. Self-study for a different AP exam. I self-studied for World History AP when I was in high school. I had never taken it before and I got a 5 b/c I worked methodically through the book w/ a tutor. This was really helpful in college because it helped me get an AP Distinguished Scholar award and get a ton of credit at Stanford - even though they don’t give you that much credit! In any case, a tutor can help you self-study in a class you have never taken before. I started ignitiontutoring.com to do this - we have a lot of AP tutors from Stanford who got 5s when they took the test and are really good at helping current AP students to have the same kind of success.</p>