<p>Hi, so I am a sophomore in Seminar Pre-Calc (graded the same as an honors class...grrr) anyway, I have gotten ~96% every year of math ever until this year. This year I have an 88% because this class allows me to skip AB calc and go right to BC calc junior year, so it is very difficult (people say it is the hardest in the school, relatively speaking). So my question is should I take AB and get the "easier" A or BC and take math at a college Senior Year? </p>
<p>-Since I am already in this hard math class I am leaning towards BC</p>
<p>If you’re struggling in advanced math already, skipping BC will place you in a (relatively) higher class… Id ask your math teacher to see what s/he thinks.</p>
<p>Well if you’re struggling now, then BC won’t be any easier. Last year (sophomore year) I took Math Analysis which gave me the option of skipping AB and going directly to BC junior year. I was struggling in Math Analysis so I am taking AB this year and I’m really glad I did because my friends who chose to go directly to BC are struggling. It’s good to take things a little slow and get the concepts so that you won’t be in deep trouble later on.</p>
<p>Take BC. it’s just like AB, but more on taylor series and what not.</p>
<p>If you are currently a sophomore you can take AB as a junior and BC as a senior. Work on getting an A in AB and then BC will be a breeze as a senior.</p>
<p>That’s true, but if you really want to make college easier, then finish up with BC and then take AP stat. That covers most of the core math requirements if you go to a university that requires you to have math.</p>
<p>Also, take the AP exams. Thank God I listened. I came in with a boat load of credits and it made registration for all the best classes so much easier. If you don’t come in with a lot of credits, you’ll tend to get stuck with terrible professors because your class registration times won’t be great.</p>
<p>If I take BC, can I take the AB AP test w/o taking the class (hopefully yes)</p>
<p>If you’re going to take BC, just take the BC test because you’ll get an AB subscore anyways.</p>
<p>Do you like math? (BC)
Do you dislike math? (AB)</p>
<p>I know this sounds very simplistic, but that’s how I chose my calculus class. If you like math, its going to be less terrible to have to work your tail off for your grades. If you dislike math, it makes a hard class just that much worse.</p>
<p>I like math, and I have taken the seminar class the last two years which is leading up to BC, so it would probably be a waste to go to AB. Also, I really studied for my most recent test, and I will post the result if I remember.</p>
<p>Just curious, is it doable to take AP Calc AB and BC at the same time? Or AB and Stat at the same time? I have a 99 [.03 points away from a 100, which is just flat out annoying] average thus far in Pre-Calc. I’ve done Kumon, and so math is quite easy for me. I really want to take AB Calc, BC Calc, and Stat before the year ends so I can get credit for them, if I do well on the AP tests. But that would mean having to double up on a math credit either junior or senior year.</p>
<p>@151Andrew151, I just finished learning the AB material and we’re getting into BC this semester, and it’s a breeze so far, so I think you should be able to handle BC? Not sure though, since I haven’t actually taken BC lol.</p>
<p>@Almondjoy7 At my school, the BC class is one semester of AB and the second semester is BC (we have block scheduling). There’s also a intro to calc (first half of AB) and AB (second half of AB) class. I’m not sure how it works at your school, but you definitely need to know the AB material before you get into BC, although the AB material might be included in your BC class??? I’m also taking AP stats this coming semester and my teacher pretty much told me I would get a 5 (she’s also the calculus teacher) so I think you could definitely take calculus and stats!</p>
<p>@loltired: We have an AB class that’s a full year (we also have block scheduling!) and BC that’s a full year. So I guess, some AB material would be in my BC class, but there probably won’t be too much crossover, I guess. But thanks for the info about Stat, it looks like I’ll just take AB Calc and Stat next year. =)</p>
<p>I always thought BC was just all the AB material + the BC material in one year and meant to be taken right after pre-cal; at least thats how the schools in my area are.</p>
<p>Go with AB Calculus and you’ll make your life less stressful. Don’t sacrifice your GPA for something that’s not within reach. You still have the following year to learn Calculus BC. You’re already ahead of a lot of high school students, so slow down and learn. Hopping and jumping around will cause you to miss the fundamentals that you’ll need in higher math classes.</p>
<p>just scored a 96% on my most recent test, and I have an A- for the year, so I am leaning towards BC because many students at my high school say that BC would be the right choice for a student like me because it covers AB for half of the year, then BC, so I do not completely skip AB</p>
<p>^ actually BC review the concepts of AB, but then after the first month moves on.</p>
<p>@wcao9311 It’s different for every school – I know of schools that only cover AB for one term, others that cover it for the full half year, and yet others that don’t cover it at all.</p>
<p>OP, if you’re struggling in the math class you’re in now, you should just jump to AB. However, if you seriously believe that you’ll be able to improve your grades/understanding of the curriculum in your current class to the point that you’ll be fine in BC, too, or work your butt off over the summer to prep for BC in advance, or just succeed in BC period without any additional effort/work on your part, that’s cool too. </p>
<p>I think a lot of it depends on the school/your BC teacher, and how hard the class is in your school. </p>
<p>Overall, though, I’d go with BC just because you said you’d prefer that to AB. It’s better to struggle to do something you actually want to do than to have an easier time while choosing the class you don’t want to take as much, only to decide too late that you’d have done fine in BC and regretting your decision.</p>
<p>Thank you. Everyone agrees that my current class is extremely challenging because it teaches you how to think. Often times, kids enter with high A’s, get B’s in the class, but get high A’s in BC all because this class is super tough</p>
<p>You seem like a smart kid, take calc BC. At my school, we have four calculus classes: AP calculus AB/BC, AP calculus AB yearlong, AP calculus BC, and calculus 3. Some kids take yearlong AB and then take the semester long BC. The students who took this route said that by having a slow-paced calc study really prepared them for BC. </p>
<p>Precalc in my school is pretty difficult, and most kids are scared away from taking a calculus course. They make it hard for a reason to prepare your mind to tougher math-- like calculus; I think you’ll do fine in BC. </p>