<p>I know that BC Calc is the harder class, but what are the other differences between these classes? Also can you take both to get an extra AP class under your belt?</p>
<p>BC covers AB material and some extras stuff…(took BC Junior yr, can’t remember it…)
Yes, you can take both, not in the same year though.
But if you can, talking BC will give you an subscore for AB.</p>
<p>BC covers like 4 or 5 extra topics (one or two of which are particularly hard to grasp). AB gets to review for the AP exam for several weeks while BC has about a month (depends on the teacher of course). </p>
<p>What makes BC harder is it takes many of the same concepts from AB and makes problems more challenging and more extensive. In AB, you can manage just by knowing the basics. In BC, you really have to understand calculus deeply to succeed.</p>
<p>Actually dodosteve, you can take both AB and BC in the same year. That’s what I’m doing this year as a senior. I live on Long Island and a few smaller schools do that out here because AB and BC calc are our highest math courses, being such a small school. We don’t get Linear Algebra and Multivariable calc. So “honors” kids take two years of required state math courses (there are 4 so we speed through them) take a year of pre-calculus. Then calc next year by the same teacher (she is a true mathematician, why she bothers to teach kids like us, I don’t even know). She has a system that lets us take AB and BC at the same time by starting BC halfway through the year. So we essentially take a year of calculus in half a year while learning AB all the way through. The results are astonishing. She’s never had anyone below a 3 and 95% of her students get 4’s or 5’s.
So yes you can take both in the same year, it depends on your school though and it’s hard. But if you are willing to put time into it, you will do great.</p>
<p>Traninc is a little confused, his post is misleading.</p>
<p>Most counselors, and Calc teachers, will NOT allow you to take the AB course and BC course in the same year. It’s totally redundant. Colleges will be very confused if you take them both the same year. It would like taking “Addition class” and “addition and subtraction class” in the same year. It makes zero sense to take both classes simultaneously. </p>
<p>The BC class covers all the material in AB. The BC exam includes an AB subscore. The first semester of BC is just AB material (its just slight faster and more in depth). AB Students pretty much just review the second semester while BC students continue learning.</p>
<p>Traninc, what you are describing IS BC calculus. It’s one period a day for the entire year where you cover AB and then BC material. That is the definition of the BC Calculus course. This is not unique or unusual, its how the course works. The first semester of a BC course is almost exclusively AB material, though BC classes go into a little more depth because the BC exam expects you to handle things AB students don’t have to (even on the same topics).</p>
<p>The OP is suggesting taking one period of AB Calculus and one period of BC calculus every day for the entire year. This is redundant and 95% of counselors will not allow you to do that (though you can take them in separate years; it’s still redundant, but gives you a better chance to grasp it over time I suppose).</p>