So I’m completely screwed for this. I have no idea how to study. I have a Princeton review but it’s not doing anything for me because I keep getting 1s on the practice tests. The exam is on Thursday and I honestly have no idea how to raise my score from a 1 to at least a 3.
Does anyone have any tips for me?
I am taking AB right now, so I might not have the best advice. Anyways these are the things you need to absolutely know:
basic derivative rules
The relationships between rates of change(in particular position, velocity, and acceleration)
How to calculate basic integrals using the area between the x-axis and the function( same sign for x,y positive area, not-negative area)
Volume and Surface area of rotational solids
Anti derivatives (always +C)
There may be more…
I’m taking AB right now too, and I’ve been scouring the internet for stray tips.
I found this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hveQG11BTIw
It goes through FRQ’s really well. It’s 2 hrs long lol but one of the side tips for FRQ’s is that you shouldn’t use “it” in your explanations.
Adding onto the previous responder:
- Functions,Graphs, and Limits
- asymptotic behavior
- characteristics like max/min, roots
- UNIT CIRCLE and other trig (mainly pi/2, pi/3, pi, pi/4, 0)
- Derivatives
- sum, difference, quotient, product, chain rules (I found that chain rules are really essential so make sure you memorized it)
- derivatives at a point
- how f, f', and f" are related
- sign charts help
- Integrals
- usub is important
- Riemann sums (left, right, and midpoints) and Trapezoidal Sums
- area under the curve (for non calculator questions, it helps to know how to visualize the types of functions so you know which one's top and bottom)
- volumes (I know for sure that it'll show up in the FRQ's)
- be really familiar with e and ln and their properties
- don't forget units in FRQ's, they sometimes give you a whole point for that
- underline/circle important info in long word problems so it won't be so overwhelming
- study with other people, I did that earlier today and we learned a lot from each other. it really helps
- list of more tips: https://www.learnerator.com/blog/ap-calculus-tips/
I wish you the best of luck! Have lots of confidence in yourself and take each problem one at a time. :-bd
@Keggin Also make sure you have memorized derivatives and integrals of certain functions, for example:
∫ x^n dx = x^(n+1)/(n+1) + C for all n ≠ -1
∫ 1/x dx = ln |x| + C
∫ sin x dx = -cos x + C, ∫ cos x dx = sin x + C (many of these, if you know the corresponding derivatives, then you know the integrals)
∫ tan x dx = -ln |cos x| + C (can be derived by u-substitution)
∫ ln x dx = x ln x - x + C
etc. - in particular, make sure you get the signs right!
Are the Barrons AP Calc Ab exams harder than the CB ones?
@YoohooAddict, from what I have read on here, Barron’s practice exams are usually harder than the CB ones.
@IrrationalPepsi By how much? Like are they way significantly harder or just harder by a bit?
@YoohooAddict I don’t know about calculus, but for computer science they were significantly harder. I got a 25/40 on Barron’s but a 32/40 on a released MC exam. In WHAP I improved by 6 questions. It is probably harder by a reasonable amount, but I would look at the released FRQs more than Barron’s.
@KG5APR I used Princeton’s review for AP Chem and the CB tests was harder than the practice tests
I’m sketchy on those differential equation story problems, volume between two points (When it rotates around an axis), and looking at a graph and being able to make an F’(x) and F’’(x) graph from it.
@Keggin Barron’s is generally harder than the CB tests, but Princeton Review is generally easier.
Just took a practice test and got a high 2. I’m screwed LOL
For the graphs of f(x), f’(x), and f’(x) you look at where there are critical points on f(x). Those are your x-intercepts on f’(x). It’s the same for f’(x) 's critical points and f"(x) 's x-intercepts.
When the slope of f(x) is increasing, the y values of f’(x) is positive. When the y values of f"(x) are positive, then it indicates concave up on f(x) and vice versa.