<p>So the AP Calc teacher at my school put me into AP Calc BC (I signed up for AP Calc AB) since he thinks I can handle it. He only did this for me.</p>
<p>Now I don't mean to sound cocky but I am very good at math. But I'm not sure whether I should take AP Calc BC without AB. I am a Senior this year.</p>
<p>I have only taken Trig/Analyt (Pre-Calc) at my school. The AP Calc teacher this year was actually my Pre-Calc teacher. It is his first year teaching AP Calc. (He teaches AB and BC).</p>
<p>So with the explanation done. Here's the question:</p>
<p>For those of you that have taken AP Calc AB and BC or just BC.</p>
<p>Would you suggest taking BC without AB?</p>
<p>I've been in the class for about 2 weeks and we just finished reviewing Limits. (Differentiation tomorrow). So it is quite easy for me. But I am aware that this is just the beginning.</p>
<p>Also why is that the pass rate for the BC exam extremely higher than the AB? </p>
<p>I haven’t taken AP Calc yet, but I’ll give you the best i got.</p>
<p>BC is a much faster class, as it covers the equivalent of a full year college calc class. AB only covers the first semester, so it is slower and covers less material. Calc BC is Calc AB plus the second semester of college calc. If you consider yourself a strong math student (obviously your teacher does), then you should be fine.</p>
<p>I did BC without AB and was fine. In BC you’ll cover everything that you would do in AB and more, so you don’t need to know AB ahead of time. BC has a much higher 5 rate (and pass rate) since all the smart kids decide to take it, whereas the kids who are less skilled at math tend to gravitate towards AB.</p>
<p>I took BC without AB, just with 9th grade Precalculus. I had no problems acing the BC class and exam, though that may be because my Precalc teacher was my Calculus teacher who’s been teaching for 20 years and has a really high pass rate.</p>
<p>But if you’re good at math, you should be OK. And if your teacher was good at teaching Precalculus, he should be OK with Calculus as well.</p>
<p>I teach AB (my school does not offer BC). My better students self-study for BC and all get 5’s. If you are good at math, you will be just fine, regardless of how well it is taught. In any case, conscientious teachers often do a better job their first time round because they over-prepare.</p>
<p>Your question seems to assume that AB is commonly recommended as a prerequisite or a foundation for BC. That is just not true. </p>
<p>AB is the first half of the BC course and you would normally not take BC after taking AB because it would be largely repetitious. AB is generally the equivalent of the first semester of college calculus and BC is the equivalent of a year. </p>
<p>Some people choose to take AB either because BC is not offered or they don’t want the rigor of BC at that point. Taking BC if you are a strong math student with enough time and enthusiasm should be no problem.</p>