AP CALC BC

Background: I am currently a junior. I got an a in honors algebra 1, a- in honors geometry. I got an a- in algebra 2 1 semester but after doing bad on the final it dropped my overall grade to a B+. Second semester I got an a. This year I’m in honors precalculus. The teaching style was really different and I had a hard time adjusting so I ended up with a B for 1st semester and rn for second semester I have an A and I intend to keep it that way. Our options for calculus are AP Calculus BC, AP Calculus AB, and ACP Calculus. There is a placement test that I take tomorrow and they use that plus math psat score (I didn’t do well) to determine what calculus they recommend. They say you need both criteria to get in. My psat score doesnt qualify me for ap calculus . I could potentially override it and take al calculus ab but I really want to take ap calculus bc bc I want to apply to bs/md schools and those are really competitive and like to see the hardest classes. Based on my prior grades, do you think I could still do ap calculus bc especially if I brush up on precalculus stuff???

Correction: I meant to say I am currently a sophomore

@aspiringsurgeon3 it’s not so much the grades, but the lower final and psat math scores that are red flags. It may be better to take the time and understand the material well enough to complete it under time constraints. AB to BC allows you time to do that. There are schools that don’t allow students to take BC without AB first, so it’s not uncommon and still considered rigorous. Yes, some do go straight to BC, but for example in our district BC is a one semester long course and very fast paced. Unless you’re up for the quick pace with little instruction and a lot of self guidance, they recommend the AB to BC path. We dont know you or how quickly you process and work through material, but based on the limited info, it sounds like AB to BC may be the better path for you.

@aspiringsurgeon3 I should add that I don’t always recommend this path. Given the limited info, I would wait and see how you do on your placement exam, then meet with your GC and math teacher to come up with the best plan for you.

They want to see you do well at challenging courses.

It’s an endless debate, but I believe you would be better off with a
an A in Calc AB than a C in Calc BC.

See what the diagnostic yields, and consider how well you are understanding PreCalc. I’d lean more on those two than PSAT scores - that’s mostly algebra and basic math that doesn’t evaluate more conceptual math of Pre-Calc and higher.

http://math.buffalo.edu/rur/rurci3.cgi is a quiz on precalculus topics that can help you determine what you may need to review to be ready for calculus.

How did the placement test go? That should be a decent indicator.

I got an A- which puts me in the ap calculus ab range

I highly recommend taking AP Calc AB next year instead of BC.

DD, who is a senior, was recommended for AP Calc BC, after getting an A+ in Honors Algebra 1&2, Honors Geometry, and Honors PreCalc. I strongly encouraged her to take AB this year and she is so glad she didn’t take BC as she had originally planned to do.

In fact, a few weeks into the school year, she was ready to drop AB because she was really struggling. She has been studying for hours every night and going for extra help from the teacher regularly after school and is barely maintaining a low A. She is so glad she didn’t take BC this year.

Especially since you’re only a sophomore now, you could take AB as a junior and BC as a senior and still be ahead of many of your peers.

Definitely take AB. I took BC this year and I absolutely love the class, but it just takes so much time and I don’t have that much time to dedicate to math. Most of the kids in my class are just talented and don’t need to study that much. So I guess it really depends on how good you are at math and what your other classes are.

There is something wrong at the school when A+ students in prerequisite honors math courses struggle with calculus AB or BC.