<p>Is calculus BC a harder workload than AB? I know that it covers 1/3 more material, but is the HW about the same in both classes? That seems to be what a lot of people say. The only other AP I'm taking next year is Chemistry so I could handle a bit more of a challenge. I plan to be a bio major in college so the BC could be very beneficial to me. Opinions on the situation take BC or not?</p>
<p>I also heard there is a really good curve on the calc BC test whereas there isn't a great curve for the AB test true or not? Advice Please!!!!!!!!!!</p>
<p>Just take the class you feel more comfortable with. If you are good at math, take Calc BC. The amount of homework you get depends on the teacher.</p>
<p>I really wouldn't worry about the curves on AP tests; they might be due to the level of preparation of the students who usually take them (a student only takes the BC exam if he/she is sure that he/she would do well on it; everyone who is not so sure about his/her abilities takes the AB exam). It's the same for the SAT Math I and II btw.</p>
<p>I would think, that with no calculus background, jumping right into BC would be a little reckless. It is (usually) taught differently from AB in that it covers a variety of disparate topics in kind of a non sequitur way, and if you don't have a solid foundation in basic calculus, you don't really stand a chance of understanding the more complex topics. I would suggest taking Calc AB first.</p>
<p>The sidenote to that is that once you have a solid foundation in AB, BC really isn't that hard or that much new to learn. The only real biggie are infinite series, and that isn't too bad.</p>
<p>AB to BC is not a full years worth of material. There are less than 10 different types of problems from what ive seen in the review book. It all depends on the credit your school will give you.</p>
<p>Sorry for my ignorance, but I don't get why people choose to take AB then BC the next year. I think it's a waste of time and aren't you basically repeating the first half of what you learned in AB once you're in BC?</p>
<p>Anyway, I think it really depends on the teacher/class at your school. At my school, there was basically one teacher who taught AB and one teacher who taught BC. From other people, I heard the AB teacher wasn't all that great and the class was pretty hard. The BC teacher was hard but she prepares you EXTREMELY well for the AP exam. (More than 80% of all her classes combined receive a 5. No joke. It's embarassing if you get a 4 and you took her class.) The BC teacher's class also wasn't that hard if you do your homework everyday (ya but who does that right?). The downside is if you DON'T do all your homework (and she has A LOT) you will probably not do well in her class.</p>
<p>I decided to take BC b/c my brother took BC and said it was easy. (I know, not a good reason to take the class..) I also took it b/c it looks better to colleges than AB. (Another not-so-good reason to take the class.) I didn't do that well in class since I didn't do any of my homework. (I got a B first semester, an A second semester.) However, I did get a 5 on the AP test. (THANK GOD!) </p>
<p>Bottom line, it depends on the teacher/class at your school. I can't tell you whether you should choose BC or AB b/c I don't know what you consider to be easy/hard. What may seem easy to me may be hard for you. I found BC "semi-hard", only b/c of the workload that came with it. </p>
<p>As for the curve on the BC test, I would agree that it is easier to get a 5 than others. (I think you need only approx. 60%?) To be honest, when I was taking the AP test I found myself going, "Oh sh-t I don't know how to do this..." for some of the problems, and constantly thinking "I'm going to get a 2 or 3". If I remember correctly, I also left at least 6 MC blank, and my Free Response answers were crap/bs. But the fact that after all that I still got a 5 should tell you something. :)</p>
<p>the hw really depends on your school...there's a bigger curve on BC b/c it's a harder test/covers more mat'l...i'm in BC at my school and the workload is fine, but that's b/c hw is sort of optional...it's a small part of the grade b/c she knows that if students aren't practicing, they won't do as well on the tests...if you want to go into science, you should definitely take BC...it looks better to colleges, too. </p>
<p>and fyi--on the AP test, you get an ab subscore if you take the bc exam, so you get both grades...</p>
<p>I think that you'll be fine. In my school you CAN'T take both BC and AB. If you're on the Honors track, you have to choose between the two senior year. My school (hopefully) wouldn't operate this way if it's significantly more difficult to take BC without any AB background.</p>
<p>I think there's some misunderstanding here regarding different schools' courses labeled AB and BC. There are two basic systems:</p>
<p>1) Most students take AB then BC, in which case BC does not cover basic calculus (AB) topics.
2) Most students choose either AB or BC--BC moves at a quicker pace through the AB topics and then also covers the BC topics. </p>
<p>It sounds like the OP's school uses option 2. As someone currently taking BC at an "option 2" school, I'd say that the difference is more in pace of class than workload--if you find yourself grasping concepts quickly in pre-calc and you enjoy challenging math, take BC. If it takes you a little longer to get the hang of things you'd be better off in AB.</p>
<p>I'd suggest jumping right into BC, if you feel confident. I took AB last year, and I'm taking BC this year. But the first semester of this year's BC class has been just a review of the AB topics (or, waste of time). Just be sure to check the course outline, syllabus, or whatever, and see if the course spends enough time on the AB topics, so that you wouldn't be lost once you get into the class.</p>
<p>Oh, I don't think there will be a huge difference in the amount of work that you have to do.</p>
<p>if you've taken precalc and done well, then go with BC. The pace just is not that bad -- think about it, AB, then BC, is covering calculus over 18 months, whereas some colleges cover that same material in just 6 months.</p>
<p>How many more topics does BC cover vs. AB exactly (how much more material do I have to take in?)</p>
<p>^^^ my school is an "option 2" school. One either takes AB or BC but definately not both. As far as honors track goes my school doesn't have precalc H just regular so you just go from the regular precalc to AB or BC which ever one you want.</p>
<p>^ Kind of like our school, you either choose AB or BC, you can't do both.</p>
<p>I'm in BC right now, and the pace wasn't bad at all. It was actually fairly easy (we have a very good teacher). Now that we are getting into the BC section of our class, it is a HUGE jump from the regular AB curriculum. </p>
<p>Now, although the BC curriculum covers only a few more topics, they are VERY involved and require a LOT of critical thinking. What we are doing right now, with power series, Mclaurin series, and Taylor series is very integrated because of the extra steps involved (Radius of Convergence, Divergence and Convergence tests, checking the endpoints), even with the teacher. Next is vectors....yay!</p>
<p>So if you do choose to take the BC exam, definitely get someone to help understand the concepts if you cannot grasp them yourself. (Take a look at them now, if you understand them with practice, definitely do it yourself, but don't expect to look at an BC prep book the week before the exam and understand everything). </p>
<p>It is very cool though that you do get the AB subscore, so that will help when the BC topics get fairly confusing.</p>
<p>I personally found BC to be a lot harder than AB.. I did a lot better on AB than BC (on the AP & tests in school).
However, I didn't really study as much for the AP as I should of had...</p>