<p>Hello! I am currently a senior and I took AP Calculus BC last year as a junior. Clearly it was a train-wreck. I didn't know the material well. I just couldn't handle cramming all that stuff into my brain. Honors Precalculus was not an issue (I got an A), but my Calc teacher just couldn't teach well. He taught in such a way that only certain students with a particular skill set could succeed. My grade ended up being a B in the class. However, I, like many other students in the class, did not pass the exam - either component. Sad, I know...</p>
<p>I know colleges like it better when you take the BC Calculus exam, but I don't know what to do. I'm going to major in Accounting so I'll just need Calculus I credit. I know I could just take Calculus w/Business Applications next year in college, but I'd really like to get my Calculus credit before I go to college. Would they look down on the fact that I'm taking the AB exam when I took BC Calc exam last year? </p>
<p>Also, when should I start studying? Is January too late? </p>
<p>I have Barron's and the Stewart textbook...should I get anything else?</p>
<p>Sorry for all the questions, I've never self-studied anything before! (My other 4 AP exams are not self-studies. :|)</p>
<p>If you have an AB subscore of 1 or 2, something’s wrong. May want to review the AB basics first (definition of limit/derivative, related rates, differentation/integration rules, etc.). There are lots of resources on the internet…particularly MIT’s OpenCourseWare (18.01) or Khan Academy. Taking BC one year then AB the following year looks rather awkward.</p>
<p>Unfortunately I don’t know what AP review books are best – two should be enough though.</p>
<p>I self-studied AB as a junior last year and got one of two 5’s out of everyone who took it at my school, including those who took the actual class. The main difference in what I did was that I learned the concepts first, and then the math behind them. It does no good to memorzie a bunch of formulas without knowing how or why you’re using them. Granted, the formulas are still important, but if you can’t apply them, you won’t score too high. My main resource was the MIT OCW class on iTunes. I didn’t do any serious work until February, and even then just a few minutes every day.</p>
<p>If you want to take AB, I would start studying right now to feel comfortable, and by April have completed everything you need to know so you can start doing practice tests. If you want to take BC, try to spend the rest of this year reviewing the AB content that is tested and then do BC until April. Again, spend the rest of your time doing practice tests. That was my biggest mistake. I had barely any idea what the actual test was like, or what it tested, but I was very lucky with my free-response section.</p>
<p>Barron’s is generally seen as the best review book. I personally didn’t use it, but that’s because I used a friend’s book instead (Kaplan). Kaplan, though most of the people on here despise it, was actually decent, and explained everything in an easy to understand way. The only review book I read cover to cover though was the REA Crash Course. That book is invaluable. I’d highly recommend it for the formulas and explanations.</p>
<p>Hope this helps. I’d recommend retaking BC if that’s the class you took. If you start studying now, you should be on track to pass. Good luck!</p>
<p>January is not too late, and the Barrons and Sewart book are fine. Some other good self-study resource are:
Online video tutorials
[PatrickJMT[/url</a>] (amazing website… very clear and helpful tutorials)
[url=<a href=“http://www.khanacademy.org%5DKhan”>http://www.khanacademy.org]Khan</a> Academy<a href=“different%20instructor%20but%20very%20clear%20explanations%20also”>/url</a></p>