<p>So I just had a month of Calc AB and find it quite easy (class is still working on hwo to find a derivative while I teach myself integration). From searching CC, I find that many people take BC after pre-calc; however, that is not an option in my school. I was thinking of self-studying BC as a complement of AB. Do you think it is feasible? Does the BC course have an AB review section as part of its curriculum?
One thing that I am worried about is the exam itself. I don't want to get a 3 or 4 in BC when I could have gotten a 5 in AB. I am not familiar with how the subscore works. If I get a 5 in the AB score does it count like a 5 in the regular AB exam (except for the fact that CB counts it AB + BC as a single test)? Or does it depend on colleges? Does the score I get in BC affect (negatively) the score I get in AB?
The amin reason I want to take BC is so that I can save some time in college (as well as money) but I don't want be in a risky situation of all or nothing.</p>
<p>The subscore is basically the same as the AB test score in every way for most colleges and your score on the BC portion will not negatively impact it.</p>
<p>Most of the BC test is AB material… My test was about 70% AB material. You could get a five without knowing aany BC material if you’re really good with AB.</p>
<p>While you probably could get a 5 or at least a 4 being very good at AB material and knowing no BC material, if you go into Calc 3 in college knowing nothing from BC you would probably be screwed.</p>
<p>If you take the BC exam, about 60% of the questions are generally AB questions, and you get an AB subscore which is equivalent to the score you would have received on the AB exam. Colleges can use this subscore to give you credit for Calc 1. If you self study and also happen to do well on the BC portion you may get credit for Calc 2 as well.</p>
<p>If you actually enjoy learning Calculus, then I would highly recommend trying to learn BC calculus on your own. That’s not to say it won’t be challenging - it will. But learning mathematics on your own is one of the best things you can do to raise your level of mathematical maturity. If you decide to take advanced math courses in college, then you will find that you have a much easier time than many of your classmates if you go through this process.</p>
<p>@jimmyboy23 I don’t think that’s the case. Your subscore is based on all the AB material, and your BC scores is based on all the BC material. If you got every single AB question right, which was 70% of your whole test, you would get a 5 AB score and a 1 BC score. I think.</p>
Nope. @jimmyboy123 is correct. The BC score is based upon the entire test; the AB subscore is based upon the AB questions.</p>
<p>As mentioned upthread, while it is theoretically possible to get a 5 on BC without having a firm grasp on the BC material, you’d be up a creek going into Calc III in college without having this knowledge.</p>
If you’ve nailed derivatives and integrals, learn Taylor series and geometric series (also with geometric you should learn convergence and divergence). With these two topics you should be set for scoring high on the BC exam.