AP Selection

Hi, to make a long story short I am a junior taking common core algebra 2/trig. (ny regent level) Currently, seniors take ap stats or pre calc. I was planning to take both. However, our school is most likely adding AP Calc AB. Is it too far of a reach to take it without having taken pre calc? When studying for my current class, a lot of lessons pop up as pre calc online. Would it be better to take ap stat +precalc or just calc ab? I doubt I can handle two ap maths. I am a strong math student but my middle school did not offer algebra 1, so I had to start with it in hs. I plan to major in science. Sorry in advance if this is the wrong section.

Yes and no on the Calculus. I don’t speak for everybody, but I actually feel like I would have been better off without pre-calc, but a LOT of people will say that you absolutely have to take pre-calc. I’d say Calculus AB might be too hard if you are not an extremely theoretical thinker. As a test, try this:

https://www.edx.org/course/calculus-1a-differentiation-mitx-18-01-1x-0

If you can get into it and can actually visualize what the heck is actually going on, go for it. This was pretty straightforward for me when I was beginning Calculus AB, but if it isn’t, I’d say don’t go for it.

By the way, go ahead and ask about AP Stats and its difficulty. I managed last year perfectly fine with Pre-Calc + AP Stats, and I was a strong math student. If your teacher is like mine, you’ll manage the two.

AP Calc + AP Stats . . . In hindsight, I could have done it and would have loved it, but I couldn’t say the same for everybody. Also, AP Calc being new, ask your counselor about how good/reputable the new teacher is. We had a thing with chemistry where they offered AP Chem for the first time AND I TOOK IT, and that class went down the drain for everybody.

Best of luck, and hope you end up happy whichever way you go!

Thanks!! My school changed its mind and is only offering precalc and ap stat, I should be able to manage both.