Calc AB for a kid who is bad at math?

<p>ok, so i took pre-calc this year and got a B. is Calculus AB a lot harder, because i am currently signed up for it?</p>

<p>Lots of my friends who took Calculus (none mentioned whether Honors/AB/general) but the average response from them was that it's pretty much Algebra it's just the concepts is hard to grasp but once you understand the basics pretty well it's easy, leading to some responses saying "It's a joke. BS-ed the whole year and still pass with a B." Just recalling what they told me. :)</p>

<p>getting a B in precalc is no reason to not take calc. its just that the concepts are a little harder to grasp</p>

<p>It really depends on your situation. You need to ask yourself why you're taking it. If it's because you enjoy math or because you want to challenge yourself on it, then by all means take it, but if you're simply taking it because it's an AP class, then it isn't a good idea. </p>

<p>I was in a similar position. I had just gotten a B in H. Trig junior year and when senior year rolled around, I was deciding between regular calc or Calc AB. Ultimately, I realized I never really liked math so I went with regular calc and so far it's been one of my easiest classes and is a great break from all of my other AP classes.</p>

<p>I think it also depends on your school's curriculum and grading scale for that particular class ... for example, my school's AP calc class is graded on a very generous curve, which was part of what motivated me to take it even though I'm not, historically speaking, the best in the world at math. Since my school doesn't have regular calculus (just AP), and AP stats wasn't being offered this year, I also didn't really have any other option which would continue to challenge me academically.</p>

<p>I got a B in pre-calc and switched between an A and a B+ in Calc (if I did my homework I definitely would have had a solid A throughout the whole year), and a lot of it was probably due to the teacher. See if the teacher explains things clearly or offers extra help if you think you'll need it.</p>

<p>Oh! I also agree with ReadyforCollege's first paragraph.</p>

<p>for me and my friends, precal was a breeze, but calculus seemed really tough</p>

<p>The secret to doing well in calculus is to do every single problem in the book. Do them again and again until you get the answer right. If you aren't ready to do that, take another math class (if you really need another math class in order to graduate from HS) and wait until you know if your potential career field really truly requires calculus, and take it when you are ready to commit to the homework.</p>

<p>totally depends on your school and who the teacher is.....My D struggled in pre-calc H and got a B.....went into Calc AB ( against the advice of her teacher) and has been running a B+/A-......It all depends......</p>

<p>I had a straight B in pre-cal in 11th grade. Personally found it extremely tough. HOWEVER, in 12th grade, I did Calculus (AP) and had straight A's the whole year, even owned the calc AB.</p>

<p>SO who knows, sit for it, things may change.</p>

<p>I had a B+ in Pre-Calc sophomore year, but then I had an A+ in AP Calculus I junior year and got a 5 on the Calculus AB exam. As a senior, I got an A+ in AP Calculus II and I feel as though I got a 5 on the BC exam too. Many of my friends who had A's or A+'s in Pre-Calc actually struggled a bit in Calc I and Calc II.</p>

<p>Basically, there is a good chance you may actually find it easier.</p>

<p>Calc is very different from the math you've taken before- it's less numbers and calculations and more of a process. I think in some ways, calc is easier because I'm not stuck crunching numbers- it's just kind of thinking about the concepts and applying them, which is kind of like science.</p>

<p>I can't answer your question, but I can tell you what my own daughter is doing. She's a 10th grader currently enrolled in her school's Honors Precalc/Calc A class, and is struggling. The teacher's teaching style doesn't match her learning style at all. She needs one more year of math to graduate, and, like you, is worried about AP Calc. So she and a friend will be taking an online course through UC Berkeley Extension this summer Calculus</a> I. </p>

<p>This way, they will be able to move through the material at their own pace. And they'll receive college credit for the class at the UCs and Cal States, and probably some privates as well. </p>

<p>Don't know if your school will allow this, don't know how it will be regarded by colleges (although one student we know who took the UCB online precalc course - her highest level of math, by the way - is now at Harvard), but you might want to look into it.</p>

<p>Well I took Trig Honors which is I think the same as Pre calculus. I actually thought Calculus was easier not by much but a little bit.
I got a B- and C in trig. I took Calculus BC because I must have been on crack or something. I got one C and one C+ (close to a B didn't do any homework). There is one example that isn't quite exactly like yours, but I think people who got B's in Trig generally get B's in Calc AB. Therefore I should have taken AB. I took Trig sophomore year and Calc BC junior year.
I am a very bad student I didn't do much homework at all in Trig or Calc around 60% for both classes. So hopefully this will give you some sort of projection of yourself. Do homework.</p>

<p>Haven't read others' opinions, but mine is that you should most definitely take AB Calc. I got straight B's in all math courses beforehand, and even one semester grade of a C in precalc. I then went on to double-A in AB Calc, because the class is essentially different. You learn two concepts, derivatives and integrals, and then build upon those concepts to apply them to different situations.</p>