Four Months Before College To Study AP?

Test Preparation AP Test Preparation
1

So currently I’m committed to UCLA (Mechanical Engineering major), while still waiting to hear back from Dartmouth College (Waitlisted; the wait is killing me). Anyways, college starts in late September, so I thought I could use the time to study some college-level physics or math. Despite the fact that I’m an international student and my school doesn’t offer AP classes, buying some Barron’s textbooks won’t hurt. But I have some questions:

  1. As a college student, will I still be able to take AP exams (next May prob) and earn credits?

  2. AP Physics 1, 2, B, and C: so basically I have no idea what they are. But I got 790/800 on my SAT II Physics and found it pretty easy. Which one do you guys suggest I start with?

  3. AP Calc AB and BC: I learned some calculus at school. Where should I begin with?

2

By the time you would get that credit, you’re likely to have taken physics and Calc already…making the AP credit redundant.

3

AP Physics 1 and 2 (courses that replaced AP Physics B starting this year) are algebra based physics classes. AP Physics C: Mechanics and AP Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism are both calculus based classes. C covers similar material as Physics 1/2 but with calculus.

As an engineering major, you would probably take and finish Physics and Calculus before the AP exam. The credit, as @bodangles said, will be redundant since you would get AP credit for classes that you have already taken.

I think you can still take AP exams, but the credit would not be useful.