<p>Could I self-study all the additional BC material in April?</p>
<p>last year, there was lagrange multiplier on the AP test... although i thought that was really stupid considering I learned Lagrange in Math 53M (UC Berkeley.. multivariable calculus with computers)... It was generally a fairly ok test. Just make sure that you remember the basics of everything.... last year, we also had a logistics problem that took a lot of people by surprise. No one really paid attention to logistics and they got hit in the face with the problem. My BC class is known to be pretty insane though. To get an A, all u need is 85% but still, only about 1/6th of the class gets an A, and most of them barely. Our tests are WAYYYYYY harder than the Calc BC test. Hell, the calc bc test was a walk in the park compared to the tests that my bc teacher produces. Once you get into multivariable calculus and linear algebra though, thats when the fun starts. Multivariable calculus begins REALLY easy... but turns into a killer class (at UC Berkeley at least... where everyone in my class was an engineering major) since the material gets so abstract and physics based. For multivar calc, it might be a good idea to know some basics on electricity and magnetism since you spent most of the second half of the class discussing flux and surface intergrals. I only know now, (after finally starting to take E and M physics C) what I was actually doing in multivar calculus. In Linear Algebra, just beware that the material can get extremely abstract, extremely fast.</p>
<p>simfish - bad idea, you have to take on series... which is probably one of the toughest subjects in calc bc (it was the hardest test in my calc bc class last year, only 4 kids in 3 classes got A's (me included = P. got 103))</p>
<p>simfish- its definately possible if you are really motivated, but i just don't see why you woluld want to. Its only march now. If you really want to take BC, get started studying now instead of April. Unless you enjoy cramming a lot of info in little time, that is.</p>
<p>Ahhh.. thanks for the info. damn.. I can't study until March 11th (after I finish my apps and other competitions) and I'm also self-studying AP Chem (I self-studied the SAT II and got 790) and AP Euro. ..</p>
<p>Series.. Even Irene Joliot Curie complained of it. Hmm.. Those two extra chapters look so easy to self-study... But... =/</p>
<p>its entirely possible to cram, but will you really remember it in a years time? it's calculus, entry level...make sure you understand and remember it or you're just asking for trouble later on :).</p>
<p>Sorry I haven't responded in so long. For some reason, I thought someone else started this thread! Thanks for all the responses. Basically, I am going through 2-3 books, incluing arcos, barrons(I like this), and a text book from school. The material doesn't seem too hard. It is just the uber clever manipulations and substitutions that suck. I am working every problem in barrons. Is this a good idea?</p>
<p>you'll certainly learn the mathematics. also, take a look at old sample ap bc open ended problems on the collegeboard website or ask your teacher. =)</p>
<p>I really don't think the exam is hard, the BC test has gotten MUCH easier in the past years. Just take a look at old exams, they were much more challenging.
All I can suggest is practice, practice, practice.
My teacher last year made the whole class go through every single problem ever release in the month before the test. 22/25 kids got 5's. Of course, he's a Caltech grad and a great teacher, but that clearly illustrates the importance of practice, especially with Calc.</p>
<p>How much harder is Barrons than the actual thing if at all?</p>
<p>Barrons is notoriously harder than the actual exam. Although I'm not sure about the BC Calc, I remember getting 650's on the math IIC practice exams for Barrons. I ended up getting a 800.
I suggest you get it though, overkill is good</p>
<p>Just don't let the Barrons tests make you panic. Last year I studied AP Calc BC and Physics C from Barrons books and was convinced I would fail (and ended up getting 5s).</p>
<p>If you need to ask "How hard is the Calc BC exam," is CalTech really the right place for you?</p>
<p>APs are sort of ridiculous since nearly everyone (at least those even considering CalTech) gets a 5. In the past ten years, my teacher hasn't had one person who hasn't gotten a 5 - but there was clearly a wide range of talent in each of her classes.</p>
<p>As my physics teacher says, APs are basically worthless. Earning a 5 in most subjects isn't really a huge achievement, which is why many colleges don't accept them for credit. Perhaps 6's should be awarded for the top 5% or so.</p>
<p>the best thing to do is to take the BC exam and spend all the time on the AB content. ur guaranteed to get a 5 on the AB subscore. 40% of the test is AB which means you can have 3 hours to take 40% of the AB test.</p>
<p>But a bad BC score with a good AB subscore means virtually nothing in admissions (in fact I'd view something like a 3BC/5AB in a pretty severely negative light unless the high school class clearly sucked; it suggests the applicant used exactly this dishonest sort of strategy.)</p>
<p>if ur a senior, it works :) and its not dishonest at all. its just another way of taking the test.</p>
<p>Eh. A high AB score doesn't really place you out of anything as far as I know, except at quite mediocre schools, nowadays.</p>
<p>basically, if you can't get a 5 on the BC exam, how do you think you're going to get through 4 years of Caltech?
Just get a 5, it aint hard.</p>
<p>So here's the thing about test scores... take a look at the following, and see if you can guess where this applicant is today.</p>
<p>2002: US History - 4, Econ micro - 4, Econ macro - 2, Calc BC - 3 (subtest Calc AB - 4), Physics C mech - 3, Physics C E&M -3
2001: Bio - 5, Calc AB - 3
2000: Chem - 5
1999: Comp Sci A - 5</p>
<p>SteelPangolin's post successfully illustrates (if I read it correctly) that AP scores can be bad and you can still get in. Let me just emphasize, though, from reading hundreds of applications, that this is <em>rare</em>, very rare. Usually more than one sub-5 in an important subject is a serious minus unless your high school or class is very sucky. We obviously make exceptions though for home schooled students, when it's less clear that the student received quality instruction.</p>