How many freshman took the AP Calc BC exam across the US?

<p>^i’ll give you the benefit of the doubt and say you’re telling the truth.</p>

<p>See also: </p>

<p>[David</a> Bressoud’s Launchings from the CUPM Curriculum Guide](<a href=“http://www.maa.org/columns/launchings/launchings_05_07.html]David”>http://www.maa.org/columns/launchings/launchings_05_07.html)</p>

<p>I love all the generalities/assumptions people in this thread are making. “Middle school classes are generally smaller,” “people that take calculus early are the ones complaining about not breaking 700 on the SAT,” “AP classes are always a step up from other classes,” “you’ll have to retake MV in college,” “everyone will hate you.” </p>

<p>To be honest, if you really are good at math, taking Calculus in 9th grade isn’t much of a stretch. It probably won’t be much different from any math class you’ve been in before. The content probably won’t be a huge step, even if you haven’t taken precalculus. You won’t have some gap in your knowledge that will screw you over when you take the SAT (even if you skipped Geometry). At most colleges, you will be able to skip lower division math (assuming you take all three classes). The people in your class will not hate you unless you act like an immature ******.</p>

<p>The middle schools here only offer up to algebra, I believe…</p>

<p>=o</p>

<p>i guess the op has self-esteem problems and needs to make himself special by bragging on this forum. i find it hard to believe that the op is too dumb to perform a simple google search</p>

<p>If you can handle it, it’s fine…just take it.</p>

<p>As for socially, if you don’t act constantly like a jackass and are chill, you should be fine. No one really cares.</p>

<p>Umm why would anyone hate you for taking AP Calc freshman/soph year? lol</p>

<p>^I agree, although I think others would be jealous. I’m not even in calculus yet and I’m already a junior:/</p>

<p>how the hell are kids able to take such high classes at a younger age?? you take precalc as a sophmore in my school, with calc in junior</p>

<p>Fireflake 78, I have read the 2007 (AP) Program Summary Report. It listed that 64,311 people took AP Calc BC that year, of which 121 were 9th graders and 15 were “< 9th grade”. However, it did not say how the 9th graders and < 9th graders scored. </p>

<p>My D took AP Calc BC as a freshman and she got a ‘5’ in the exam. I would say that taking AP Calc BC in 9th grade is not a common thing, but it alone may not do too much to impress the college admission people. One thing to bring your attention to is the graduation/college application requirements. Generally AP Calc BC and AP Statistics are the highest math courses offered in high schools. Some schools require at least 3 years of high school math. Do you have credits for the other math classes you took to satisfy the requirement? Or do you have other arrangement with your counselor?</p>

<p>Meanwhile, enjoy the class.</p>

<p>There’s a few kids that do it at my school each year, no one “hates” them as some other posters have suggested (most people respect them). I guess it just depends on the type of school you go to. These kids go on to take Calc 3/Diff EQ sophomore year (about 10 seniors/20 juniors in that class), and take the next two years at a local college.</p>

<p>If you’ve already taken precalc, then go for it. If you did precalc in 8th grade or over the summer and did well, it sounds like BC won’t be hard for you.</p>

<p>Best of luck!</p>

<p>From what I have hears, the transition from precalc to calc BC is more smooth than from alg2 to precalc, but I am not sure about your school.</p>

<p>The “precalc” curriculum varies widely from school to school.</p>

<p>Taking a class does not guarantee that you understand the topic.</p>

<p>For example, there are some people that take Linear Algebra in high school. It’s hard to believe that all of them truly understand it.</p>

<p>good god this class gave me nightmares as a junior. hell it gave EVERYONE nightmares as jrs and sr’s. i’d crap myself if i took this freshman year</p>

<p>No, but if they do pass the class they deserve the benefit of the doubt. The people that take it during high school are just as likely, if not more likely, to truly comprehend the material.</p>

<p>To everyone on here: why are you so dubious? obviously he has all the prerequisites otherwise the course is not possible</p>

<p>and it is highly doubtful that only 56 freshman took the exam</p>

<p>

Yep, it becomes slightly more normalized with AP.</p>

<p>I’m taking it this year as a sophmore, but I skipped a grade (not that it matters). Not too uncommon, I knew a kid last year who was in precalc as a freshman, now take into account he skipped TWO grades. AKA Calc bc as an 8th grader… it’s crazy.</p>

<p>I went:
6th grade- 6th grade advanced math
7th grade- Algebra I (skipping pre-algebra)
8th grade- Algebra II (skipping geometry, but really geometry doesn’t have anything to do with Al. II)
Unfortunately, the Algebra II doesn’t count because I taught myself from a book in the back of the room while the teacher had Algebra I, but she helped (if she wasn’t already busy with the Algebra I class) when I didn’t understand something. I only took Al. II from a book because they didn’t offer Geometry to 8th graders at my school. Now they do :/.</p>

<p>Concerning the social aspect… I made friends easily in Algebra I. I didn’t flaunt my intelligence or act snotty. Do that and you should be fine.</p>

<p>“i’m guessing you had a very very easy class that just focused on the essentials. The average AP math and science class is not mostly memorization.”</p>

<p>Simply put, all of high school math is going to be mostly memorization. They might tell you some sort of justification for certain “rules” but they will not test you on that. AP calc still falls under the umbrella of a high school math class. There is some “inuitionist” justification, and maybe if you are lucky you will see an epsilon and a delta somewhere, but no one is going to ask you to even find a limit rigorously or understand what a limit really is if they are following the AP curriculum.</p>

<p>Science: We essentially have biology, chemistry and physics here. Biology and chemistry are certainly all about memorization. Biology is obvious, and in chemistry you would need to have several more years of math before you can actually justify anything. And you don’t need to know why any problem-solving method works on the AP anyway.</p>

<p>Physics (C) is more about problem solving, and there is more opportunity for justification here. You don’t need to know it for a class or the AP though, but derivations may be mentioned in passing. This one is not so much geared towards memorization as problem solving, which is nice.</p>