<p>I am a sophomore in Algebra 2H. The class is not easy, but it is not "hard" either. I want to be done with math next year, and many of my peers have informed me that Pre-Calc Honors during the year is near impossible and, in general, pointless. As a consequence, I am considering a CP Pre-Calc summer course. Will I be OK for AP Calc this upcoming year if I take the CP PC course over the summer? I have heard that there isn't even that much Pre-Calc required for AP Calc. Is that true? SOMEONE HELP, but NO HATE. If it's not a good decision then just say it, but tell me why it's a better idea to take it during the year if that's the case.</p>
<p>Well, you should take math all 4 years, so be prepared to take BC afterwards anyway…</p>
<p>I would say in precalc, the things you really need to know are trig, polar, vectors, series/sequences stuff. If your class covers that adequately I would say you’re fine. You can learn along the way if needed.</p>
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You don’t need to know pre-calculus to start learning calculus, but everything you learn in pre-calculus (see [this</a> list](<a href=“http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Precalculus]this”>Precalculus - Wikipedia)) will eventually be needed in calculus. </p>
<p>I think you’d be fine taking regular pre-calculus over the summer, though I don’t understand what the point is of being done with math next year rather than senior year. </p>
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Four years of math means four math credits (earned in high school). It doesn’t mean you have to take a math class during the school year every year, especially if you already reached calculus before senior year.</p>
<p>Not all schools follow that; some do while some don’t. If the OPs school has something above AB, and he takes no math class senior year although he could have, some problems may arise depending on the target schools.</p>
<p>PreCalc is an easy class…I would take it over the summer.</p>
<p>Pre calc is a breeze. I wish I could have done that because my school only offers ap calc ab so it would have been awesome to take pre calc over the summer and AB junior year then BC senior year </p>
<p>Also (depending on your school), it might not be necessary to take AB before BC.</p>
<p>I know several people who’ve skipped precalc & gone straight to BC, so I think you’ll be fine in AB as long as you have your trig down pat. Or perhaps you won’t even need that: I didn’t grasp much when I took precalc last year (perhaps because I slept through 90 percent of it?) & I’m doing fine in BC now. I’ve just been picking everything up as we go along.</p>
<p>I’m taking pre calculus online over the summer. I’m a junior though so I’m taking it so i can take Calculus in my senior year. So far it just looks like basic algebra 2 and the only new thing is the trig. For me it’s fine because I’m great at math and find Algebra 2 to be a breeze, but since you’re struggling with it, I’d suggest you take Pre Cal next year instead of risking doing poorly and having it shatter your GPA</p>
<p>Advanced pre-calc student here…I don’t recommend it! A lot of the material you learn takes a lot of time and practice…Doing it over the summer would be rushed and a lot harder!!!</p>
<p>Freshman in pre-calc here. IT’S EXTREMELY EASY!!! But I say this being someone who has a strong background in math and is very involved in math competitions too, so…
From what I’ve heard, our AP Calc teachers will review the stuff needed from pre-calc in Calc. However, they do this for every class (public education!), so I don’t know what to make of said statement.</p>
<p>My friends did that (I’m currently a senior taking precalc, so I’m not one to talk…) and they said that it worked out fine for them (at least two of them got 5s on the AP). Then again, for every one of them who managed to pass the AP Calc placement test, another kid similarly studied and didn’t- it’s far from a shoo-in.</p>
<p>If I could’ve done Multivariable / DE’s / Physics C in high school, I would currently be wanted by employers because I would have the electrical engineering courses that they want by now. And the only way to do this would be skipping the math sequence–I wouldn’t say taking the actual courses were a waste of my time, but from Pre-Calculus, and Calculus BC (after taking AB) I went through a little too much review ~</p>
<p>The math department head got angry at me when I asked to skip as a freshman. In long hindsight, it would have been a good idea.</p>