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<p>That is highly dependent upon the college and major. If he is going to major in a non STEM field at a mid-level college, then, assuming he passes the AP Calc BC with a 5 (and maybe a 4), then he will know soon enough with the next calc class whether he knows enough or not. If he doesn’t, then he can probably drop to the 1st term calc, and be just fine.</p>
<p>However, if he is going into a STEM field at a top tier college, the rigor of the class is important. It sets the foundation for his entire career. Maybe try the same tact: Take Calc II, but decide quickly if he wants to drop into Calc I.</p>
<p>Note: At some schools, like MIT, Calc I is all of single variable calculus, and Calc II is Multivariable Calculus. Some schools Multivariable is not taught until Calc III. At those schools, I would be even more concerned about whether the kid learned enough to skip Calc I.</p>