<p>I'm in a somewhat unique situation with math this year. I really want to self-study AP calc BC, well kinda (I would have my friends in calc and the calc teacher help me along the way). I have a passion for math and I enjoy doing it in my free time, so I'm for the challenge. Technically I am in a Pre-Calc class, but it is not your average pre-calc class as we have to know half of calc AB by the end of the year. Last year I took Algebra 2 and I was on the math team at our school. I basically learned all of the precalc in that class or by studying it on my own, and whatever I didn't learn (mostly trig stuff) I learned over the summer. So basically I'm sitting in a pre-calc class where I already know all of the material. Most of the time during class I'm working through old AMC's or other competitions or learning some calc. Additionally, I convinced my guidance counselor to let me take AP Physics C, so I need to learn the calc for this class anyway. I'm currently a junior and I'm also taking AP Stats this year, and so if everything works out with the AP Calc self-studying thing, I'm going to dual enroll at a large, fairly prestigious college that I am lucky to be living close to; I would take Calc 3, physics, stats, etc. However, there is one issue. There is a possibility that the calc teacher won't feel comfortable with signing me up for the AP calc BC exam since I'm not in his class. And my school only allows people who have taken the class, or are signed up as a special case by the teacher, to take the AP exams. However, I'm not sure if this policy means that even if I pay for my own test that I still can't take the AP exam unless I'm in the class. My question is, are they allowed to keep students from signing up and taking an AP exam, even if they pay for their own test) ?</p>
<p>Why would they restrict you from technically purchasing a product, i.e. an exam that you want to take? For instance, why should an AP German Language teacher keep me from registering for the exam if I’m fluent in German? </p>
<p>By wanting to self-study a course, you are putting yourself in a very tense situation. First of all, most of the course materials for a Calculus course, i.e. a very good textbook is essential. If you solely rely on YouTube or the internet, it’s not just very hard to filter out valuable information in a way you could understand it, but also filter out the essential information that is covered on the AP Calculus BC exam. Don’t get me wrong, I wanted to self-study AP Microeconomics in high school because I wanted to receive credit not just for AP Macroeconomics, but for both. I ended up “purchasing”, if you know what I mean, an actual textbook by a famous author. You might think that a textbook is all that you need, but think about the assignments that would definitely prepare you for the exam. All of these assignments are fundamental, which goes back to filtering the assignments/problem sets that are necessary to be on the same level with actual student. </p>
<p>On the other hand, of course, you could ask a student taking the course for his or her notes and the assignments. However, I don’t think that will be very reliable, considering that information passed on by a student who isn’t the primary source of information is interpreted differently.</p>
<p>If I was you, I’d get comfortable with the fundamentals of Calculus, i.e. limits, derivatives and integrals. Once you understand the concepts of each section, considering that you are strong in mathematics, self-studying the additional sections of the AP Calculus BC curriculum should be as easy as cake, since there is not too much to self-study anymore.</p>