<p>So are Physics C and Calc BC difficult courses to self-study? I just started to study the material and sometimes my Physics book covers math stuff that I haven't gotten to in my Calc book. btw I have to take these 2 AP courses next year since my dad is making me and my stupid school doesn't offer either of these. Thanks!</p>
<p>Well it all depends on the type of person you are. I can’t say that I’ve self studied either, but I can tell you that if you study it properly, you’ll do at least pretty well on both tests. Both have a very generous curve. I would say if you’re self-studying the BC test, you should have taken at least a Calc AB class, and if you’re studying the Physics C test, you should have taken Physics B (or at the bare minimum, a general Physics class). Also, don’t cram. Both of those tests are all about practicing problems over and over. Just keep practicing and you’ll do fine.</p>
<p>I self-studied both this year. Calc BC isn’t bad at all, especially if you had a decent AB course. It’s basically like…3 extra subjects, none of which are terribly hard.</p>
<p>Physics C was a bit more tricky (at least for me). I got a 4 on the Mechanics exam (studying like…2 weeks before) and I ended up canceling my E&M exam because I tried to study in the few nights before the test.</p>
<p>I guess just don’t try to cram and you’ll probably do fine.</p>
<p>I took an AB course at school and I crammed the BC stuff close to the test. I ended up with a 5, but I had a really good AB class so there was a strong foundation there that’s really important. </p>
<p>I took AP Physics B, so self studying AP Physics C Mechanics was only a little harder. Just applying basic calculus (differentiation, integration) to things like displacement, velocity, acceleration, and rotational motion. AP Physics C E/M is going to require a lot more work though, so I wouldn’t just rely on prep books but actually look at a text book, which it looks like you have done already. </p>
<p>Although doable, self studying both the same year would be sort of difficult if you haven’t had an introductory class to physics at least. I never took precalculus, (Alg 2 to AP Calculus), so at least make sure you have your trigonometry down before you start. </p>
<p>I hope this helped at least a little 
If you have any more questions you can PM me.</p>
<p>I self studied a 5 on both sections of Physics C, while in Calc AB at my school(stupid school religion class rule kept me out of BC period…)</p>
<p>Physics is one of the things where if you get it, you get it and if you don’t you don’t. There are people failing every physics test in my honors physics class(no E&M, minimal mechanics, a joke) while I get straight 100’s. Its not a matter of effort at all.</p>
<p>95 percent of the population couldn’t self study physics C at all, but if you can you’ll probably find it easy</p>
<p>I actually have only taken a intro physics course and precalc. My dad has a phd in physics and knows a lot of calc but he’s a HORRIBLE teacher! What should I do?!!!</p>
<p>intro to physics will help Physics C but precalc will do nothing for Calc. I suggest you get through Integrals in Calc before starting Physics. The Princeton Review for Calculus is pretty good, while knowing everything in the Barron’s for Physics will guarantee a 5. Don’t be intimidated by the Barron’s for Physics though. You probably need to know about 70% covered in there for a solid 5. Good luck! I’d say it’s definately doable.</p>
<p>I self-studied BC along with an AB course and had very little trouble on the exam. Just make sure to master Taylor Polynomials, differentiating/integrating with polar coordinates and in vectors, tests for convergence/divergence, and lots of applications of antidifferentiation that AB doesn’t cover. I had the Princeton Review AB/BC book and got everything I needed out of it - 5, easily.</p>
<p>At my school, they make you take AB before BC. There were only 3 kids who were qualified for BC this year, so they stuck us in a class with a bunch of AB kids. Because we already knew the AB material, it was a review for us. But the whole year was pretty much centered around AB so the rest of the class knew the material. We didn’t actually go into BC material until maybe two months before the exam. And even then, we barely covered the material needed for the exam. The day before the exam, we had a cram session after school for three hours. I then came home and memorized every formula I could find that had to do with Calc BC. By some miracle, I passed. I probably would have done a whole lot better if I self-studied. So in essence, I believe that yes, it is possible to self-study BC and do great things.</p>
<p>I didn’t self-study Calc BC, (and took it the year before I took physics C), but I did self-study physics C alongside honors Physics, and it was fairly easy (5 on both Mech and E/M). However, this was with a very strong foundation in calculus (5 on BC).</p>