Hi,
I was just wondring if it is a good idea to take Pre-calc during the summer before I enter my junior year? I ask this because I am really good at math and NEVER got below a A- and I love it as well. I am to America when I was 11 and at that time students who are good at math got to take a test and skip one year ahead of everyone and I (not speaking English well) did not know about it (My parents). But even in the class I am now, I feel like I am not challenged Algebra 2. I wanted to take Geo in the summer when I was in 8th grade but my counselor (who lied about this) told me I have to pay $600 dollars and my mom (single mother) could NOT afford that so I just let it be. Now as a 10th grader, I found out that there is no cost. Anyway, should I take it or not? Is it A LOT of work? Would I understand the concept easily? I have a sister in college who JUST to the class btw so I have some help. Thank you so much!
I’m wondering the same thing, only I’m wanting to do this class as a dual enrollment summer course (precalculus & trigonometry).
for you, I would advise it, honestly. if you’re great at math and want to be challenged, it should be challenging 
you can buy a review book as well to help you study the material
I would also suggest that you take precalc over the summer. I think it’s a harder class than Algebra II/geometry, so I think it would’ve been better if you could’ve taken geometry over the summer, but it seems like you’re really good at math. Good luck!
How would you benefit from taking pre-calculus during the summer? Would it allow you to take more math classes than you’d take otherwise? You could take pre-calculus in your junior year and AP Calculus BC in your senior year, without any summer classes.
Take precalc if you want to increase your math “opportunities”. In other words, you can take AP Calc AB in your junior year and then take either AP Calc BC or AP Stats in your senior year.
From personal experience, I think that taking precalc over a full year is a waste of time (at least for me). You do learn new concepts, such as polar and parametric equations, analytical trigonometry, De Moivre’s Theorem, finance equations, etc.; however, a hardworking mathlete can smoothly learn these concepts over the summer.
Also, you should NOT move from precalc to AP Calculus BC if you did not cover derivatives and integrals.
AP Calculus AB = Calculus I and
AP Calculus BC = Calculus I and II,
at least as far as the exams. This means it should be possible to take AB without taking BC first, since the BC class should cover everything in the AB class in addition to some other stuff. However, some high schools set up their classes so that AB = Calculus I and BC = Calculus II. In a case like that, you would want to take AB before taking BC.
@halcyonheather Yes, it is possible to take BC without AB! And, you are definitely right that high school curriculum vary from state to state/school to school. However, my point is that it would be very difficult to go to BC without some intro to calculus. Look at the equations for derivatives alone – truly memorizing and applying them for the AP exam as well as college/beyond requires dedication. With other APs and extracurriculars, a person can be “burnt out” from a tough courseload.
Ultimately, OP knows his/her limits and will make the best decision.
Yes I think it is a great idea to take the class in the summer. That will allow you to take higher level math before college. You also won’t have a gap in learning over the summer. I expect you will not find Pre-calc to be very challenging. Yes there is new material but a lot of basic review too. The math curriculum in the US is so repetitive. If you like math go for it!
Thanks so much guys! I will talk over it with my counselor. I love math and science (physics and chem)…so I will definitely think about doing it.