<p>How vital is pre-calc? I wanted to take it sophomore year, so I could jump to AP calc. junior year and AP stats senior year, just to get another AP under my belt. But, according to my guidance counselor, taking pre-calc along with Math III this year (which is totally necessary in NY) is completely impossible. So, I figured I'd just try to skip pre-calc next year and jump into AP calc BC, then AP stats. But, would that be too difficult? Should I take pre-calc next year and then BC senior year, either forgetting about stat. or taking it online?</p>
<p>Like fizix2 said, provided that your teacher doesn't go straight to BC, it should be just fine.</p>
<p>I went straight to BC, but the teacher did cover all the AB material before moving on to BC. Maybe 70/30, AB to BC, time spent during the year on each. It was certainly a fast-paced course, but I made out alright. I got a 5 on the AP and for the subscore.</p>
<p>SomethingWitty, my school doesn't even offer pre-calc, just Math 3. I think you'd be ok. :)</p>
<p>A lot of people here on CC never take Calc AB and just go straight to Calc BC so it should be fine (also I've heard here on CC that Calc BC is like 1/3 or even up to a 1/2 of just reviewing over Calc AB), at my school it is required that one takes Calc AB before moving on to Calc BC (but we are allowed to skip PreCalc)</p>
<p>Isn't BC just Calc one AND two, not just calc two? If I have that right, then doing AP BC would be just doing calculus at the regular college speed rather than the high school.</p>
<p>Wow. I never realized that some peoples' schools actually let them take BC without taking AB, or force them to choose one or the other. For my school, you either take AB or AB+BC (or AP Statistics somewhere in there, if you want).</p>
<p>I am not taking the AP courses. What I am doing is taking Calc for Business and Calc 1 during the summer before Senior year. The first semester of Senior year I am doing Calc 2. So that by the time I apply to Wharton, I would have 3 college level calculus. However, they told me that Calc 1=AB and Calc 2= BC. Is it still a good idea to take all three of them???</p>
<p>Wow, I can’t believe people take both AB and BC, such a waste. I guess at some high schools you need to take regular bio, chem, or physics before the AP versions. At my school you just went straight to APs, you couldn’t sign up if you already took a non-AP class first.</p>
<p>In my school, you have to take BC before going on to AB. Luckily, the first half of BC here is Calc II and the second half is Multivariable, so we don’t have to waste time reviewing stuff we already know.</p>
<p>^So half the year is spent on material not covered by the AP exam?</p>
<p>Yes, but then again the average score for the BC exam is 4.9</p>
<p>How important is calc 1 to understand calc 2? I know it’s a pre-req, but do you think it would be possible to hand both of them at once during the summer?</p>
<p>At my school, kids coming out of honors pre calc take either AB or BC, but at my brothers’ school, you can skip pre calc and go into AB as a junior (assuming a “normal” math track) and then do BC as a senior. </p>
<p>Personally, I’m in BC now, after taking (and getting a C+) in honors pre cal last year, and I am 90% sure I’ll get a 5 on the exam.</p>
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<p>together they’re like 8 or 9 chapters of material,
so you’d want to shoot for one chapter a week
or 1-2 sections a day
which is kind of intense,
especially if you want to do all the problems in the book
but maybe you could do it if you never got behind and didn’t try to do anything else</p>
<p>but yeah if you actually want to take the classes at a college…don’t take them at the same time, it would be really awkward</p>
<p>My school requires AB first, THEN to even qualify for BC, you have to have an A average in AB and also a 5 on the AB AP Exam.
Lame.</p>
<p>^That does stink.</p>
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<p>Calc 1 is pretty important. Sets the basic fundamental concepts for calculus. Learning both over the summer is doable I think, but it would be quite difficult and a lot of work. I’d advise against it.</p>
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<p>I think precalculus has a lot of valuable concepts that are expanded upon in calculus. Alg II->Precal->BC is much better than Alg II->AB->BC in my opinion.</p>
<p>Calculus BC learns only one more unit than AB does. Otherwise, the curriculum is the same. I would say that if your son excelled in Precalculus, then he will most likely be fine in BC!</p>
<p>I’ve always seen BC Calc as the “honors” AB Calc. Apart from a few topics, the two are essentially the same.</p>
<p>as many have said previously in the forum
BC = AB + 1 more unit
its more fast paced. So taking BC after AB would be a complete waste of time (You spend like 70% of the time reviewing what you learned last year)
GOTOCALCBC</p>
<p>Personally I took Algebra II in 8th grade and AP Calculus BC in 9th grade. It wasn’t bad.
Most people take Calc AB AP and then Calc BC AP.</p>
<p>usaully after Precalc, people take either AB or BC, people dont really take both because BC covers AB material .</p>