Just wondering, since I’m setting my sights pretty high right now. I’m a sophomore now, and since I want to take AP Calculus BC senior year, I was thinking if I should try to test out of Pre-Calc and Trig during the summer. But not sure if it’s going to be too hard. Any suggestions. Should I try to test out?
It depends on if you are good at math. Many would argue that precalc isn’t needed, but definitely that Trig is needed. If you’re taking a class over the summer, then I do not see a problem, but completely skipping the courses (unless you are good at math) could be problematic at best.
It also depends on your school and curriculum. At my school, precalc is really not needed because the preceding math courses teach a lot of the concepts. Only one person a year is allowed to skip precalc, though.
To be honest math does not seem to change what so ever every year I take it. I am a Junior in Pre-Calculus at the moment. In my state it is required to take Pre-Calculus before Ap Calculus but it all depends on where you live. Pre-Calclus is extremely easy for me (all math is for me though). I am quite frankly done with math and will not be taking Ap Calculus next year (I am taking several other Ap classes however). Since it is a breeze for me and considering you were given a years advance in math I believe you will be able to take Ap Calculus with out much problem. I have heard that it is indeed a hard class however. Pre-Calculus for me seems like you are learning nothing knew and from what it seems (by talking with my friend who is in Ap Calculus) we are not being taught anything that they are learning. If you have such high sights on going all the way to Ap Calculus BC I will agree on skipping Pre-Calculus. If you want to however you can try taking it online in the summer. It’s your decision overall.
Why do you need to test out of classes in order to take AP Calculus BC in your senior year? If your school offers AP Calculus BC, there is definitely a way for you to take it without testing out of anything (probably by taking trigonometry/pre-calculus in your junior year and AP Calculus BC in your senior year, without taking AB first).
I actually made a thread about this recently: http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/high-school-life/1831092-guide-to-math-placement-and-skipping-levels-of-math.html#latest
To answer your question: talk to your school and see what they have to say. At some schools skipping precalc is relatively common, at others they absolutely refuse to let you do it. It just depends. You might not be allowed to test out but might be permitted to take an online class or summer course for credit.
I’m currently in the same position as you however in my school, I need to complete x amount of hours in order to move in AP bc calc early. What I’m doing is taking precalc and trig the spring semester of my sophomore year and testing out of the classes before my school does scheduling. Just to be safe, I’d talk to your guidance counselor. Hope this helps!