Assuming AP physics C (not 1/2/B), the same suggestion of trying the college’s old final exams would apply to physics placement as well as math placement.
Some colleges offer honors physics and math courses for students with a strong interest in those subjects.
The compromise position would be to take an accelerated Calculus series in College, if the Colleges offer that option. As an undergraduate Engineering Student, I did Calculus 7 and 8 (over 2 semesters), instead of Calculus I, II, III (3 Semesters). This allows a small group of engineering students to complete their undergraduate Engineering degree in fours years, while most complete their degree in 4-1/2 years or 4 years with multiple summer courses. Of course, the option to get into the accelerated Calculus courses was based solely on the Math entrance exam score. Extremely high scores gave your Advisor the option of placing you in the accelerated series, while medium/good scores would see you placed in the Calculus I-II series.
Echoing @Psata82 (who beat me too it by 7 minutes…): many colleges have a 1 semester Calc course that reviews and enhances calc. At my D’s college you have to have at least a 3 on the AP to be eligible (and you don’t credit for the AP). Cumulative advice seems to be: sort out when he knows how he’s done and what the options are at the college.
Check the requirements of the school. My first daughter wants to be an Engineer and the AP test is used to place you in the specific freshman Calc 1 class at her first choice.
2nd daughter’s major has minimal math credit so she would take the AP credit and easily exceed the required math courses.
I took Calculus in high school but didn’t feel like I knew the material and got a C all year long. In college it clicked and it was an easy A.
Nothing wrong with getting an easy A.
However, retaking a course that you know well consumes schedule space that could otherwise be used for an interest free elective (in or out of major), or result in less scheduling flexibility.
My son took the AP Chem test yesterday but is thinking that regardless of his score, he will probably re-take Chem in college, partly because his Chem 1 teacher was a great guy but did not give them a good foundation. I have a feeling that attitude will not get him a 5! He should do well on calc, but good idea to talk to the college about what level he should start at. I had originally thought it would be good to take the credits to have more flexibility, but getting a college-level foundation may be even more important.
Re: #25
If his major lists chemistry as a secondary requirement but does not require more advanced courses that list it as a prerequisite, then he may want to just fulfill the requirement with the AP score if allowed, and then use the schedule space for something else of interest.
If he will need to take more advanced courses that require chemistry as a prerequisite, he can try the old chemistry final exams from his college to get a better idea on placement.
The best decision my DD made (as a 13 year old) was to repeat algebra as a high school freshman. She’d received an A in it in 8th grade, but just didn’t think she knew it. She took Honor level as a freshman, and that put her behind all her peers, but she really learned it. She never took calc in high school. She was petrified going into calc I as many of her classmates had taken AP calc. She studied until she could study no more, but many classmates who’d had calc treated it like a review and didn’t get an A. Calc II was harder and she got off to a bad start, but called me today to say she’s sure she did well on the final.
I think it is better to go slow and steady, making sure you have one level down before moving to the next.
His uni may well have him take a math placement test anyway. My kid did BC calc today and is a HL for chem and physics and his uni has him test math and chem regardless of the results. This is engineering at a state uni.
My husband’s college roommate tested out of several classes but decided he should take the classes to get a cushion in his GPA as he was an electrical engineering major and knew it would be competitive. He GPA ended up being a 3.5 due to the fact that he retook classes he had taken as AP classes in high school. If you place out of something like history which will not be in your major then I would do it. But, if it is calculus and the next level is difficult then I would do what the other posters have said and examine the final from the previous year.
Unless weed out is the risk. Do unis use such classes as weed out on purpose?
Sequenced prerequisite courses tend to increase the “weeding” effect by default. Calculus 2 instructors would not want students who passed calculus 1 to be unable to use calculus 1 concepts as needed in calculus 2, for example, so the rigor level of calculus 1 must be high enough to meet such a standard. External accreditation of the major can also have the effect of requiring a minimum level of rigor.