<p>My school only offers AP Calculus AB. However, I love math and want to be more competitive for higher level schools so I want to self study the BC material in conjunction with the AB course. Basically, what I asking is 'how much work should I put into self studying calc BC material and when should I start to study; over the summer, during the school year, etc.' I'll also be taking AP physics C: E and M. Would learning the BC material give me an advantage here?
Thanks in advance.</p>
<p>You should definitely start the ab topics in the summer so that classes will be easy in school and you’ll have time to study bc topics before the exam. Ab and bc is pretty much the same except series and higher level integration techniques. Good luck! I hope next years test we be as easy as this years!</p>
<p>Great, thanks. What do you recommend I use; a test prep book or a college text book?</p>
<p>Use Mike Kelley’s book published by Arco. I got mine for $30 on Amazon, but it’s usually more expensive than that.</p>
<p>I thought PR was fine (for prep). Uhh I heard that petersons was basically a text book but for some reason they cost like $1000 on amazon lol.</p>
<p>I self-studied BC in three months while taking AB. </p>
<p>Don’t cram BC in three months. Start self-studying it once you’re comfortable enough with AB subjects. Like…Sept or Oct of AP Calculus AB, or do what InnrCityPressure said and start on AB over the summer. </p>
<p>Books I used were Princeton Review and Calculus of a Single Variable. Princeton Review is adequate but there are some topics that I didn’t think it explained very well, so you should consult your AB teacher or THE INTERNET! about the topics you didn’t really get. Also, College Board puts up old FRQs, so definitely definitely use those to practice. </p>
<p>As for physics, I think learning BC would help, but this is only hearsay from a school friend of mine who took Physics outside of school…</p>
<p>If you really like math, use a more advanced book in conjunction with one focused on the AP test. Calculus by Spivak is the best book on theory, in my opinion, and should be sufficient on its own. Calculus by Larson is more relevant to the AP test: chapters P-7 apply to Calculus AB, while chapter 8 and beyond are used for Calculus BC. If you read through the chapter and completely understand the example problems (i.e. why the problems are solved as they are) you should easily score a 5 on the test. Spivak teaches you why the theorems are true (and, therefore, why problems are solved in a certain way), while Larson expects you to memorize them. </p>
<p>For timing, start whenever you want to and steadily work through the book(s) at your own pace. In other words, don’t worry about what you’re doing in class. Make sure you stay on schedule to get everything done by the AP test, but by the time you cover the topics in class you will know them already.</p>
<p>I hope this helps.</p>