How much harder is AP Calc BC AFTER taking AP Calc AB?

[Anonymous]

My current junior has an A- in AP Calc AB, half way through the year. How had will the jump the BC if the grade in AB seems okay?

[Anonymous]

You can jump midyear into a new class like that? Didn't know.

[Anonymous]

Its basically the same class with one extra part. Most people do not take both.

[Anonymous]

Decent summary from Prep Scholar - take it for what it's worth.

In most cases, we don't recommend taking both AB and BC Calculus. AB Calculus and BC Calculus are similar enough that taking them one after the other will be a lot like taking the same class twice, and it'll probably be pretty boring for you.

Taking both also usually won't help your college applications because it will look like you needed two years to learn calculus instead of one. Also, if you're looking to get a lot of college credits from your AP classes, you can usually get more from taking AB Calculus and another non-calculus AP than you would from taking both AB and BC Calculus.

https://blog.prepscholar.com/should-i-take-ap-calculus-ab-or-ap-calculus-bc

[Anonymous]

How is taking both, one after another, even an option? I don't think it is, Op. Better double check.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Decent summary from Prep Scholar - take it for what it's worth.

In most cases, we don't recommend taking both AB and BC Calculus. AB Calculus and BC Calculus are similar enough that taking them one after the other will be a lot like taking the same class twice, and it'll probably be pretty boring for you.

Taking both also usually won't help your college applications because it will look like you needed two years to learn calculus instead of one. Also, if you're looking to get a lot of college credits from your AP classes, you can usually get more from taking AB Calculus and another non-calculus AP than you would from taking both AB and BC Calculus.

https://blog.prepscholar.com/should-i-take-ap-calculus-ab-or-ap-calculus-bc

OP here: it’s not a mid year jump; it’s for course selection for next year. The counselor told my child today that AP Calc BC would look better next year than AP Stats.

[Anonymous]

Some schools do offer them sequentially (a friend's kid did it and it's normal at her school). But I had never heard of it, and my own kid's school said it wouldn't make sense, the way our math department teaches them, they are too similar.

[Anonymous]

AB is supposed to represent the first half of the BC curriculum.

My son is a senior in AP Calc BC, after a junior year of AP Calc AB. After straight As all his life, he is now struggling in this class and has a C. We figure out that last year's AB class must have been easier than normal, and this year's must be harder than normal, otherwise why the discrepancy? His current professor is the only teacher in his high school teaching BC and he's known to be a hard-ass - not letting kids look at their tests with corrections for more than 5 minutes, not allowing retakes on most tests, giving them really hard questions, etc. All his students then go on to have 4 or 5 on the exam, but DS is so discouraged that he's not sure he wants to take the exam. Also, as a senior, college decisions will come in before then.

So inquire about the teachers of AP Calc BC. If your child received consistent instruction in math, I think she won't have the challenges my son is currently facing. And I agree that AP Calc BC is harder than AP Stats, and more interesting if she wants to pursue a STEM major.

[Anonymous]

Dumb to take both, unless you have holes in the schedule and nothing to fill it with. Stats would be more useful, or the next level of physics, or a course at nova or mason.

Calc AB covers 2/3 of calc BC. Your child will get more college credit taking a completely different AP. Most colleges will strongly suggest retaking calc 1 freshman year if you need higher level math for your major anyway. If you don't need higher level math, then AB is enough.

--math teacher

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Decent summary from Prep Scholar - take it for what it's worth.

In most cases, we don't recommend taking both AB and BC Calculus. AB Calculus and BC Calculus are similar enough that taking them one after the other will be a lot like taking the same class twice, and it'll probably be pretty boring for you.

Taking both also usually won't help your college applications because it will look like you needed two years to learn calculus instead of one. Also, if you're looking to get a lot of college credits from your AP classes, you can usually get more from taking AB Calculus and another non-calculus AP than you would from taking both AB and BC Calculus.

https://blog.prepscholar.com/should-i-take-ap-calculus-ab-or-ap-calculus-bc

OP here: it’s not a mid year jump; it’s for course selection for next year. The counselor told my child today that AP Calc BC would look better next year than AP Stats. [/quote
What about calc 2?

[Anonymous]

Hmm. My junior is taking AB this year and just signed up for BC next year on a dive from the teacher. (This is in MoCo, BTW) need to look in to this in more detail.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Hmm. My junior is taking AB this year and just signed up for BC next year on a dive from the teacher. (This is in MoCo, BTW) need to look in to this in more detail.

Sorry: based on the recommendation of the teacher.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Hmm. My junior is taking AB this year and just signed up for BC next year on a dive from the teacher. (This is in MoCo, BTW) need to look in to this in more detail.

Mine too! Wonder if it’s the same teacher. Mine may take stats in addition, as the elective.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Decent summary from Prep Scholar - take it for what it's worth.

In most cases, we don't recommend taking both AB and BC Calculus. AB Calculus and BC Calculus are similar enough that taking them one after the other will be a lot like taking the same class twice, and it'll probably be pretty boring for you.

Taking both also usually won't help your college applications because it will look like you needed two years to learn calculus instead of one. Also, if you're looking to get a lot of college credits from your AP classes, you can usually get more from taking AB Calculus and another non-calculus AP than you would from taking both AB and BC Calculus.

https://blog.prepscholar.com/should-i-take-ap-calculus-ab-or-ap-calculus-bc

OP here: it’s not a mid year jump; it’s for course selection for next year. The counselor told my child today that AP Calc BC would look better next year than AP Stats.

AP stats is a joke. My son took it as a junior along with his DE multivariable calc class. If your son needs an easy A and an easy 5 on the exam AP stars is for you.

I agree that taking BC calc would be a redo, but looks way better on an application than stats. I’d look at stats as an elective if anything at all.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Decent summary from Prep Scholar - take it for what it's worth.

In most cases, we don't recommend taking both AB and BC Calculus. AB Calculus and BC Calculus are similar enough that taking them one after the other will be a lot like taking the same class twice, and it'll probably be pretty boring for you.

Taking both also usually won't help your college applications because it will look like you needed two years to learn calculus instead of one. Also, if you're looking to get a lot of college credits from your AP classes, you can usually get more from taking AB Calculus and another non-calculus AP than you would from taking both AB and BC Calculus.

https://blog.prepscholar.com/should-i-take-ap-calculus-ab-or-ap-calculus-bc

OP here: it’s not a mid year jump; it’s for course selection for next year. The counselor told my child today that AP Calc BC would look better next year than AP Stats.

AP stats is a joke. My son took it as a junior along with his DE multivariable calc class. If your son needs an easy A and an easy 5 on the exam AP stars is for you.

I agree that taking BC calc would be a redo, but looks way better on an application than stats. I’d look at stats as an elective if anything at all.

I’m glad it was easy for your son. It’s not easy for the majority of kids.

Score distribution: https://apstudents.collegeboard.org/about-ap-scores/score-distributions

BC calc: 41% 5s
AB calc: 20% 5s
AP stats: 14% 5s

You can read into it the type of student enrolled in each course, but the reality is the course is challenging for a lot of kids.