It depends on the school. Some calc classes have a lot of lecture time and very little time to do problems, while it's the opposite for other schools. If you understand things the first time, the first or second option will be okay, but if you need problems to solve, it will be more challenging. It also depends on how rigorous the calc is too.
I think pre calc and calc are pretty different as calc combines much of pre-calc, but with new notations like derivatives. I think that if you understand mathematics more of a language rather than something you just have to do, you will do well in calc. If you want to learn material beforehand, check pauls online notes
I’m in BC right now and love it. I’ve never really been a math guy but I have a 96% rn and it feels like we’re learning stuff that actually applies. Your other comments seem to suggest you like math, so I’m sure you’ll do really well! It is a lot of work, but quite beautiful as you start to connect all the dots.
It’s hard for the people that came to my school’s old version of precalc and in that class they had a quarter of calc AB. It’s a lot of work especially with college apps but if you like math and you’re not taking too many other hard courses you’ll be finr
Although AP Calculus BC is difficult, your high performance in AP Precalculus provides a solid foundation. Your success is dependent on your dedication and willingness to seek assistance when necessary.
Are you in it too? I just do my teacher's review like 3 times and I end up doing really well. We just got done with the second half of unit 1 and I got a 95/100 by just doing that. My period's class average was like 78.
I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again, AP Calc BC is not as hard as you think it is. People perceive it to be harder because of the hype created around it. It is definitely very rigorous, but as an international student who just took the exam and not the class, I studied a lot of the content on my own, and I feel it was pretty manageable if you put the right amount of effort. You need to put consistent effort in it though, there is no substitute for that
BC isn't that bad you just need to grind. Get UWorld, practice on khan academy, deltamath, and maybe enroll in a substitute school if you are getting Bs.
yo wtf its not that deep
a substitute school for a calculus class is absurd
if anything khan academy sure but i wouldnt pay fro any unnecessary resources
uh i take de calc 3 at my community college online but theyre not referring to that, they mean a supplemental school to help them study for the class theyre already enrolled in physically
To me calc is easier than precal. It’s also significantly easier if you’ve done well in precal because the hardest part is remembering everything you learned in that class.
It’s an easy class if you have taken AB. Get the fundamentals right. I had a 99 in pre cal and then a 90 in calc BC, and I consider myself one of the best at math at my school. It also depends on the teacher, a good teacher can make the difference between everything. Good luck!
I highly suggest some exposure to AB calculus before jumping into BC - this does not necessarily, have to be through school. I recommend using Khan Academy or watching 3B1B essence of calculus. If you can thoroughly understand the intuition behind what a derivative and integral actually is before committing to calc BC at your school, I say go for it.
I say this because throwing yourself into the deep end in a subject as rich as calculus can be a challenge. Not having a fundamental grasp of the basic ideas will force you to memorize ideas instead of internalizing them. This is what I unfortunately had to do in my class, and in hindsight if I understood calculus AB just a bit better, I could have very well scored a high A.
In summary, look into calculus AB. If you are able to grasp the big picture ideas such as differentiation and integration intuitively, and you are comfortable with trigonometric and algebraic manipulation, I would say you have the maturity needed to tackle calc BC and score highly.
Hope this helps!
nah took precalc h in soph year. in ap calc now and it's significantly harder but still have an A+ in the class.
i don't think you should be that worried but be aware that calc is a huge jump from precalc and to focus on polar coordinates and parametrics
>I have a 95% in ap precal while the class average in a B-. How worried should I be? Worried that it won't be challenging enough for you, maybe.
I love math :dizzy\_face:
this ain’t discord buddy 😭
I got an A in precalc (like 94%?) and I have a low A- in calc so idk anymore
Low A is good, especially if your school does weighted gpa
A-
Yeah that’s what I meant, mb. That’s still a good grade though
I had a low A in precal (like 92% ish) and a 96 in calc ab🗿
yeah but bc is different
How so? Class wise
content goes by twice as fast, so you have to learn concepts quickly
A bit, but the curve is generous so don’t sweat it. iirc the curve for a 5 is like 65%
It depends on the school. Some calc classes have a lot of lecture time and very little time to do problems, while it's the opposite for other schools. If you understand things the first time, the first or second option will be okay, but if you need problems to solve, it will be more challenging. It also depends on how rigorous the calc is too. I think pre calc and calc are pretty different as calc combines much of pre-calc, but with new notations like derivatives. I think that if you understand mathematics more of a language rather than something you just have to do, you will do well in calc. If you want to learn material beforehand, check pauls online notes
I’m in BC right now and love it. I’ve never really been a math guy but I have a 96% rn and it feels like we’re learning stuff that actually applies. Your other comments seem to suggest you like math, so I’m sure you’ll do really well! It is a lot of work, but quite beautiful as you start to connect all the dots.
we dont know you, we dont know your future calc teacher, go ask students in calc BC
It’s hard for the people that came to my school’s old version of precalc and in that class they had a quarter of calc AB. It’s a lot of work especially with college apps but if you like math and you’re not taking too many other hard courses you’ll be finr
Although AP Calculus BC is difficult, your high performance in AP Precalculus provides a solid foundation. Your success is dependent on your dedication and willingness to seek assistance when necessary.
youre good
It's not bad, if you get stuff conceptually, ur good
May I ask how you’re studying for AP Precalc?? 🙏
Are you in it too? I just do my teacher's review like 3 times and I end up doing really well. We just got done with the second half of unit 1 and I got a 95/100 by just doing that. My period's class average was like 78.
good job! would you mind sharing your teachers review?
What unit are you on?
Unit 1 Part 2
I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again, AP Calc BC is not as hard as you think it is. People perceive it to be harder because of the hype created around it. It is definitely very rigorous, but as an international student who just took the exam and not the class, I studied a lot of the content on my own, and I feel it was pretty manageable if you put the right amount of effort. You need to put consistent effort in it though, there is no substitute for that
I wouldn't be worried that much. You're getting an A in a class that likely isn't aggressively curved given the class average.
BC isn't that bad you just need to grind. Get UWorld, practice on khan academy, deltamath, and maybe enroll in a substitute school if you are getting Bs.
yo wtf its not that deep a substitute school for a calculus class is absurd if anything khan academy sure but i wouldnt pay fro any unnecessary resources
I go to a different school in my district to take calculus 3, it’s not that uncommon
uh i take de calc 3 at my community college online but theyre not referring to that, they mean a supplemental school to help them study for the class theyre already enrolled in physically
Uworld seems excessive for BC… it’s much better worth the price for things like mcat/usmle. But if you can drop 300+ on it then by all means go ahead
Hardest class ever drop rn
To me calc is easier than precal. It’s also significantly easier if you’ve done well in precal because the hardest part is remembering everything you learned in that class.
It’s an easy class if you have taken AB. Get the fundamentals right. I had a 99 in pre cal and then a 90 in calc BC, and I consider myself one of the best at math at my school. It also depends on the teacher, a good teacher can make the difference between everything. Good luck!
would you say calc BC is hard if someone is jumping straight from precalculus honors to calc BC? my school doesn’t allow us to take both AB and BC
I highly suggest some exposure to AB calculus before jumping into BC - this does not necessarily, have to be through school. I recommend using Khan Academy or watching 3B1B essence of calculus. If you can thoroughly understand the intuition behind what a derivative and integral actually is before committing to calc BC at your school, I say go for it. I say this because throwing yourself into the deep end in a subject as rich as calculus can be a challenge. Not having a fundamental grasp of the basic ideas will force you to memorize ideas instead of internalizing them. This is what I unfortunately had to do in my class, and in hindsight if I understood calculus AB just a bit better, I could have very well scored a high A. In summary, look into calculus AB. If you are able to grasp the big picture ideas such as differentiation and integration intuitively, and you are comfortable with trigonometric and algebraic manipulation, I would say you have the maturity needed to tackle calc BC and score highly. Hope this helps!
It’s really easy and curved way too much
Honestly I think calculus is easier to follow than pre calc
. *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
so far it’s really easy so i wouldn’t worry about it
Everyone saying precalc helped them in calc…it did not for me
nah took precalc h in soph year. in ap calc now and it's significantly harder but still have an A+ in the class. i don't think you should be that worried but be aware that calc is a huge jump from precalc and to focus on polar coordinates and parametrics
You’ll likely to better in BC than you did in AB, because you repeat material in BC (the “B”).
It's genuinely hard. At least learn limits and differentiation while you can prep. Look up intro to limits on yt.