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Did your student take and score well on the AP Exam for Calculus BC


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What do you mean, CD? There is only AB and BC. In order to get credit for more than BC (covers Calc II or Calc C on a quarter system) you would need to talk with the specific school they end up attending. The next step after BC would be multivariable calculus, and many schools DO allow placement for that upon specific request, but it's an in-school exam and not an AP exam.

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My daughter took the course through PA Homeschoolers, and they used the Larson Text plus did extensive test-prep using real AP mc and free response questions. They focused on learning all of the calculus from the Larson text through (early March, I think) and then spent at least 6 weeks on the test prep. This in one exam where extensive test prep is necessary to get used to the AP-type problems after you've mastered the actual calculus!

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DD19 used Stewart's text.  DS17 is using Larsen - he took AB last year and did very well on the AP exam.  So far BC is going along nicely and it is handy having both calculus texts handy for when questions come up.  He plans on taking the BC test in the spring.

 

For the AP test, DS did weeks and weeks of review using the old tests available on line.  I will agree with the other poster - working those old tests really made a difference - DS *knew* the calculus backwards and forwards, but answering the questions took a different approach and he needed to learn that.

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We used this: http://www.amazon.com/Calculus-Graphical-Numerical-Franklin-Demana/dp/0201324458/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1379519696&sr=8-1&keywords=9780201324457

 

The solutions manual was useful.  The other accompanying books were not.

 

I liked that it wasn't huge.  It wasn't so daunting for the student.  However, it does tend to leave out things like the derivation of formulas, if that's important to you.  For many students, that's an unnecessary distraction.  I think that's why this book got written.

 

I didn't CHOOSE this book, it's just that I picked up a whole set of book, solutions, TE, test bank, etc for free.  And I tend to go with any math book that we have the solutions manual for, since they're harder to come by. 

 

Bottom line, though, I think what makes a huge difference is not the book.  It's having someone around who knows how to do calculus who can help when the student gets stuck.  Khan academy may be of some help, but my kids don't always find his explanations to be the way they think about things.

 

However, any book that you can get a solutions manual for (NOT just the answers) is likely going to be WAY better than anything else.  Most of learning calculus is watching how to do a problem.  Sure, some explanation can be useful, but if you can't watch the problem being done you're probably sunk, no matter how much explanation there is.

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However, any book that you can get a solutions manual for (NOT just the answers) is likely going to be WAY better than anything else.  Most of learning calculus is watching how to do a problem.  Sure, some explanation can be useful, but if you can't watch the problem being done you're probably sunk, no matter how much explanation there is.

 

If your calculus book does not have enough solutions available, that hoary old standby - the Schaum's outline of Calculus - is an excellent and inexpensive supplement. As a matter of fact, Schaum's outlines are excellent sources of worked problems for just about anything.

 

I would recommend, though, copying the problems and giving them to your student rather than giving them the book to work through. It is too easy to just look at the solutions and think that "boy, I got it" because you can watch someone else do it and understand, yet still be unable to do it yourself.

 

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If so, which text did he/she use?

 

DD will use Saxon Advanced Mathematics and then after that I am unsure....

 

Saxon Calc.

 

or

 

Larson's

 

or 

 

something else?

 

 

She really wants to take the AP Exam for BC

 

Any thoughts are appreciated.

 

Hi Charleigh,

 

(always plugging for tagging :-))

 

If you go back to this first post and use the edit button, you can tag this thread with ap calculus, ap calculus BC, and even just calculus and then you'll be able to click on the tags and get access to old threads where you can find video materials for various textbooks and other things.

 

HTH,

Joan

 

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Hi Charleigh,

 

(always plugging for tagging :-))

 

If you go back to this first post and use the edit button, you can tag this thread with ap calculus, ap calculus BC, and even just calculus and then you'll be able to click on the tags and get access to old threads where you can find video materials for various textbooks and other things.

 

HTH,

Joan

 

 

 

Oh Joan, I honestly didn't understand tagging at all......you have enlightened me and opened my eyes to a whole new world.

Thanks

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Our two oldest used Chalkdust, which included the DVDs, the Larson text, and the SMs. They also used the Princeton Review study guide and FRQs from the College Board website.

 

Our oldest only made it through the first half of the calc book so only took the AB exam; one finished the book and took the BC exam. Both scored 5s and got As in all of their university math classes as math majors so far. The oldest graduated from college with a math major and an award in the math dept. at graduation. The next oldest is a senior in college and is doing well, although she's finding Abstract Algebra challenging. :)

 

If you like Mr. Mosley, the DVDs are available for the entire calc book, just not through Chalkdust. Also, Chalkdust will sell you the SM for the 2nd half of the book but you have to ask for it.

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  • 3 weeks later...

 

If you go back to this first post and use the edit button, you can tag this thread with ap calculus, ap calculus BC, and even just calculus and then you'll be able to click on the tags and get access to old threads where you can find video materials for various textbooks and other things.

 

 

 

I just learned something new!

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