AP Calculus BC

Advanced Placement (AP) Calculus BC is usually taken by people who liked math and passed Calculus AB. Side note: most of the BC exam is AB, so if your AB knowledge is good don't worry too much, just learn the new thing. Like most classes, the best way to study (at least for me) is to understand the material (notes or if you have time: Khan Academy, invest in Sparkcharts if the test is a month or less away), apply it, and take as many practice tests as possible.

To understand the materials: my notes* (click link for pdf), watch Get a 5 or **Khan Academy** (the best!) if that's your thing, I do not recommend getting a review book (although Sparkcharts** are amazing; the best way to understand math subjects is typically to practice, either step by step with an instructor or alone). If your BC teacher doesn't give a nice amount of practice, do the FRQ's and MC's of old CollegeBoard exams, that's how I basically studied.

To apply the knowledge: Do the old tests! Teach others! But mostly, do the homework (if you get any...) it's really that simple.

Practice Tests: Collegeboard old tests, google "AP Calc Practice," old AP Calc Multiple Choice tests are available, do your homework?


BC Topics not covered in AB (all covered in my notes^ but some have extra next to them):
Integration by parts (1) and (2)
Tabular Integration (1) and (2)
Trig Integration (1)  <<--helpful video I made here
Improper Integrals/Partial Fraction Decomposition (1)
L' Hopital's Rule (1)
Trig Substitution (1)
Parametric functions & lengths of parametric curves
**Polars (!!!): using, graphing, area bounded by, SA of arcs, and converting to/from Cartesian
Euler's method
Growth models
**Sequences/Series - Converge/Diverge, p-series, geometric series, and harmonic series, absolute vs. conditional convergence, Taylor series and power series, radius and interval of convergence, etc.
Taylor polynomials and approximation
Lagrange error bound.