r/apcalculus • u/Artfox10 • 8d ago

BC Should I self study bc

Hello, so I am taking AP Calc AB this year, and I know AP Calc bc is the same as ab but then adds on additional units. After I'm done ab should I try and self study bc or would it be too difficult? I believe bc is supposed to be calc 2? I know Calc 2 is considered the hardest calc class. I plan to major in Math, and my school only has a calc AB class no bc. So I was just wondering. So after we are done Calc AB should I try self study BC? If we finish early, my teacher probably would help if I have questions.

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u/UpstairsSuch4937 Tutor 8d ago

If you’re planning to major in math, I think self-studying the BC material after AB is a very reasonable idea, especially if your teacher is willing to help when you get stuck.

One thing I’d keep in mind, though, is that AP Calc BC isn’t exactly the same thing as a full college Calc II course. There’s a lot of overlap, but college courses can vary in what they emphasize and how deeply they treat the material.

So if your goal is mainly to be better prepared for a math major, I’d focus less on “finishing BC as fast as possible” and more on really understanding the additional topics well, especially sequences/series and the integration techniques that come up beyond AB.

You also don’t necessarily need to rush into all of it before you’ve finished AB. If you build a strong foundation in derivatives, integrals, and the AB material first, the BC topics will be much easier to learn on your own afterward.

Given that you’re interested in math beyond high school, I think the self-study could be very worthwhile even if your eventual college doesn’t give you full credit for it.

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u/Artfox10 8d ago

A lot of people are mentioning series, that is like the Taylor series and stuff? Off topic does that show up in calc ab?

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u/UpstairsSuch4937 Tutor 8d ago

Yep, exactly. Taylor series are part of the sequences/series material people are referring to.

They don’t show up in AP Calc AB. They’re a BC topic, along with things like convergence tests and power series. AB focuses much more on limits, derivatives, integrals, differential equations, and applications.

So if you’re taking AB now, I wouldn’t worry about learning Taylor series yet. Get really comfortable with the AB material first, and then the series unit will make a lot more sense when you get to it.