AP Calculus - AB vs BC?

Hey guys, trying to finalize my senior year schedule. Confused about AP Calculus options. Can someone break down the difference between AP Calculus AB and BC for me? Which one is more difficult? How do colleges view these classes?

Sure, happy to break this down! AP Calculus AB and BC are both Advanced Placement courses offered by the College Board, but they differ in the breadth and depth of topics they cover.

AP Calculus AB is equivalent to a first-semester college calculus course and covers topics such as limits, derivatives, and integrals. It's designed to develop students' understanding of these concepts, methods, and applications.

On the other hand, AP Calculus BC is equivalent to both a first and second-semester college calculus course. It covers all the material from Calculus AB, plus additional topics such as parametric, polar and vector functions, and sequences and series. Because it packs more material into the same time frame, AP Calculus BC is generally considered more challenging than AP Calculus AB.

When it comes to how colleges view these classes, both courses are respected for their rigor. Taking either one sends a positive signal about your academic initiative. However, Calculus BC may be more impressive due to its wider range of topics and faster pace. Remember though, it's important to pick the class that fits best with your comfort level, workload, and future plans. If you're pursuing a STEM-related field, for example, the extra depth of BC might be helpful.

One more point: scoring highly on the AP exam may allow you to skip some college calculus courses. This potentially means you can move more quickly into higher-level math or utilize that saved time for other courses.

To summarize, Calculus BC is generally more challenging and covers more topics, but both are respectable, rigorous courses that prepare students for college-level coursework.