What Are the Best Resources for Self-Studying AP Calculus BC?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around recommendations for resources to self-study AP Calculus BC, including prep books, online lectures, and worksheets. Participants share their experiences and suggest various materials, while also noting the context of the original poster's (OP) current educational status.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested
  • Homework-related

Main Points Raised

  • One participant requests recommendations for a good prep book and mentions plans to get a tutor, expressing a negative opinion about PR and Barron books.
  • Another participant shares their positive experience with a teacher's recorded lectures and recommends "Calculus, 4th Ed. by James Stewart," noting the availability of a worked-out answer booklet.
  • A different participant lists several free online calculus texts, emphasizing their focus on teaching calculus rather than test preparation, and suggests an edition of the Larson/Hostetler/Edwards text for a more test-oriented approach.
  • One participant advocates for Barron as the best prep book, sharing their success with it and recommending Shmoop for its online AP Exam prep resources.
  • Some participants point out that the thread is old and question the relevance of new posts, noting that the OP may now be in college.
  • Others argue that the information could still be useful to others, despite the OP's current status.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

There is no clear consensus on the best resources for self-studying AP Calculus BC, as participants express differing opinions on the effectiveness of various prep books and online resources. Additionally, there is a disagreement regarding the relevance of the discussion given the OP's current educational status.

Contextual Notes

Some participants highlight the age of the thread and the OP's transition to college, which may affect the applicability of the recommendations. There is also a distinction made between resources aimed at teaching calculus concepts versus those focused on test preparation.

Who May Find This Useful

Individuals preparing for the AP Calculus BC exam, educators seeking teaching resources, and those interested in self-study methods for calculus may find this discussion relevant.

flyingpig
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I am self-studying ap calculus bc. I need someone to recommand me a good prep book. I will also get a tutor.

If possible also give me a link with good worksheets and solutions.

please give me the link of the picture of the prep book you recommand

I hear PR and Barron are pretty bad.
 
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flyingpig said:
I am self-studying ap calculus bc. I need someone to recommand me a good prep book. I will also get a tutor.

If possible also give me a link with good worksheets and solutions.

please give me the link of the picture of the prep book you recommand

I hear PR and Barron are pretty bad.

I took AP Calculus BC last year and had a great teacher. He recorded all of his lectures and posted them on his website http://www.toddfadoir.com" . I encourage you to give it a look. It is well organized and very thurough. We used the book "Calculus, 4th Ed. by James Stewart". It was a fine book and you can also get a worked out answer booklet if you would like.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
There are several free intro calculus texts available online. Here are some links:
http://ocw.mit.edu/ans7870/resources/Strang/strangtext.htm
http://www.math.wisc.edu/~keisler/calc.html

Note that these are high-quality texts aimed more at teaching calculus than teaching to the test. For a more test-oriented approach, I would recommend an edition of the Larson/Hostetler/Edwards text (old is fine). You can probably pick one up used for cheap.
 
I think Barron is the best one out there; it definitely worked for me. I suggest you also look at Shmoop; it provides online AP Exam prep and I used it when I was studying for http://www.shmoop.com/ap-calculus/" . It has tons of practice exercises and tests, explains concepts in a simple, relatable manner and has test-taking tips and tricks too. I got a perfect score without any tutors which is a big deal considering how scary Calculus is for me.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
^^ Did you check the dates of this thread before posting? This thread is about 2 years old. Furthermore, I believe that the OP is in college now, and so, your post wouldn't be particularly helpful to him/her.
 
eumyang said:
I believe that the OP is in college now

Yep. My first thought when seeing this thread at the top of the forum was, "why in the world is flyingpig self-studying AP calculus when he's already in university?"
 
His post is not necessarily useless though. It probably is for flyingpig but it's possible that somebody else might find it of use. Not the best reason but still, I've seen threads being "dug from their graves" for far less...
 
Mépris said:
His post is not necessarily useless though. It probably is for flyingpig but it's possible that somebody else might find it of use.
That's why I said:
eumyang said:
Furthermore, I believe that the OP is in college now, and so, your post wouldn't be particularly helpful to him/her.
him/her = flyingpig :wink:
 

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