Calculus AB or Calculus BC?

Author: Daniel Z

Editor: Aniq S

What is the difference?

While AB Calculus and BC Calculus are both classes that one can take, there is a difference in their curriculum and pace of work. While the curriculum of AB Calculus is entirely covered by BC Calculus, the same cannot be said for the other way around. BC Calculus covers two more units than AB Calculus does, which has the effect of making the class itself occur at a faster pace. However, as most of the topics that are covered by the two classes are vastly similar, the overall difficulty of the two different classes is relatively equal. The major difference between AB Calculus and BC Calculus is the pace at which a student learns the curriculum and the overall amount of material that the student has to learn.

How does your choice affect you in college?

Although both AB Calculus and BC Calculus are considered college-level courses that one can utilize to skip Calculus in college, the number of classes that they can forgo is different depending on the course taken. While AB Calculus only allows for one to skip a maximum of 1 semester of college Calculus, BC Calculus students can skip up to a full year of beginner-level Calculus (assuming that one got a 4 or higher on the AP). Therefore, when one considers which class to take, they also have to keep in mind their future in college depending on how they want to navigate their later years.

Conclusion

Both Calculus AB and BC are relatively easy courses that don't require much work. However, the pace of the curriculum is slightly different, which BC being faster than AB. Additionally, one should take into consideration of their plans in college, as AB Calculus only counts as 1 semester and not two. In the end, one's decision should be based on themselves and what they think that they can handle in their everyday lives.