Integrate these tips into your studying. Image credit of 

To get a 5 in AP Calculus, you need to know how the College Board asks questions. The test is difficult, but if you know the content and do enough practice, you'll set yourself up for a 5. Here are some tips and tricks to make sure you do your best on test day 🎉

 you'll be tested over is key to getting a 5. First, let's look at the format of the exam, which is the same for both AP Calculus AB and BC.

The multiple-choice section makes up 50% of your score, and you have an hour and 45 minutes to answer 45 questions. This section has 2 parts:

The free-response section makes up the other 50% of your score, and you have an hour and 30 minutes to answer 6 questions. This section has 2 parts:

Now, let's look at the content of the tests:

You can use this information to guide your studying. For example, since unit 6 makes up a large portion of the test, you might want to focus on integration over a smaller unit like differential equations 🤔.

2. Memorize derivative and integral rules ✅

You won’t get an equation sheet on the test, so you need to know your rules to get a 5. Keep practicing the product, quotient, and chain rules. Also remember to go over those trickier derivatives and integrals for trig functions, logarithms, a^x, and inverse functions 📈

You must know how to solve derivatives and integrals, but the College Board also wants to know if you can apply that knowledge to real-world problems. At least 2 questions on the free-response section use a real-world scenario 🌏

Take some time to review units 4, 5, and 8 to make sure you understand related rates, motion, and optimization problems. Use these Fiveable resources to help you study:

Last but not least, the best way to set yourself up for a 5 is to take practice tests! This will help you understand exactly how the College Board asks problems. As you practice, take note of what you get wrong and review the concepts you struggled with.

 to find questions by unit, topic, and type (calculator or non-calculator). You can also check out some of these FRQ review streams to see walkthroughs of recent prompts:

For the multiple-choice section, use these free, full-length

 from the College Board. If you're willing to spend some money, prep books will often have AP-style practice tests. Check out this list of the best prep books [TK] if you're considering buying one!

To sum it up: practice. If you're struggling to understand concepts on your own, don't be afraid to ask questions! AP Calculus can be difficult, but as long as you keep working at it, you'll be on your way to a 5.

AP Calculus AB/BC Exams

AP Calculus AB/BC Exam Prep | Reviews +  Free Practice | Fiveable

AP Calculus AB/BC

Free Review 2020

Free Response Questions (FRQ)

Unit 1: Limits & Continuity

Unit 2: Differentiation: Definition & Fundamental Properties

Unit 3: Differentiation: Composite, Implicit & Inverse Functions

Unit 4: Contextual Applications of the Differentiation

Unit 5: Analytical Applications of Differentiation

Unit 6: Integration and Accumulation of Change

Unit 7: Differential Equations

Unit 8: Applications of Integration

Unit 9: Parametric Equations, Polar Coordinates & Vector Valued Functions (BC Only)

Unit 10: Infinite Sequences and Series (BC Only)

Multiple Choice Questions (MCQ)

Blogs

Live Cram Sessions 2020

How to Get a 5 in AP Calculus AB/BC

AP Calculus will probably be more difficult than the other math classes you've taken. At the same time, it's totally doable! Concepts build on each other pretty quickly, so make sure to keep up with the work and ask questions if you're confused. It's a new way of thinking, but as long as you have a solid foundation in algebra, you'll make it through.

On the test, you'll have 1 hour and 45 minutes to answer 45 multiple choice questions, then 1 hour and 30 minutes to answer 6 free-response questions. You will 

 be able to use a graphing calculator on 4 of the FRQs, but don't worry! If you have to work with numbers on a non-calculator question, the calculations will be relatively simple. Check out

 to get an idea of what questions you might be asked.

Here are the score distributions from 2019:

In comparison to other AP classes, AP Calculus AB has a middle-of-the-road pass rate and an above-average 5 rates. AP Calculus BC has a high pass rate 

 5 rates. This data seems to suggest that AP Calculus isn't too difficult, but it's important to consider that students who are taking an AP math class are more likely to be math-inclined. So, how do students feel?

We surveyed 41 students about the difficulty of AP Calculus.

 They ranked each class on a scale of 1 to 5, where 1 was "extremely easy" and 5 was "extremely difficult." Here are the results:

In that survey from earlier, we asked for advice for students going into AP Calculus. There were three common tips that people seemed to agree on.

First, don't just memorize formulas. Try to understand the reasoning behind each concept. There's a large focus on graphing and real-world applications, so make sure to figure out the meaning behind formulas and rules.

Second, brush up on your algebra skills. Oftentimes, students will understand the calculus part of a question, but they'll make mistakes because of small algebraic errors.

Third, practice FRQs! Try to answer questions in the time limit. When you finish, look at the answer key and compare your work. Remember that every time you correct a mistake, you learn something.

Lastly, listen to some words of wisdom from the Fiveable community:

"It's a different kind of math. Don't feel bad if you don't like it, but give it a shot because you really might!"

"Don’t give up! Especially for the first few months. It's hard to get adjusted, but you’ll get the hang of it. And if you don’t understand one topic, it's okay! Some topics will be better than others."

"Remember that it's an entirely new way of thinking, so it's normal to struggle at first. Stick with it and you'll have a lot of fun!"

All in all, AP Calculus is definitely worth taking. It's extremely useful for most STEM fields, like physics, chemistry, and biology. Even if you aren't going into STEM, calculus is a new type of math that you just might like if you try.

If you start to find it difficult, don't get discouraged! You'll come out of the class knowing more than you did before, and Fiveable has 

Is AP Calculus AB/BC Hard? Is AP Calculus AB/BC Worth Taking?

Keeping up with the fast and challenging curriculum of AP Calculus can be hard to handle sometimes. Looking at calculus memes can help you understand complex topics in a more enjoyable way. These ten memes have humorous and educational aspects that will help you better understand AP Calculus.

Your calculator can only be in two different modes: degrees or radians. This joke is referencing the fact that if you’re not in degree mode, you’re in radian mode. RAD is the abbreviation for radian mode.

In AP Calculus class, knowing what mode to have your calculator in is crucial for calculating trigonometric values. Something most students don’t know is that the mode of your calculator only matters when using trigonometric functions such as sine, cosine, tangent, secant, cosecant, or cotangent. With every other calculation, you’ll get the same answer regardless of which mode you’re in. Here’s a simple breakdown of when you should be using each mode:

Image Courtesy of Architecture & Civil Engineering Facebook

One of the most important things to know about calculus is the relationship between derivatives and integrals. To put it simply, an integral is an “opposite” derivative. This joke is a classic example of the concept. If you derive the milk, you get cheese because that is the next step of the process. If you integrate milk, you get a cow because that is the previous step in the process. In this situation, the process is cow → milk → cheese.

Images Courtesy of Erica S Pinterest and 9GAG.com

When learning about derivatives, you’ll most likely have to memorize the derivatives or certain functions like natural logs and trig functions. One of the easiest derivatives to remember is that the derivative of  

In the first meme, it shows how the natural log function was changed into a 1/x and x^2 function was changed into a 2x. The 

 function was unchanged because its derivative is the same as the function. In the end, it is revealed that the book is a derivative.

Similarly, in the second meme, the man is unchanged despite deriving multiple times. Thus, the only explanation is that he is 

Here’s a chart to help you remember your derivatives:


While this meme isn’t actually calculus related, I have found that many students still make this mistake from time to time. When I was taking calculus, my teacher couldn’t stand when his students did this. It is crucial to remember that addition and subtraction cannot be treated the same way as multiplication and division when it comes to exponents. 

As seen in the meme, most students think that (x^2 +3)^2 equals x^4 + 9 However, the answer is actually x^4 + 6x + 9 because you have to FOIL (first, outer, inner, last). It is important to recognize that (x^2 +3)^2 is the same as  (x^2 + 3)(x^2 + 3) not x^4 + 9.


When deriving the position function, the first derivative is velocity and the second derivative is acceleration. The 3rd derivative, which is shown in the meme as d3x/dt3, is known as a jerk. Thus, the meme says “Don’t be a jerk”.

Image Courtesy of @iam.miss.physics Instagram


This meme shows how the original function, f(x), can change drastically after being derived once or twice. In the meme, the first picture of the hair represents the original function. As you can see, the hair gets shorter and shorter similar to how a function’s graph changes when it is derived.


Both of these memes reference the same concept of calculus. When you’re integrating any function, you must have a “+ C” on the end. As mentioned previously, integration is essentially a reverse derivative. Take a look at this example to better understand this: 
15x^2 + 8


If f(x) =  5x^3 +8x + 7 and f’(x) = 15x^2 + 8, then ∫ f’(x)dx 

 equal f(x). However, ∫ 15x^2 + 8 dx actually equals 5x^3 +8x. The problem here is that constant from the original function (7) isn’t represented.


Thus, it is important to add “+ C” at the end of the function when you integrate so the constant is represented. This “+ C” is an arbitrary constant that can be anything you want, as seen in the first meme.

When you’re first learning about derivatives in AP Calculus class, you’ll likely learn to take a derivative using a limit rather than using derivative rules. To take a derivative using a limit, you must use the difference quotient. The formula for the difference quotient is shown in the speech bubble of the meme. Thus, the difference quotient can be thought of as a derivative’s “full name”.

Hopefully, these memes will help you better grasp the complex concepts of AP Calculus. If you are ever confused, consider talking to your teacher or chatting with us here at 

Good Luck with your AP Calculus studying!

Perfect Memes for AP Calculus AB/BC

On the AP Calculus Exam, you will be required to use a graphing calculator on both the Multiple Choice and Free Response Section. Thus, you should be a master with your calculator by the time you walk into that exam room. Here are some tips to use your calculator to its full potential on the AP Calculus Exam!

Since there are so many graphing calculators out there, we're going to be focusing on the TI-84 and TI-84 plus because they seem to be the ones that most people have. If your calculator isn't mentioned and you'd like an article like this, please let us know!

The majority of the time that you'll be using your calculator is to graph functions and find exact values.

To find derivatives press 'math' then the number '8'

This should lead you to a screen that looks something like this

Here, you can insert the function you're trying to take the derivative of in the parentheses.

Make sure that you have the variable the derivative is being taken in terms of in the the 'd/d_', which in most cases is just 'x'.

In the small box outlined in bold, you have to put the same variable you put in the beginning.

If you look over to the to where the red is, the box outlined in dots is where you would either but 'x' or a number. The only time you can put 'x' here is when you're graphing the derivative. If you put in a value, you would be finding the derivative at a certain point

Live Stream Replay: Practicing Derivative Rules

Similar to finding the derivative, press 'math' but then you'll need to press '9'

This should take you to a screen that looks like this

For definite integrals, you would put your bounds in the two dotted bound boxes at the top and bottom of the integral sign. Your function would go in the parentheses and the variable you're taking the integral in terms of would go next to the 'd'.

For indefinite integrals, the only time you'd be able to do this is when you're graphing. Everything would stay the same aside from your bounds. At the bottom, you would put 0, and for the top you would but the variable you're taking the integral in terms of (usually x)

Live Stream Replay: Integration Techniques

If you press 'Y=' you'll be taken to a screen that will allow you to put in functions. You probably already know that this is where you would go to graph functions

If you have the plus, then you can also change the color of the lines if you were to graph them

In calculus, you'll be using the same function in several different ways and re-typing them each time can waste time and effort. To solve this, type whatever function you have in any of the 'slots' available

When you need to call for that function, press 'alpha' (the green button) then 'trace' (the fourth button from the left on the top row). You'll be taken to a screen like this

All you have to do to call the function you need is to press the same 'Y#' that you put your function in!

This is especially helpful when you have to do find composite functions or use a function for multiple steps

This is one pretty straightforward. All you have to do is press the 'alpha' button and then the button that corresponds to the letter you want.

For example, if I wanted the letter or symbol 'x', I would first press 'alpha' and then 'STO)' because we can see that 'x' is above it.

WINDOW - here you can put the exact bounds for the graph you'll be seeing (for both x and y)

TRACE - With this button, you can go along the graph you've created and follow along with the values with the arrows

ZOOM - allows you to take a closer look or bigger picture of the graph you've created

Live Stream Replay: Fundamental Theorem of Calculus & Integral Defined Functions

In my experience, these functions have the been the most help to me in terms of graphing

These are pretty self-explanatory, but we'll go through them real quick so you can get a good grasp of what they do since they're so important

Value - you'll be asked to input a value for 'x' and then it will give you the corresponding y-value. It's important that your x-value is within the window that you've created or else it may show an error

Zero - here, you'll be asked to give a left bound, a right bound, and a guess to where you think your zero would be. To give these criteria, simply use the left and right arrows to navigate and the enter button to submit your placement! This tells you where your function crosses the x-axis

Minimum and Maximum - this asks for the same steps as the 'zero' button would. This tells you where your function has a minimum or maximum y-value

Intersect - this button asks for the 'first curve' or the first function and the 'second curve' or the second function, and a guess. However, this can only be used when you have two functions graphed. To move between the two 'curves', use the up and down arrows

dy/dx - here you can find the derivative of the function you've graphed at a specific point. This will ask you to give an x-value so you can either type it in or move your pointer with the left and right arrows to where you want it

∫f(x)dx - this is a pretty straightforward one as well. This function will give you the integral of the graph. All you have to do is put in 'lower' and 'upper' limits, which are just the bounds. You can do this by once again typing them in or moving your cursor around.

Join our community

Blogs

AP Calculus AB/BC

all

blogs

browse by units

Free Review 2020

Free Response Questions (FRQ)

Unit 1: Limits & Continuity

Unit 2: Differentiation: Definition & Fundamental Properties

Unit 3: Differentiation: Composite, Implicit & Inverse Functions

Unit 4: Contextual Applications of the Differentiation

Unit 5: Analytical Applications of Differentiation

Unit 6: Integration and Accumulation of Change

Unit 7: Differential Equations

Unit 8: Applications of Integration

Unit 9: Parametric Equations, Polar Coordinates & Vector Valued Functions (BC Only)

Unit 10: Infinite Sequences and Series (BC Only)

Multiple Choice Questions (MCQ)

Blogs

Join Our Community

Blogs

AP Calculus AB/BC

all

blogs

browse by units

Free Review 2020﻿

Free Response Questions (FRQ)﻿

Unit 1: Limits & Continuity﻿

Unit 2: Differentiation: Definition & Fundamental Properties﻿

Unit 3: Differentiation: Composite, Implicit & Inverse Functions﻿

Unit 4: Contextual Applications of the Differentiation﻿

Unit 5: Analytical Applications of Differentiation﻿

Unit 6: Integration and Accumulation of Change﻿

Unit 7: Differential Equations﻿

Unit 8: Applications of Integration﻿

Unit 9: Parametric Equations, Polar Coordinates & Vector Valued Functions (BC Only)﻿

Unit 10: Infinite Sequences and Series (BC Only)﻿

Multiple Choice Questions (MCQ)﻿

Blogs﻿

Join Our Community

Free Review 2020

Free Response Questions (FRQ)

Unit 1: Limits & Continuity

Unit 2: Differentiation: Definition & Fundamental Properties

Unit 3: Differentiation: Composite, Implicit & Inverse Functions

Unit 4: Contextual Applications of the Differentiation

Unit 5: Analytical Applications of Differentiation

Unit 6: Integration and Accumulation of Change

Unit 7: Differential Equations

Unit 8: Applications of Integration

Unit 9: Parametric Equations, Polar Coordinates & Vector Valued Functions (BC Only)

Unit 10: Infinite Sequences and Series (BC Only)

Multiple Choice Questions (MCQ)

Blogs