AP® Calculus AB-BC | Frequently Asked Questions | Albert (2024)

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Welcome to AP® Calculus AB-BC!
  • Subject Organization
  • Using Standards and Tags to Find Questions
  • Question Types
  • Exam Information
  • Our Help Center is always available!

Welcome to AP® Calculus AB-BC!

Welcome to Albert's AP® Calculus AB-BC course!

This page provides specific content-related information for Albert's AP® Calculus AB-BC course, including how it is organized, how to find questions using standards or tags, and ideas for classroom uses. If you need technical assistance, please visit our Help Center or contact hello@albert.io.

For testing information or details about the exam itself, visit the College Board.

Subject Organization

Albert’s AP® Calculus AB-BC multiple choice questions (located in the Practice tab) and free response questions (located in the Free Response tab) are organized in accordance with the College Board’s 2019 AP® Calculus Course and Exam Description into the following units:

Units

  • Unit 1: Limits and Continuity
  • Unit 2: Differentiation: Definition and Fundamental Properties
  • Unit 3: Differentiation: Composite, Implicit, and Inverse Functions
  • Unit 4: Contextual Applications of 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, and Vector- Valued Functions (BC)
  • Unit 10: Infinite Sequences and Series (BC)

The first 8 themes are intended for AB and BC students. The final two themes are only for BC students.

Sections

Each unit contains a range of specific topics. For example, here are some topics within Unit 1: Limits and Continuity:

  • 1.1 | Introducing Calculus: Can Change Occur at an Instant?
  • 1.2 | Defining Limits and Using Limit Notation
  • 1.3 | Estimating Limit Values from Graphs

Assessments

In addition to our practice guide, AP® Calculus AB-BC includes unit assessments and full-length practice exams that include questions unique from those on our practice guide. Unit assessments are designed to be assigned throughout the year at the end of each unit shown above. Our full-length practice exams are meant to prepare students for the AP® Calculus AB-BC exam with multiple-choice and free response questions.

Free Response Questions

AP® Calculus AB-BC includes free response questions designed to mimic questions seen on the actual exam. These questions include a sample response and a grading rubric for teachers.

Using Standards and Tags to Find Questions

Standards

All questions in Albert’s AP® Calculus AB-BC course are aligned to enduring understandings, math skills, learning objectives, and essential knowledge standards from the Course and Exam Description.

This standards-alignment provides another easy way to find useful questions besides the Theme and Topic organization. Using the Standards button at the top left corner of any subject page, you can search for any standard from the CED to find all questions in our course library aligned to that standard! For more details, please see this article in our Help section.

In addition to searching by the standards’ names, you can also search by their content! Simply type in a few words from the standard description to see all relevant standards pertaining to that content.

Tags

Albert’s AP® Calculus AB-BC includes two types of tags, calculator policy and content. These are words or phrases that provide information about what a question covers and the calculator use policy, such as evaluating-limits or no-calculator. Tags provide another easy way to search for relevant content in our course library. Simply search using the Tags button at the top left corner of any guidelevel and type in a few words from the essential knowledge description!

Question Types

AP® Calculus AB-BC includes all of the questions students will find on the actual AP® exam. This provides meaningful practice of important skills and content to prepare students to excel in their course and on their exam.

Calculator Use

We know that educators have different philosophies around calculator use in math courses. For AP® Calculus AB-BC, each practice question is labeled in multiple ways with Albert's expectations for whether a student should use a calculator or not:

  • Multiple choice question titles include "(Calculator)" or "(No Calculator)"
  • The prompt will include a statement that clarifies calculator expectations (such as "No calculator is allowed on this question.)
  • Each question is tagged with calculator-allowed or no-calculator

Since the official AP® Calculus AB-BC exam has specific sections with and without a calculator, we recommend that students abide by Albert's calculator expectations to be as prepared as possible for test day.

Exam Information

All AP Exams take place the first two weeks of May. You can find the AP Exam schedule here.

The format of the AP® Calculus AB-BC exam is detailed in the table below:

SectionSection I: Multiple Choice QuestionsSection II: Free Response Questions
Number of QuestionsPart A: 30 questions (no calculator)

Part B: 15 questions (calculator allowed)

Part A: 2 questions (calculator allowed)

Part B: 4 questions (no calculator)

Exam Weighting50%50%
Timing105 minutes90 minutes

The AP® Calculus AB-BC poster provides a detailed overview of this year’s exam.

Our Help Center is always available!

Our Help Center is available at any time! Get started and answer your questions with articles written by the Albert team.

AP® Calculus AB-BC | Frequently Asked Questions | Albert (2024)

FAQs

What percent correct is a 5 on AP Calc BC? ›

Since you only need to get about 60% of available points to score a 5 on either AP Calculus exam, and since you have ample time on all sections, you can strategize the exam differently than you would almost any classroom test.

Is Calc ABBC hard? ›

How Difficult Are AP Calculus AB and BC – As Rated By Class Alumnae. APs Calculus AB / BC are considered moderate difficulty, with class alumnae rating them 5.6/10 for overall difficulty, making them the joint 12th-most-difficult out of the 28 large AP classes surveyed.

What percent is a 4 on AP Calc BC? ›

- 5: Around 40-50% of students score a 5 on the AP Calculus BC exam. - 4: Roughly 20-25% of students achieve a score of 4. - 3: About 15-20% of test takers earn a score of 3. - 2: Approximately 10% of students receive a 2.

What is the hardest AP Calc AB unit? ›

According to the College Board's data, the Composite, Implicit, and Inverse Functions unit is considered the most challenging for students in the multiple-choice section of the AP Calculus AB exam. Approximately 11% of students received a score of zero on questions related to this unit in the AP Calculus AB exam 2022.

Is a 70% a 5 on the AP exam? ›

Usually, a 70 to 75 percent out of 100 translates to a 5. However, there are some exams that are exceptions to this rule of thumb. The AP Grades that are reported to students, high schools, colleges, and universities in July are on AP's five-point scale: 5: Extremely well qualified.

Is 4 on Calc BC good? ›

This means that overall, 78.45% of students received a 3 or higher in 2023, with a mean score of 3.75. Any 3 (“qualified”), 4 (“well qualified”), or 5 (“extremely well qualified”) is considered to be a good score on the AP Calc BC exam.

Do colleges care if you take Calc AB or BC? ›

Ultimately, colleges want you to challenge yourself within the context of your abilities and academic goals. If you have a strong math foundation and plan to pursue a college major that requires extensive math coursework (e.g., engineering, computer science, physics), choosing Calculus BC might be a better option.

Is Calc harder than algebra? ›

We often consider calculus to be more difficult than algebra. Algebra courses explore the many operations, properties, and rules that can be used to manipulate equations. Calculus courses apply algebraic operations to functions in a more complex way.

Which AP has the lowest pass rate? ›

AP Art & Design: 2D – 83.70% The top 6 subjects with the lowest pass rates: AP Physics 1 – 45.60% AP US History – 47.50% AP US Government – 49.20%

What is the hardest AP class? ›

United States History, Biology, English Literature, Calculus BC, Physics C, and Chemistry are often named as the hardest AP classes and tests. These classes have large curriculums, tough tests, and conceptually difficult material.

Are AP exams curved? ›

AP test scores are indeed "curved," but it's more accurate to call it a "scaling process." Instead of a traditional curve that compares your performance to other students' performance, the AP exam scaling process converts your raw score (the number of points you earned through multiple-choice questions and free- ...

How many people fail AP Calc AB? ›

The passing rate for AP® Calculus AB is higher than average at around 58.4%. This is helpful to know if you are planning to use your AP® Calculus AB exam score for college credit.

How many people get 5 on AP Calc AB? ›

Like many other students, you might be curious to see how well you scored on the overall spectrum. In the 2023 AP Calculus AB score distributions, you'll find that 22.39% of students scored a 5. Additionally, 16.18% of students scored a 4, and 19.4% of students scored a 3.

Is AP Calc AB harder than precalc? ›

It typically requires a fair amount of time and effort, especially when it comes to understanding complex mathematical concepts and solving problems accurately. However, it's generally considered to be less challenging than, say, AP Calculus AB or BC, or AP Physics.

What percent is a 5 on the AP Calc exam? ›

Like many other students, you might be curious to see how well you scored on the overall spectrum. In the 2023 AP Calculus AB score distributions, you'll find that 22.39% of students scored a 5. Additionally, 16.18% of students scored a 4, and 19.4% of students scored a 3.

How much is a 5 in AP Calculus? ›

AP Calculus AB Scoring Table
AP Exam ScoreCollege Grade EquivalentQualification
5A+ or AExtremely Well-Qualified
4A-, B+, or BVery Well-Qualified
3B-, C+, or CQualified
2Possibly Qualified
1 more row

What percent correct is a 5 on AP stats? ›

For students aiming to secure a 5 on the AP Statistics exam, an estimated objective is to obtain between 75% and 80% of the maximum possible points on the test.

What score is a 66 on the AP exam? ›

Grade Conversion Chart
Raw ScoreFinal Exam %AP Exam Score
90-108100%5
67-8995%5
62-6690%4
54-6185%4
7 more rows

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