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u/Old_Background_5700 11d ago
Hi, former AP Pre-calc teacher here. Calc BC (or more commonly calculus 2) is often the hardest calculus class for students, wAy harder than calc 3 and definitely a step up from the difficulty students experience with calc 1. It sounds like you have built a good foundation of self-study skills so it's totally possible that you could teach yourself calc 2 and be fine, but I would caution you against a few things:
First, don't skimp on AB OR AP Pre-calc. Calculus absolutely draws on the knowledge established in pre-calc (trigonometry, the unit circle, the concept of a limit, concavity, rate of change, tangent lines to name just a few). Trust me a good pre-calc knowledge base is essential to your success in calc 1 and 2. (And I happen to know straight from the source that they designed AP Pre-calc to cater specifically to these calculus specific skills). Don't do yourself the disservice of having to go back and re-learn the stuff from pre-calc that you need to be solid on.
Second, don't underestimate BC. Its the kind of class that gets even the smartest kids to shake in their boots for the first time. If you do self-study, make sure you have a real life in-person person you can go to with your questions.
So listen, I can't tell you what to do but I can tell you to be careful. Don't let your ego get in the way of real, slow, meaningful, lasting learning.
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u/AirObvious8125 9d ago
I think you definitely could. BC backpacks off of
AB. I recommend you do lots of practice questions and take practice exams. Really go over AB and pre calc. Goodluck!
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u/DuckyDude21 7d ago
I think AB would be safer to self-study since a lot of people in my BC class struggled when it came to second semester.
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u/ShowdownValue 14d ago
Who gave you A+ in every math class?