Introduction
It’s no secret that AP Calc is one of the scariest Advanced Placement courses out there, and for good reason. Math is the most challenging subject for many since it requires an entirely different way of thinking. My job here is to help you overcome these challenges and get straight A’s in your class 🌟. As a fellow student in the AP Calc trenches, here are a few resources I used to earn my A average in AP Calc as a high school sophomore.
Textbooks and Study Guides
My class relies more on study guides than textbooks (I think I’ve yet to open the textbook once.) However, the aim of both these resources is to provide you with the information you need to begin solving problems. Then, it offers many problems for you to practice your skills. Textbooks and study guides are perfect AP Calculus resources for studying before attempting any practice problems. Still, textbook definitions can be confusing at times. Here are a few online study guides that have helped me:
Fiveable is an online study guide resource that offers helpful guides for most AP classes. It is the most beneficial when remembering theorems and essential information on the go. Still, it only offers a few practice problems. Another downside is that it isn’t free anymore; you have a set limit of free study guides before paying. Fiveable is a stellar resource for the memorization part of AP Calc (theorems, basic strategies, etc.). Still, it is bare bones when it comes to applying the information.
Flipped Math Calculus
Flipped Math’s study guides have been an absolute godsend. They offer neatly organized lessons based on the College Board CED (Course and Exam Description), which most AP Calc classes are based on. Each topic usually contains an explanatory video with a matching study guide, solutions, and corrective assignments for extra practice. There’s also a Unit Review at the end of each unit with a comprehensive review packet, solutions, and a corrective assignment. Using their study guides and reviews has been instrumental in getting good grades.
Studocu is surprisingly unknown for the amount of content it offers. Students can submit their class notes, study guides, practice questions, and review worksheets, making it one of the best resources for AP Calculus AB. Then, other students (you!) can use these resources to improve your grades in the class. It has a stunning amount of high-quality content submitted by students like you. Resources are assigned ratings based on their helpfulness, making it easy for you to scout out the most helpful documents. However, navigating the website can sometimes be challenging, and unrelated documents can sneak in. Despite these minor issues, the excellent content of the website outweighs whatever faults it may have.
Initially created for a Calc I class at Lamar University, Paul’s Online Notes is a GREAT resource for in-depth study guides and practice problems. His website features many examples and understandable explanations and is generally excellent. I would recommend Paul’s Online Notes to anyone needing help comprehending any topic in this challenging course. The only downside to this resource is that it is not created for AP students specifically, so the notes are not organized around the CED. This might make getting to the study guide you want more challenging, but it is worth it for the stellar explanations.
Online Platforms and Videos
It’s tedious at times, but it is such a valuable resource for AP Calculus AB. It offers impressive and understandable review videos and a treasure trove of practice problems. Khan Academy is perfect for beginning to learn and apply a new topic since it has many practice problems that offer detailed explanations. However, I recommend studying from something other than Khan Academy since the problems are sometimes too easy compared to what you will face in the test. I always study with the most challenging practice problems I can find, making the test seem easier by comparison. But before you can get started with the complex problems, you need to work through the easy ones first. Khan Academy is an optimal tool for doing just that.
AP Classroom Progress Checks and Student Practice are another helpful resource for practice MCQs and FRQs. Progress Checks offers many MCQs and FRQs, which are notorious for being difficult. Although the difficulty of AP Classroom may be annoying, there is no denying that it prepares you well to encounter any type of problem on your tests. The Student Practice offers three levels with progressing independence and difficulty. They give you detailed advice on how to structure an FRQ response directly from the makers of the AP exam. I always do all three levels (including the “tips” section) before any test to ensure I’m ready to handle an FRQ relating to that topic on the AP exam.
AP Classroom also offers videos for each topic. To be honest, I have never used the videos, but they’re there if you need them.
Practice Tests and Mock Exams
Practice tests for each unit can easily be found in Khan Academy, Flipped Math Calculus, Studocu, and YouTube. I recommend studying from study guides for each topic and going in-depth into every topic (if you have enough time) before each unit test. Go over quizzes and do as many practice problems as you can. If you’re reading this 5 minutes before your next exam (we’ve all been there) go on fiveable or look up a calculus cheat sheet to get the hang of the essential theorems and some examples before the test begins.
Mock AP Exams, although one of the best resources for AP Calculus AB, are more challenging to come across. Studocu offers the most full-length practice exams of all the resources I have encountered. College Board also provides past exam FRQ questions from 1998 (link here). In other words, you’re covered when it comes to FRQs. You can also google “AP Calc AB Practice Exams” and see what pops up. I have done a few from various websites, and they’ve all felt solid and similar in format to past AP Exams I’ve taken. Furthermore, our next category, test prep books, offers many mock AP exams.
Prep Books
Test Prep Books, although relatively expensive, are good resources. They’re useful for reviewing concepts and practice problems before a unit test or before the actual AP exam. They’re also excellent resources for mock AP exams. I’ve bought the Princeton Review book before, and I found it to be a valuable resource. I have not tried Barron’s or 5 Steps to a 5, but I’ve seen good reviews. If you have the resources to invest in a test prep book, I would definitely do it since it is a convenient tool. However, it isn’t necessary, and you can get the same practice with free resources online.
Tips and Tricks
- Do as many practice questions as you can before each unit test.
- Questions in the AP classroom are annoying, but they prepare you well since they are usually more complex than anything on Khan Academy or online.
- Remember to underestimate the power of getting sleep before your exam, mainly since math relies on logic and critical thinking. Please, please, please start studying during the weekends or earlier during the week to avoid 3:00 AM cramming sessions (We’ve all done it, but try to avoid it!!!).
- Get a friend who’s already done the course to help or tutor you.
- Make a class group chat or make friends with your classmates if you need help with homework.
- Try your best not to freak out. The problems might look complicated, but they’re usually just trying to trick you. If you start to freak out, you’ll spend more time worrying than studying.
- My strategy for math tests has always been to go as fast as possible while avoiding making mistakes as soon as I get the test. Then, I redo all the problems to catch any possible errors. If possible, I try to get the question from the answer (e.g., taking the derivative of an integral and seeing if it matches the expression in the question to determine if I computed the integral correctly)
Loops of Learning Tutoring
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Conclusion
We all know that tackling AP Calc is no joke. It requires a lot of studying, resilience, and a focus on understanding rather than memorizing. In addition, the journey prepares students for future challenges and helps us form bonds with classmates and instructors. The class may seem impossible now, but you’ll be glad you took it once you see that 5 in July. Furthermore, taking AP Calc is usually easier than taking Calc in college, so know that you’re saving a lot of future studying. I hope this guide helped you find the best AP Calculus AB resources. Good luck – you’ve got this!
* AP® is a trademark registered and owned by the College Board, which was not involved in the production of and does not endorse this site.
Written by Diana Moya Lapeira
As a Costa Rican teen living in Miami, I am passionate about helping others and giving back to my community through fundraising and volunteer work.