My son, a Junior, yesterday received a '5' on his AP practice exam in Calculus BC.
'5' is the top score, and the AP practice exam *is* the 2014 AP exam, so his score is a real indication of what he can expect when he takes the actual exam in a couple of weeks.
Joey skipped AB Calculus, so next year he will be taking whatever comes after Calculus: 'Matrix algebra' or something like that. It's a little disturbing, but he'll have matched me in math by the end of this year. I always thought math was one of my real strengths. Nope.
While talking with him, he said: "You know, Dad, calculus isn't really all that hard!" Uh, okay. Whatever. I can no longer relate to my own son.
I've encouraged him to keep studying, especially in the areas where he knows he struggled. Not only will he improve his chances of getting a 5 on the real exam, but he'll also give himself a better understanding of the subject. I think calculus is incredibly important - possibly the hardest thing many engineers ever need to learn. Joey doesn't know what he wants to major in, but I'm encouraging him to consider engineering. It certainly pays well, and there's an ongoing need.
Joey was ecstatic about his score, by the way. His friends in the class all received 4s and lower. One boy sitting next to him got a 1.
The entire class was put at a huge disadvantage this year. The school lost (through retirement) its BC math teacher and replaced her with a man who, literally, cannot be understood. He comes from some French-speaking African country, and his accent is so thick that he's virtually unintelligible. I've met him. Though I have no reason to question his brilliance, I understand about ten percent of what he says. I can't even imagine trying to learn calc from him.
After getting into the class and discovering this problem with the teacher, Joey had me buy him a subscription to a site run by the former teacher. that teaches calculus via videos. With its help, he literally taught himself. That's apparently what a lot of the class has been doing.
If any of you have children / grandchildren / friends who'd benefit, let me know. I strongly recommend the calculus training my son bought.
| 
