Prepping for the AP calculus BC exam can be difficult and it is certainly time consuming. The majority of the information regarding the test is relatively easy to find, either on the College Board website (the administrative governing body of the test) or through various third party websites. What then is the AP calculus BC exam curve? Is there one at all? After some quick research, I found solid information on the standard score distributions (curve) of the BC calculus exam curve, including information regarding the curve of other AP tests.
Background
AP tests are scored on a 1-5 scale, the numbers correlate to the student’s performance on the exam and grasp of college level subjects. A score of 1 indicates ” no recommendation” and is the worst score that one can receive on the exam, a 3 signifies that a student is “qualified” to complete an introductory college course in that particular subject, a 5 indicates that the student is “extremely well qualified”. It is important to note that in order to receive college credit for an AP course, students must at least score a 3 on the exam. The AP calculus BC exam curve is slightly different than the rest of the exam curves as the BC exam features a separate sub score, that indicates students grasp of AB calculus information covered on the BC exam. The exam is dived into two main sections: multiple choice and open response, the multiple choice responses are graded by computers while the open response questions are scored by AP teachers or in some cases qualified college professors.
Results
Looking at the results of the 2019 AP exams found on the College Board website 43% of students relieved a 5 on the BC calculus exam, 18.5% received a 4, while only 5.2% received a score of 1. Students received higher scores on the BC calculus exam than those who took the AB calculus exam where the percentage of those who scored a 5 was only 19.1%.
Preparation
How do you as a student match the excellence of those who took the BC exam in 2019? A tutor is a great way to start, Star Tutors is one of the best AP BC calculus exam prepping agencies out there, there are a variety of ways to study including: in class, online, one-on-one sessions with an expert or on the company’s StarU app. There are also numerous practice tests available.