Varsity Tutors AP Calculus BC mobile app

The AP Calculus BC exam covers the content in first and second semester college courses. Consisting of multiple-choice and free-response sections, this three hour, fifteen-minute test is challenging to many students, but getting a good score can enable you to bypass some college courses and get ahead in your studies faster. The Varsity Tutors AP Calculus BC app, available now for iOS and Android, provides various study tools for getting the most of your study time. It can be downloaded on iTunes or the Google Play Store at no cost.

The app’s Full-Length Practice Tests, shorter concept-specific practice tests, flashcards, and other review materials cover the primary concepts that the AP Calculus BC program includes. The AP Calculus BC exam has a 45-question multiple choice section with two parts and a free-response section with six questions, in two parts. Each section has questions where you can use a graphing calculator and one where you cannot. Not only do you have to be proficient in calculus, but you also must be able to manage your time, confidence, and endurance. Differential and integral calculus are topics you will be tested on. You can easily test your ability to work with derivatives, limits, definite integrals, sequences, and series. The Fundamental Theorem of Calculus is a critical concept that you will have to understand and apply as you go forward. Polar, vector, and parametric functions also come into play.

Whether you want supplemental practice, need to review a complex topic from class, or want to ensure you are adequately prepared for the exam, the AP Calculus BC app has just what you need. The Full-Length Practice Tests let you dive in head-first with solving equations for derivatives and functions, evaluating integrals and limits, solving indefinite integrals, and solving word problems with the proper equations. Other questions deal with the slope of a line. Parabolas, rates of change, and finding area and maximums of regions are other topics you’ll be able to practice using the AP Calculus BC app on an iPad, iPhone, or Android device.

The app tests your ability to answer complex calculus questions. Also, with the Full Length tests, you can instantly measure your success and compare it to others. Percentiles and your performance are assessed, as with the real exam. You can even share the results with peers, teachers, or tutors. These practice exercises are tests of abilities and confidence, as well as endurance. Even a wrong answer at this point is an opportunity because you can use the explanations provided at the end of the test as study materials to master your problem areas.

There are also shorter tests covering individual topics for when you want to work on specific problem areas without wasting time going over those you have already mastered. Other tools include the Learn by Concept syllabus, where you can review questions and answers, with explanations of specific AP Calculus BC topics. You can also go through hundreds of flashcards, ranging from derivatives and integrals to polynomial approximations and geometric series. Pre-made flashcards are available, or you can create new ones with custom pictures, text, and audio on your mobile device. The Question of the Day includes topics from the longer practice exercises, but it offers quick brush-ups for you to focus on a specific topic each day during your busy schedule.

With The Varsity Tutors AP Calculus BC app, you can study the material you need to know at your convenience. Download the AP Calculus BC app for iOS or Android to enhance your study sessions today.

Advanced Placement (AP) Calculus BC is a college-level calculus course for high school students. It is the second of two courses; the first is AP Calculus AB. The material covered in AP Calculus BC is at a level similar to that of a first- and second-semester college class, and is designed for students who are ready for advanced mathematics. The four main concepts that are taught include integrals and the Fundamental Theorem of Calculus, derivatives, limits, and series. The course concludes with the AP Calculus BC Exam, which assesses students’ knowledge, understanding, and ability to apply the various concepts they have learned throughout the course. Many colleges and universities will grant credit to students who score well on this exam, so it is important for students to devote adequate time to preparation. One excellent way to prepare is with Varsity Tutors’ free AP Calculus BC app, available for download from iTunes and the Google Play Store.

As AP Calculus BC requires a broad range of advanced mathematical skills, it is typically taken in a student’s junior or senior year of high school. They should already have taken the equivalent of four years of foundational mathematics, including algebra, basic and analytic geometry, and trigonometry. A successful AP Calculus BC student should also have a firm grasp on the properties, graphing, language, and algebra of elementary functions, including rational, polynomial, linear, logarithmic, exponential, piecewise-defined, trigonometric, and inverse trigonometric functions.

The course expands upon the topics taught in AP Calculus AB, with different types of equations being introduced. The new concepts of series and sequences are also covered. By the end of the course, students will have learned how to solve problems and make connections among graphic, numeric, analytic, and verbal representations of calculus concepts. They should also have mastered various technologies that can help them solve problems, interpret results, experiment, and support their conclusions. Students will also become proficient in the use of a graphing calculator, which is considered a vital part of mathematics education. You can find all of the concepts of the course, along with practice tests that mimic the actual exam, in the Varsity Tutors AP Calculus BC app, available for iPads, iPhones, and Android-powered devices.

AP Calculus BC focuses on advanced skills within the foundational concepts of calculus. Limits are the first topic covered in this course. Students are expected to have a deep understanding of how to compute a variety of types of limits, including limits at infinity, one-sided limits, infinite limits, and the limit of a sequence. They must also know how limits can be used to understand the behavior of functions and determine continuity.

Next, the course will delve into derivatives. Several different skills regarding derivatives must be mastered, including using various definitions of the derivative, using graphs and tables to estimate derivatives, and applying rules and properties of derivatives. Students will also learn to work with separable differential equations and the Mean Value Theorem. Finally, real-world applications of derivatives will be covered, like optimization, related rates, and growth and decay models.

After limits and derivatives, AP Calculus BC will move on to integrals and the Fundamental Theorem of Calculus, which states that the definite integration of a function is related to its antiderivative, and that it can be reversed by differentiation. The relationship between integration and differentiation is one of the most vital elements to master. This section will also cover the basics of integration, like antiderivatives, substitution, and the properties of integrals. Students will also be expected to have a thorough understanding of the volume, area, and motion of integrals, and be well-versed in using the definite integral.

The course concludes with a section on series. By the end of the course, students need to know how to determine the convergence and divergence of a series using a variety of different methods. Determining common functions using the Maclaurin series will also be covered, as will general Taylor series representations. Students must also be proficient in determining the radius and interval of convergence, and should be able to perform power series operations. Of particular importance in this final section is approximating an arbitrary function near a specific value using a power series.

AP Calculus BC also emphasizes the importance of the Mathematical Practices for AP Calculus, or MPACs. The material covered in the course requires students to use six practices that are integral parts of mathematical work: reasoning with definitions and theorems, connecting concepts, implementing algebraic and computational processes, connecting multiple representations, building notational fluency, and communicating. These practices are vital to ensuring that students are performing at the level expected of students in upper-level math courses such as AP Calculus BC, and can be used individually or concurrently in any combination.

The AP Calculus BC Exam is divided into two sections, both with two parts. Section I: Part A consists of 30 multiple-choice questions that must be completed within one hour without the use of a calculator. Students may use a graphing calculator on Section I: Part B, which has 15 multiple-choice questions to be answered within 45 minutes. They may also use a graphing calculator on the two free-response questions to be completed within 30 minutes for Section II: Part A. The AP Calculus BC Exam concludes with Section II: Part B, which asks students to complete four free-response problems without a calculator within one hour. If a student does not complete all of Section II: Part A during the allotted time, they will be allowed to work on it during the time given for Section II: Part B, but will not be allowed to use a calculator. Sections I and II are both worth 50 percent of the total exam score. The free AP Calculus BC app from Varsity Tutors will allow you to practice for this exam on the go with your iPhone, iPad, or Android device.

AP Calculus BC integrates each of the elements of calculus so that students develop an understanding of calculus as a whole. Though the course is academically demanding, it is an essential building block. By developing competence in advanced methods and applications, students build a strong foundation in calculus that will help to support them as they move on to more complex concepts in college-level mathematics. For those who show exceptional promise in math, taking a course such as AP Calculus BC can be a great option. The course will challenge and engage mathematically inclined students, and the benefits of a good performance on the exam are well worth the effort. You can work to increase your performance when you download Varsity Tutors’ free AP Calculus BC app from iTunes or the Google Play Store today.