If you need a 5 on AP Calc BC, watch this.

Added: 2026-05-12

[00:00:00]The AP Calculus BC exam is just around the corner and I assume that you are aiming for that five. So, to get you there, I'm going to be touching on four key aspects in just a few short minutes.

[00:00:09]Number one, what you should have already done by now. Number two, what to do right now before the exam. Number three, highest priorities to study. And number four, what you should be doing during the exam. So, I won't waste your time.

[00:00:19]Let's go. This point of you watching the video, I hope that you've at least started reviewing for the AP exam. This means reviewing all the old units, completing some practice tests, and then analyzing your mistakes. And also having done AP questions on a digital testing device because most APs are either fully digital or in hybrid format this year.

[00:00:38]Before the exam, you need to go through this key cycle. And ideally, you actually do this every single day before the test. But if you've only got 24 hours, well, this is going to have to be the most productive 3 hours of studying of your life.

[00:00:52]First, you need to get the content down in a clear, condensed way. Our channel has a bunch of full review videos for APs, and you can also find free study guides on our website covering everything you need to know. The link will be in the description. Now, if you can't find what you're looking for on our channel, there's still tons of great stuff on YouTube for every AP, so those are worth looking into as well.

[00:01:13]While you consume this content though, you actually need to be actively on the side taking notes for your {quote} personal summary sheet. This is anything that pops out to you, is confusing to you, or you think that you'll forget.

[00:01:27]Just write it all down. Then you will need to put all this theory into practice with practice multiple choice questions and free response questions.

[00:01:35]There's plenty of practice material on the College Board website and AP Classroom for you to use. Once you're done with that, make sure to spend an adequate amount of time reviewing any mistakes you made so that you can actually learn from them. And you should be adding to your summary sheet anything you learn from these mistakes so that you will not make the same ones on the actual AP exam.

[00:01:57]And when you [snorts] wake up on the day of the AP, make sure you do some warm-up questions to get your brain ready, review your summary sheet, and drink lots of water because water is just good for you. And trust me, if you don't drink water, you're not going to get a five. Anyways, let's go on to the topics you should actually be focusing on. So, for the AP Calc BC exam, the highest ROI topics that you can study are as follows: derivative rules, know your critical points on your graphs, polar area, anything with integration and cross-sections, your Taylor and Maclaurin series obviously, and then know your convergence tests as well.

[00:02:29]Have those memorized or maybe in your calculator. So, get those down and pay special attention to them while you are reviewing. When you open the AP exam, you need to calm down. There is no rush, and most students who end up with low time are the ones who think they have to go super speed right off the gate. You need to keep your morale high. What this means is that you need to understand that there's going to be questions you are 1,000% confused on. And so, therefore, adopt the memory of like a gerbil. Forget it. Move on. This is going to maintain your momentum for a steady start and ultimately set you up for success. Now, chances are you've also got other AP exams, too. So, I actually want to give you some tips for all of them. For the multiple choice section, when you're down to say two possible answer choices for any question that's related to meaning, cause, reasoning, or interpretation, you should be asking yourself, "Which answer choice would I rather use as evidence if I was going to write a essay to respond to the question?" What you'll find is that the answer you pick is likely to be more specific and comprehensive and therefore the best possible answer. Now, for questions that are asking for a specific value, formula, or exact result, this is a good idea to say plug and chug or use dummy test cases, and of course, be scrappy. Do everything you can for partial credit and don't give up completely on any singular question.

[00:03:57]Now, for all your free response questions, it's a good idea to plan the structure of your answer.

[00:04:02]>> [snorts] >> Now, if you're writing an essay, it's pretty obvious where you got to have an outline and stuff. But even for like a multi-part FRQ on the AP Calculus BC exam, you still want to plan out your answer. There's usually a multi-step process you can use to solve the questions, and if you lay out the groundwork step by step beforehand, you're not going to be stuck in the middle of writing or typing your answer trying to figure out what to do next.

[00:04:25]And ultimately, if you want all that work to not be wasted, then don't do anything stupid or illegal that's going to get your AP exam invalidated.

[00:04:34]Now, before you get to your cramming, consider subscribing so our videos can help even more students. And remember that we have study guides for a bunch of your AP exams, which can be found at our website. Find the link in the description. And finally, make sure to comment any last-minute questions as people in the community will respond.

[00:04:50]That's all. Best of luck on your exam, and go get that five.