Korf Lisa - Ap calculus ab prep plus 2018-2019: 3 practice tests + study plans + targeted review & practice + online

Special thanks to the following for their contributions to this text: Laura Aitcheson, Becky Berthiaume, Matthew Callan, Michael Cook, Brandon Deason, M. Dominic Eggert, Tim Eich, Dan Frey, Adam Grey, Allison Harm, Katy Haynicz-Smith, Justin Heftel, Andre Jessee, Rebecca Knauer, Jessica Knoch, Liz Laub, Terry McMullen, Jenn Moore, Kristin Murner, Christopher Murphy, Oscar Velazquez, Shayna Webb-Dray, Lee Weiss, Dan Wittich, Michael Wolff, Jessica Yee, and Nina Zhang.

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ISBN-13: 978-1-5062-2948-5

Chapter 1

Advanced Placement exams have been around for half a century. While the format and content have changed over the years, the basic goal of the AP program remains the same: to give high school students a chance to earn college credit or advanced placement. To do this, a student needs to do two things:

• Find a college that accepts AP scores
• Do well enough on the exam

The first part is easy, because the majority of colleges accept AP scores in some form or another. The second part requires a little more effort. If you have worked diligently all year in your coursework, youve laid the groundwork. The next step is familiarizing yourself with the test.

There are actually two AP Calculus tests offered to students, a Calculus AB exam and a Calculus BC exam. The BC exam covers some more advanced topics; its not necessarily a harder test, but its scope is broader. Most students opt to take the AB exam because they find it somewhat easier, but the BC exam is worth more credit at many universities.

Your decision to take the AP Calculus AB exam involves many factors, but in essence it boils down to a question of choosing between three hours of time spent on the AP Calculus exam and a significant amount of time spent in a college classroom. Depending on the college, a score of 3, 4, or 5 on the AP Calculus exam can allow you to leap over the introductory courses and jump right into more advanced classes. These advanced classes are usually smaller, more specifically focused, more intellectually stimulating, and simply more interesting than a basic course. If you are concerned solely about fulfilling your mathematics requirement so you can get on with your study of pre-Columbian art, Elizabethan music, or some other area apart from calculus, the AP exam can help you there, too. If you do well on the AP Calculus exam, you may never have to take a math class again, depending on the requirements of the college you choose.

If youre holding this book, chances are you are already gearing up for the AP Calculus exam. Your teacher has spent the year cramming your head full of the math know-how you will need to have at your disposal. But there is more to the AP Calculus exam than math know-how. You have to be able to work around the challenges and pitfalls of the testand there are manyif you want your score to reflect your abilities. Studying math and preparing for the AP Calculus exam are not the same thing. Rereading your textbook is helpful, but its not enough.

Thats where this book comes in. Well show you how to marshal your knowledge of calculus and put it to brilliant use on Test Day. Well explain the ins and outs of the test structure and question format so you wont experience any unnerving surprises. Well even give you test strategies designed specifically for the AP Calculus exam.

Preparing for the AP Calculus exam means doing some extra work. You need to review your text and master the material in this book. Is the extra push worth it? If you have any doubts, think of all the interesting things you could be doing in college instead of taking an introductory course that covers only material that you already know.

The AP Calculus AB exam consists of two sections, each with two parts, as outlined in the table below. Each section of the exam is worth 50% of your overall score.

If you do the math, your pacing during the test should look roughly like this:

• Multiple choice with no calculator: 2 minutes per question
• Multiple choice with calculator: 3 minutes per question
• All free response: 15 minutes per question

You almost certainly will use mostprobably allof the 90 minutes allotted for Section II. Although these free-response problems are long and are made up of multiple parts, they dont usually cover an obscure topic. Instead, they take a fairly basic calculus concept and ask you a bunch of questions about it. Its a lot of calculus work, but its fundamental calculus work.

Scores are based on the number of questions answered correctly. No points are deducted for wrong answers. No points are awarded for unanswered questions. Therefore, you should answer every question, even if you have to guess.

For the Free Response section, all problems are given equal weight, but the individual parts of a particular problem are not necessarily given equal weight. You should not spend too much time on any one problem.

When your three-plus hours of testing are up, your exam is sent away for grading. The multiple-choice part is handled by a machine, while qualified readerscurrent and former calculus teachers and professorsgrade your responses to Section II. After a bit of a wait, your composite score will arrive. Your results will be placed into one of the following categories, reported on a five-point scale (relative to receiving college credit or advanced placement):