AP Calculus BC Tutors Near You – Exam Review For FRQ & MCQ Sections

We provide the highest-rated tutoring service to middle school and high school students in the San Jose Bay Area.

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Why Find An AP Calculus BC Tutor Near You?

calculus Homework Help

If your child is struggling with calculus homework, finding the right tutor can make all the difference. MathTowne’s tutors provide personalized assistance and calculus homework help, so students understand difficult concepts and get the tools needed to succeed in the coursework. Whether your child needs help with derivatives, integration, or other calculus topics, a qualified tutor can provide the support they need to excel in their studies.

Calculus Review

Our tutors help students better understand the concepts and applications of AP Calculus. By working one-on-one with a tutor, they can ask questions and receive immediate feedback on challenging calculus concepts. Our tutors also provide additional resources and practice problems to reinforce understanding and improve problem-solving skills. With a comprehensive calculus review, your child will be better equipped to succeed in the AP Calculus course and on the AP exam.

Supportive environment

Our tutors provide the level of support that will help students meet high level expectations.  A positive attitude towards math is key to success. We teach with a supportive approach where decision making, risk taking, and self-confidence are highly encouraged.

Exam preparation

Our tutors help students prepare for school tests and the AP exam with mock tests and exams to assess their knowledge and address any gaps in learning. We help your child with comprehensive calculus review, ensuring a solid foundation of the calculus concepts and formulas necessary to succeed on the AP exam. With our guidance and support, they’ll be better equipped to tackle the challenges of the AP Calculus exam and score well.

How our AP Calculus BC tutors create results

a student's successful ap calc bc journey  working with math tutors and ap calculus bc study plans

Study skills & test-taking Strategies

Our team is dedicated to providing the necessary support for students to succeed in their academic goals. Our highly qualified math and science tutors help students to form productive habits.

These include time management, study skills, and test-taking strategies. These fundamental skills enable students to better overcome the challenges of achieving academic excellence. 

in-home & online tutoring

MathTowne has online tutoring as well as in-home for whatever suits your needs. We guarantee our in-home tutors are professional, safe, and knowledgeable for your peace of mind. 

If you choose to do remote lessons, we have some of the best online Calculus tutors available. Our online math tutors are highly experienced in conducting fun and effective lessons and utilize various technologies to ensure student engagement.

I had an amazing experience working with Math Towne! I got tutored for AP Calculus and their guidance was instrumental in me doing well. Strongly recommend to anyone looking to better understand what they are being taught and perform better.

– Shlok

What is the AP Calculus BC Exam?

What is the AP Calculus BC Exam?

Most high schools offer AP Calculus AB and AP Calc BC. Students can receive college credit for the course and/or the opportunity to take more advanced college courses. AP Calc AB is comparable to one semester of college calculus. It will provide your future college student with useful knowledge and a head start.  

In order to receive college credits for this course, students are encouraged to earn a score of 3 or higher. 

How is the AP Calculus BC test scored?

Sections 1 and 2 are both scored using computers, selected college professors, and expert AP Calc BC teachers.  They are all combined to create the composite score. Each student’s composite score is then converted into a 1-5 scoring system. 

Students who get a score of 3, 4, or 5 will be able to submit their test results to prospective universities. This provides them with college calculus credit and/or advanced placement in future courses at those schools.

How long is the exam?

The duration of the Advanced Placement Calc BC exam is 3 hours and 15 minutes. It is divided into two parts: a multiple-choice section and a free-response section.

What do I need to know?

Students are expected to apply the cumulative knowledge from their AP Calculus classes to accurately answer the questions. Students are strongly encouraged to have a strong understanding and foundation from taking AP Calc AB prior to taking AP Calc BC.

AP Calculus BC Exam Format

The College Board ensures the AP Calculus BC Exam has consistent question types, scoring guidelines, and weighting. This way you and your student know what to expect on the day of the exam.

Calculators are not allowed in Section I Part A and Section II Part B, per the AP Exam Calculator Policy

section 1

Consists of a total of 45 multiple-choice questions.  Students are given 1 Hour & 45 minutes to complete the section. It is worth 50% of the total AP Exam Score.

  • Part A has 30 questions, no calculator, 1-hour to complete
  • Part B has 15 questions, graphing calculator required, 45 minutes to complete

CONCEPTS COVERED IN SECTION 1

  • General types of functions
  • Algebraic, exponential, logarithmic, and trigonometric functions
  • Analytical, graphical, tabular, and verbal types of representations.

Section 2

Consists of a total of 6 free-response questions. Students are given 1 Hour & 30 Minutes to complete the section. It is worth 50% of the total AP Exam Score.

  • Part A has 2 questions, graphing calculator required, 30 minutes to complete.
  • Part B has 4 questions, no calculator, 1 hour to complete

CONCEPTS COVERED IN SECTION 2

  • An equal mix of procedural and conceptual tasks plus various types of functions and function representations.
  • There will be at least 2 questions that incorporate a real-world context or scenario.

How are AP Calculus bC and AB DIFFERENT?

Concepts COVERED IN AP Calculus AB

The AP Calculus AB Exam assesses the following course topics:

  • Unit 1 – Limits and Continuity
  • Unit 2 – Differentiation: Definition and Fundamental Properties
  • Unit 3 – Differentiation: Composite, Implicit, and Inverse Functions
  • Unit 4 – Contextual Applications of Differentiation
  • Unit 5 – Analytical Applications of Differentiation
  • Unit 6 – Integration and Accumulation of Change
  • Unit 7 – Differential Equations
  • Unit 8 – Applications of Integration

Concepts covered in AP Calculus BC

In addition to all 8 topics from AP Calc AB, the BC course also covers two additional units:

  • Unit 9 – Parametric Equations, Polar Coordinates, and Vector-Valued Functions
  • Unit 10 – Infinite Sequences and Series

Plus, some extra topics in Units 6 – 8:

  • Unit 6 – Additional Techniques of Integration
  • Unit 7 – Euler’s Method and Logistic Models
  • Unit 8 – Arc Length and Distance Traveled Along a Smooth Curve

AP Calculus Exam: How Many Questions Can You Miss?

The number of questions a student can miss and still earn a passing score on the AP Calculus exam varies slightly from year to year as it is based on the overall performance of all test-takers. The exam is graded on a curve, which takes into account the difficulty level of the exam. However, we can provide a general range of points that typically correspond to each score level. Unless your practice exam composite scores are very close to the cutoff point between each AP score, you can reasonably expect to receive your predicted score on the actual exam.

The two sections of the AP Calculus AB exam (multiple-choice and free-response) are worth the following points:

Section# of QuestionsPoints
Multiple-choice4554
Free response654
Subtotal108

Each question on the multiple-choice section is worth about 1.2 points. The points earned on each section are combined for a composite score out of 108, which is then converted to an AP score from 1 to 5. While the exact conversion from the composite score to the scaled AP score is confidential and not publicly released by the College Board, the following table is an estimated approximation of point ranges for each AP score.

Composite Score RangeAP Score
68 – 1085
52 – 674
39 – 513
27 – 382
0 – 261

Based on the table, you may be able to miss almost 40% of the questions and still score a 5 or a 4 depending on the curve.

As a concrete example, let’s say you don’t know how to do two questions on the free-response section and score a total of 36 out of 54 points. It’s estimated that you can miss anywhere between 15-19 questions on the multiple-choice section and still have a good chance of a 5 on the AP exam. For a 4, you might be able to miss 20-30 multiple-choice questions, assuming you receive full points on 4 free-response questions out of the 6.

Remember that the composite score ranges provided are only approximations, and the exact score required for each score level may differ from year to year due to factors such as the overall difficulty of the exam. We highly recommend that students aim to answer as many questions correctly as possible. Since there is no penalty for incorrect answers for either section, it is always better to make an educated guess than leave a question blank.

I need help PRepping for my AP Calculus Bc exam

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Frequently Asked Questions

What are the prerequisites for AP Calculus BC?

Is the AP Calculus BC exam difficult compared to other AP exams?

How much time should I dedicate to studying for the AP Calculus BC exam?

Where do I seek the best AP test tutoring?

This is a very subjective question as every student and their situation is different. There are many qualified tutoring services available for all AP subjects. In our opinion, the best ones consist of people who have experience and genuinely care about their students. Although more expensive, we believe one-on-one lessons are the most effective type of tutoring.

What are the best resources to self-study AP Calculus BC?