The AP Calculus BC exam covers functions, graphs, limits, derivatives and integrals. Unlike the Calculus AB exam, it also covers polynomial approximations and series. Because the BC exam covers more material than the AB test, it often offers students higher course placement, more course credit, and greater acceptance at colleges with rigorous math programs. Most colleges and universities have a math or quantitative reasoning requirement, so a high score on the AP Calculus BC exam will often fulfill this requirement. But the exam is more difficult, and in 2011 just 85,000 students took the BC exam -- one-third the number of students who took the AB exam.
The chart below presents some representative data from a variety of colleges and universities. This information is meant to provide a general overview of the scoring and placement practices related to the AP Calculus BC exam. You'll need to contact the appropriate Registrar's office to get AP placement information for a particular college.
For more information on AP classes and exams, check out these articles:
The mean score for the AP Calculus BC exam was 3.77, and the scores were distributed as follows (2011 data):
- 5 - 47.6%
- 4 - 15.9%
- 3 - 16.7%
- 2 - 5.9%
- 1 - 13.9%
| AP Calculus BC Scores and Placement | ||
| College | Score Needed | Placement Credit |
| Georgia Tech | 3, 4 or 5 | MATH 1501 (4 semester hours) |
| Grinnell College | 3, 4 or 5 | 4 semester credits; MAT 123, 124, 131; 4 additional credits are possible for a 4 or 5 |
| LSU | 3, 4 or 5 | MATH 1550 (5 credits) for a 3; MATH 1550 and 1552 (9 credits) for a 4 or 5 |
| MIT | 4 or 5 | 18.01, Calculus I (12 units) |
| Mississippi State University | 3, 4 or 5 | MA 1713 (3 credits) for a 3; MA 1713 and 1723 (6 credits) for a 4 or 5 |
| Notre Dame | 3, 4 or 5 | Mathematics 10250 (3 credits) for a 3; Mathematics 10550 and 10560 (8 credits) for a 4 or 5 |
| Reed College | 4 or 5 | 1 credit; placement determined in consultation with the faculty |
| Stanford University | 3, 4 or 5 | MATH 42 (5 quarter units) for a 3; MATH 51 (10 quarter units) for a 4 or 5 |
| Truman State University | 3, 4 or 5 | MATH 198 Analytic Geometry & Calculus I and MATH 263 Analytic Geometry & Calculus II (10 credits) |
| UCLA (School of Letters and Science) | 3, 4 or 5 | 8 credits and Calculus for a 3; 8 credits and MATH 31A and Calculus for a 4; 8 credits and MATH 31A and 31B for a 5 |
| Yale University | 4 or 5 | 1 credit for a 4; 2 credits for a 5 |
