Your AP Calculus tests are more difficult than your homework questions so how can you study? Check out the best AP Calculus websites below to find problems that match the rigor of your tests.
The best way to study for AP Calculus tests is by solving more problems, seeing unique wording that indicates if you should take a derivative or integral, and problems from multiple perspectives like graphs, tables, and functions. Read tips on how to study for math tests and check out the best Calculus help websites below!
Best Free AP Calculus Websites
1. The AP Calculus Problem Book was created by a veteran AP Calculus teacher and includes his past tests and solutions. It’s truly the best free AP Calculus resource I’ve found to get extra practice for upcoming tests. He includes practice problems and sample AP problems, all of which are challenging questions. If you're looking for extra multiple choice practice, look no further! Some questions in this Book are from released multiple choice exams.
2. Flippedmath.com has videos and matching notes packets, extra practice problems, and unit tests. This is great for students who need further instruction/explanation on topics and those who prefer to study topic by topic instead of all topics mixed together at once. Some questions are more basic, especially in comparison to the AP Calculus Problem Book linked above, but check out the "Test Prep" at the end of the notes packets with multiple choice questions more aligned with the AP exam.
3. College Board offers Curriculum Modules for certain topics like Motion and Extrema. Most students know about the Past AP Calculus Free Response Questions. How can you use these to study for unit tests when they cover the entire curriculum? See the next link from Master Math Mentor, where a spreadsheet lists topics and which question (year and problem number) assessing each topic.
4. Meryl's Magic Math blog posts! I've curated an AP Calculus Unit 1 Review, Unit 2 review, Unit 4 review, Unit 5 review, Unit 7 review, Unit 8 review, and I'll continue to update this post as the year progresses and more units are covered.
5. Master Math Mentor. Stu offers so many difficult practice questions in “Diving into Calculus,” “Demystifying the AP,” and so on. The student versions of questions are free, but he charges for solutions.
The challenging thing with most free resources is they offer the questions but not the solutions (or you have to pay for the solutions). So, I’ll also include some paid AP Calculus resources below.
Best Paid AP Calculus Resources
1. Individual tutoring with me, a former AP Calculus teacher and AP exam reader. AP Calculus students meet online for tutoring sessions once or twice a week and have access to extra notes and practice problems between sessions in a Google Classroom.
Most Calculus students say their tests are more challenging than homework assignments. Tutoring sessions focus on solving those challenging questions and incorporate previous AP exam questions, along with answering any questions you have. I share my old AP Calculus tests, with multiple choice and free response questions (and answer keys) for extra practice.
My past AP Calculus students reported improve grades and high success rates of passing the AP exam:
In fact, of last year’s AP Calculus students who reported their results in an anonymous survey, 100% of students passed the AP exam: 67% earned a 5, 17% earned a 4, and 16% earned a 3. Additionally, 78% earned an A in class and 22% earned a B.
2. Albert.io offers an extensive bank of multiple choice and free response AP Calculus questions.
3. AP Calculus Review Books: There are numerous review books that are great to supplement your textbook. Preparing for the AP Calculus AB Examination (there’s also a BC version) by Best and Lux is by far the most challenging review book. Successfully solving the problems in their practice tests will make the AP Calculus exam seem easy. However, there is no topic-by-topic review, only practice tests, so it may be difficult to determine the relevant questions for your upcoming test.
Studying for AP Calculus Tests
As you’re reviewing for tests, or when you encounter a new problem on a test, try to determine if the question is asking about a derivative or integral. It’s an overgeneralization but almost every question, especially in AB Calculus, breaks down to one of those topics (I ignore limits because those are more obvious questions). Look for keywords like “slope,” “slope of the tangent line,” and “instantaneous rate of change” as an indicator to take a derivative. See other tips on how to pass Calculus or how to pass the AP Calculus exam.
Also, make sure you're ready for both the calculator and non-calculator sections of tests. I've outlined the best calculator for AP Calculus.
Not sure which AP Calculus resource is best? Join me for tutoring and let an AP Calculus expert curate the best review questions for you!
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