Embedded Files
(Written after the AP exam in May 2025...these are in no certain order
Emma Ton - Look over the Broad Topics and redo all the notes and HW at least once. Make sure you understand the problems you missed because if you don't, chances are they'll be on the test. When Bixler gives you "optional" worksheets, she actually means "do them." Also, watch the video with last minute tips she makes right before the AP because it's super helpful. If you work hard and do all the practice she gives you, the AP will feel easier than her tests. Lastly, do NOT (1) be late to class (2) have your phone or Air pods out (3) gaze out the window or (4) fall asleep unless you want to get yelled at. :P
Zoey Li - Do your homework during class instead of waiting! The material will still be fresh in your mind, making it way easier to understand and retain. Since lessons move quickly, try watching the video notes the day before. That way, you can identify what you don’t understand ahead of time and focus on those parts during the lecture. Don’t be afraid to ask questions! If you're coming from Calc AB, you still need to study!!! The units may look familiar but the questions in BC are much more challenging and the material moves at a faster pace than you might expect.
Sloane Shell - STUDY THE BROAD TOPICS!!!! Those were my holy grail for every quiz and test they are truly the best study guide. I only studied broad topics all year and not only did that help me pass the tests, but they also prepared me for past topics that weren’t on the current unit but helped me retain the old topics for the AP. ❤️,
Cooper Zavodny - So many things. Work through your homework diligently, this will force you to understand the topics and be able to handle curveballs thrown on tests/quizzes. Do not stress about grades, the curve will bless you up. Practice quizzes/questions are the best way to prep for real quizzes/tests: rely on active recall (not just looking through notes) in order to prep for testing days. Also, oftentimes working through the hw with a friend (during class or hopping on a call in the evening) can be a really helpful (and fun) way to get through it. Lastly, lock in for memory quizzes because they're lovely grade boosters.
Lance Prosise - Listen to Bixler!!! Trust Bixler!!!! Don’t be scared to ask questions if you don’t get it. You CAN understand it and you WILL understand it. Have fun. Make friends! Study with your friends! Start memorizing for the memory quizzes at least three days before… future you will thank you. A little bit every day!
Lauren Tsao - For the love of God, PLEASE use the broad topics and corresponding hw problems, they help so much on tests. Also, don’t give up during the second semester (no matter how much you may want to) because it’s a huge part of the AP test!
Sam Beets - Step one: have Bix Step two: do your homework Step three: profit (But seriously do your homework and don't panic on tests.) -
Arnav Srinivasa – (1) Don’t get shocked by the tests/quizzes just stay calm do what you can and move on. You have NO TIME to sit there and think, eventually you’ll figure it out. Grab as many points as you can and leave, and if you pay attention in class, you will be perfectly fine. (2) This is NOT Precalculus! You can’t study the night before and look at all the content, it won’t work. Stay consistent and do your homework and practice quizzes. If you procrastinate, you will be put in a position where on test day, you’ll forget something or your problem-solving skills won’t be ideal because your knowledge hasn’t had time to marinate. (3) You are a trained monkey: monkey see monkey do. Basic Knowledge and Formula Sheet you should know like the back of your hand. (4) Know your trig, polar, and parametrics, you haven’t escaped those yet.
Dylan Zhong - Arguably the most important thing I did to learn in the class is practice with the worksheets. They're really important to do as soon as possible so you can lock in the skills you learn from the notes.
Jackson LaBoon - The questions look a lot harder than they actually are. This is likely due to the fact that it’s all brand new. It’s almost the same feeling as when you first saw “x+7=4, Solve for X.” So, doing the homework and practice quizzes really helps you get acclimated to the notation/style.
Lizzie Ruebush - Be as consistent as possible with homework and studying!
Abbie Morrison - KEEP WORKING!!! No matter how hard the lessons get, Mrs. Bixler has your back always! Just keep working and you will be rewarded every time.
Carter Utkov - Keep working and do your homework. Trust Mrs. Bixler and she will help you succeed.
Logan Kendrick - Just pay attention in class and actually do the homework’s then you’ll be ballin.
Lucas Hoefler - As long as you pay attention in class and ACTUALLY do the homework, you’ll be fine. Make sure to sit in a place that you want to sit in for the rest of the year, so pick a good seat.
Henry McKaskle - Always try and do your homework the night before, trust me, the homework is really important review for the test.
Scott Wang - Stay proactive and give yourself time in order to actually understand material and do the homework. Don’t wait last minute to study; ensure you are actually learning and can apply your knowledge to tests and quizzes. A single failure doesn’t define you but make sure you grow and learn from your mistakes.
Xander Oldham - Try and memorize the formulas as being related, not individually. All the hard formulas are based on very simple ones, so if you can understand why the formula works, you can remember it on the AP.
Connor Richardson - Make sure to practice the differentiation and integration techniques – they're used a lot all throughout the year and it'll really hurt if you have to learn them as you're trying to apply them. Also, notation – having good notation won't be the reason you get a 5 but not having good notation might be the reason you don't. And definitely take the memory quizzes seriously!
Aayan Patel - If you find this class hard throughout the year, don’t worry too much. The AP review at the end of the year can essentially reinforce everything you need to know. The class itself isn’t terribly difficult if you just do the homework, since the concepts within each unit aren’t overwhelming or difficult by nature, rather they’re just tedious.
Mia Lambers - The main thing that helped me was rewatching all the videos and redoing all the homework before every test. Even though it seems like a lot of work, doing that and completing any test reviews always worked and I always felt confident about the topics. Additionally, I wish I had known how helpful it is to do the homework without looking at the answers - whenever I had the answers or answer key on hand, it wasn’t as helpful. Also, make sure to pay attention in class. The lessons usually make sense, but if you miss anything it can get really confusing.
Frank Edwards - Listen in class and watch the homework help videos. Lock in!
Allison Howitt - Review basic concepts from Precal and previous math throughout the year. Being able to do things like factoring and working with exponents quickly will be helpful in solving more complicated problems. Also, watch the videos if you get confused! Seeing things explained again or after some time has passed is super helpful. I would recommend trying the homework on your own first and then watching the help videos to understand problems that were hard for you.
Betsy Slover - Repetition. Repetition. Repetition. Even if you don’t feel like you’re improving doing notes and homework as many times as you can helps you feel more comfortable with the material. And always watch the lesson videos again if you are having trouble! Don’t think that after the test you can forget something. Everything comes back because the topics build off of each other. The better you understand something now, the less trouble you’ll have learning something later on. Remember and look over the homework questions you struggle with. These are the ones that you need to focus on and will probably be on the test.
Aviv Yishay - I would say that you should actually do the worksheets yourself, and if you get stuck utilize the homework help videos because they are really useful to understand the problems. Also do the homework when it's assigned. another important thing is that even if you think you bomb the tests, you are going to be fine because everyone else probably did too and the curve will help a lot.
Joe Wohlers - Fully work all homework and always watch the homework help videos if you are confused on a question at all because getting the questions explained that are similar to the ones on assessments is very beneficial. I performed better on units where I wasn’t as comfortable on the homework and that made me watch the homework help videos.
Caleb Helsel - Pay attention to the details of each concept; practicing the notation, reasoning, and tricky nuances of a topic like series or advanced integration can go a long way in helping your grades and AP score. If you can pay attention in class and keep up with the homework throughout the year, your hard work will pay off :)
Evie Ching - Even if you’re good at math, you might not be good at calculus. Math up until now is memorizing the process of problem solving, but calculus is where all of the problem-solving skills are applied and memorizing doesn’t help as much.
Finn Conklin - DO NOT PANIC! If you're doing your notes, doing your homework, paying attention, and asking questions when you get lost, Bixler will take care of your grade. It will be fine.
William Kugler - It's kind of hard to understand sometimes, but not that bad at all. If you actually do the homework and don't just copy off of your friend at lunch you will ice your five. Also be on time so you don't get beat.
Advaith Binu - “Don’t forget to review your memory sheet before every assessment! It literally is free points.” -
Camryn Kerr - No matter what you do, do not procrastinate. This class is very doable, but only if you study and work.
Ronen Liang - Redo homework questions from the beginning if you get them incorrect, don’t just restart where you made a mistake, doing the entire question correctly solidifies the process in your mind a lot better than just rewriting the correct stuff from a key.
Josh Carmona - You better hope you’ve got Bixler, because she’ll make sure you’re getting the material. Overall, the only thing you need to do is actually TRY on the homework and only use homework help videos/answers if you’re completely stuck. Ask questions if you need to as well.
Zoe Findlay - Try your best, make sure you study the broad topics, and make sure you pay attention in class. The class may seem overwhelming sometimes, but you have a lot of resources and it will be fine.
Gleb Guruswamy - The most important part of AP Calculus BC is to pay attention within the lessons, and always do the practice or homework soon after learning the material while the information is still fresh in your head. Also, if you miss a lesson, always find time to watch the lecture videos, you’ll get extremely lost if you try skipping one. Never copy homework…watch the homework videos, use your notes, or have someone explain it to you instead - practice is the most important part.
Hudson Kerr - I think that the most important thing to know going into BC calculus is that it is totally doable. You may think that it is too hard at times (because it will be) but you will always find a way to come back from that. The test may seem too hard, but the curve will always help you out. Just stick with it because Bix sets you up so well for the AP exam that you'll walk out of the room KNOWING you got a 5.
Jones Balling - Before each quiz and test, look over the broad topics and make a mental note of the ones that you struggle with or don’t fully remember. Then, watch videos or rework homework problems to refresh your memory on those topics. Also, always do your homework.
Carter Johnson - Actually do the homework and then check your answers. Try to get every homework problem right and if you get it wrong, try to understand why. That’s what helped me, making sure that I actually did the work.
Jiseok Kim – (1) Usually every topic in the broad topics, so if you did not used something in the test and don't know how to solve a multiple choice, just plug in the numbers in the topic you didn't use. You will at least get a partial credit. (2) Memorize all the equations and study broad topics. (3) Don't forget to do chain rule. (4) Just write everything you think what is correct in the justification part if you don't know what to write.
Adam Mohiuddin - Drink coffee and do the homework.
Claire Rozek - Don’t skimp on the homework, always do the practice quizzes, study in-depth the broad topics, and trust the process because it may feel hard in the beginning but by the end it will all make sense.
Sabrina Sprangle - Stay on top of homework and watch the homework help videos if you’re confused. Make sure to get people’s numbers in your class to ask for help if you’re still confused. ALWAYS check the broad topics for every quiz and test!!
Oliver Garcia - Know that the insane problems Mrs. Bixler gives on the test or the homework’s are just preparation to make the AP problems feel easy.
Elizabeth Harvey - To be successful in BC you need to pay attention to Mrs. Bixler's lectures and make sure to take all the homework seriously. You also may need to study harder than you have in the past, but it is worth it and you can do great! You also need to trust that you have been taught well and when you come to a problem that you don't understand write down your basic knowledge and take it one step at a time because that will give you a place to start. You got this!
Kate Marshall - Read and study your broad topics! Do your homework on time! Lock in for class, whatever it takes. Get to know Ms. Bixler(she’s really cool)!
Jasmine Sun - Redo every single homework the day before the test. It is sooo helpful for studying for tests.
Paisley Armstrong - Try not to slack off, and you will have results. Mrs. Bixler is that good of a teacher. I've never had the best math teachers and math is something I tend to struggle on, but the way Mrs. Bixler teaches and her attitude towards helping you be your best in math is unbeatable! I'm jealous of anyone who has her next year, because she truly is an amazing math teacher, and I don't think I could've passed this class without her.
Gavin Chibib - Don’t copy other people’s homework’s, actually do them. I wish I did more of the homework’s myself earlier in the year.
Maddie Fielding - Make sure for BC Calc that you study for a few days leading up to each test, and for memory quizzes make sure to study a lot and get a high grade as they really help you in the quiz category. The best way to study for Calc is to look over your notes, work through the practice tests and quizzes and mark what you got wrong, as well as reworking homework problems that you thought were difficult.
Georgia Millikin - Keep up with all of the lessons and homework and the homework help vides will be your best friend
Nicole Wynne - Seniors, lock in, especially in the beginning and end of the year. I know if you do the homework and ask questions you’ll do just fine. Juniors, you’re locked in and we know it, but don’t burn yourself out too fast!
Sara Louhivuori - Always make sure to look over the broad topics before tests or quizzes. They help so much with studying as it’s easy to quickly look over the list and see what topics you still need practice on. Also, put effort into doing the homework as the material of the class builds up over time. If you actually spend time doing your work, it pays off in the long run when you start doing AP practice that goes back to some of those older topics.
Cierra Palosh - Take notes even when you don't feel like it or understand the topic whatsoever, its much easier to study or learn a topic later if you have the notes for them!!!
Minglu Hou - Study some basics over the summer. Don't slack off, especially in 4th quarter. Series and stuff are the hardest stuff of the year.
Truman Klann - Doing all of the homework’s the afternoon after the lesson definitely helped me the most because I was able to solidify the lesson using my own methods of understanding through trial and error. Doing homework’s consistently helped build by knowledge from the ground up, so I learned everything in a manageable order. Then doing reviews and reviewing quizzes helped me refresh before the tests.
James Jolly - Related rates aren’t as hard as people make them out to be, they’re so overhyped and there are only a few variations of problems, so it’s honestly incredibly easy once you are able to recognize them
Julia O’Connor - Use the extra resources, especially the targeted practice in google classroom. They are very helpful and very cool. There are AP multiple choice and FRQ’s sorted by topic and it is great in a pinch.
Milun Meikle - Honestly the best piece of advice would be to do your own homework and make sure you understand it. If you do that you should be fine for the AP test.
Hugh Choi - Don't cram the night before the night before. This class is advanced so that this type of strategy will fail.
Katherine Cui - Hi incoming calculus students! I know calculus may seem daunting at first but don't worry, once you start understanding the material you'll realize it really isn't that difficult! However, I would say there are definitely some things you should do to ensure that you exceed: (1) Do the homework on your OWN, you'll regret it if you copy from people frequently (2) Look over the Broad Topics! So many people overlook this, but it really is the key to succeeding on tests (3) Don't leak the tests to others, you're only hurting your own curve (4) Practice, practice, practice! Before every test, I would always redo homework that is on topics I didn't understand. If you can't get it on the homework, how are you going to get it on the test? Don't worry y'all! As long as you put in the work, you will succeed! :D
Jeremy Wang - It is important to realize that to do well, you only have to do most things correctly and so it is important to never get hung up on one question as time is very important on the AP exam.
Aria Mitra - I feel like my main advice would be to pay attention in class because the teachers will explain everything really well. If you are not in class, you should definitely watch the videos and come back and ask questions. Also, actually do the homework. They are really helpful for understanding and practice. What helped me for tests was redoing the homework for tricky concepts.
Karthik Peri - Do your homework before the quiz or test!!!! The homework helps you see what types of problems could be asked on quizzes or tests. Don’t procrastinate it!
Molly Sledz - LOCK INNNN!!! Do not slack on your homework and literally spend the 20-30 minutes a day doing your homework. It will save you from cramming hours before a test and you’ll feel better knowing you have it done. Bixler prepares you really well for the AP exam and future calculus courses, but you also have to put in the work.
Carlos Regalado - Don’t slack off second semester, especially fourth quarter!!! The most important parts of those units WILL show up on the exam and bite you!! Take time to understand each unit early, so the tests and AP exam are light!!! Trust the curve!! Unless you are genuinely putting in very little effort into the class, you will do fine!
Evan Yip - Make sure to do your own homework - do not copy from other students. Doing homework gives you practice for the tests/AP and frankly is the best way to study. If you have a busy extracurricular schedule and do not have time to study for tests, doing the homework when they are due honestly gives you enough preparation to do well on tests/quizzes assuming you pay attention in class.
Aayan Cheema - The most important part of Calc BC is really understanding what a concept IS and not just how to do it or apply it. The more fundamentals you understand, the easier it will be for you to solve problems and apply your knowledge.
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