1. Tips and Tricks for the AP Calculus EXAM
AP Calculus AB Exam
5/5/2015
Tips and Tricks for the AP Calculus EXAM
Mrs. Gregory
2017
(Special thanks to Mrs. Myers – who I “borrowed” this from)

2. Tips & Tricks Know your formulas!!! Study your notecards!!!
Know your Calculators
Bring both the 84 & the 89
Change the batteries in BOTH calculators the night before!!! You do not want to have to make a choice in the middle of the exam!
You MUST be able to …
Find roots, critical numbers and points of inflection
Find the derivative (definite and indefinite)
Find the integral (definite and indefinite)

3. Tips & Tricks Study your review AND practice Quiz!
Justify your answers in words!!! If they tell you a story, tell them one back
NO PRONOUNS, be specific about which function you’re talking about f, f’, f”
Write in complete sentences
Justify all CN, extrema, increasing and decreasing by citing the first derivative
Justify all POI and concavity by citing the second derivative
Use number lines to help you, but remember that it does not count as evidence, you must write it as a sentence “The function is increasing from (2,3) because f’>0”

4. Free Response
Read all the questions first. Order them from easy to hard, then do them in that order.
Work should be neat, organized and well labeled, double check all graphs (f vs f’)
ALWAYS write dx and don’t forget to “+C”
Always label units when needed!
ALWAYS round to 3 decimals!
Show upper and lower bounds of integration.
Look out for double/triple answers in a single part. Re-read questions to make sure you’ve answered everything!

5. Free Response
ALWAYS show the integral and derivative setup, you are trying to get credit for CALCULUS, not typing things in the calculator, so show your calculus work!
Answers with no work will receive no points
IF you can’t do all of a free response question, remember to try to find a reasonable answer and use it for the rest of the parts of the questions!
Do not abandon questions. Just because you don’t get part (a) does not mean you cannot earn points on parts b/c/d
Also…it is better to leave one whole free response question blank than to rush through and get just a few points for all of the others.

6. Multiple Choice Multiple Choice Questions
Skip around! Look through the test and do the ones you know first! Build up some confidence!
There is no penalty for guessing. If you can eliminate a few answers make your best decision of what is left. If you have no clue use your choice letter (please pick your letter now…)
Magic numbers: 33 right for a 5, 25 right for a 4, 20 for a 3 (assuming you do similarly on the FR)
If you finish early…
DO NOT GO TO SLEEP! Do not just sit there… Go back and check the problems you completely guessed on.
Double check graph problems, is the graph f or f’?

7. Hot Topics
For graph problems, try setting up a number line to represent the first and second derivative graph information…remember that
First derivative info gives critical numbers, inc/dec, min/max
Second derivative info given possible points of inflection, concavity
If asked for y-value of cn, poi, min, max plug x back into original equat
Don’t forget about vertical tangents and sharp turns (abs value, bird function) in the graph as positions where the derivative is undefined. IN order to qualify as a critical number, the original function must be defined there!
Absolute max/mins can occur at critical numbers, but also at endpoints! Be sure to check both!

8. Hot Topics Related Rates Max/minimization problems
Take derivative with respect to time (dt)
Only make variable substitutions before derivative if they are constant (length of a ladder, lighthouse distance from shore…etc)
After derivative substitute numerical values at given time and rates at given time, solve for missing variable
Max/minimization problems
Goal is to find one question in one variable (You will need to substitute from a secondary equation)
Take derivative and set equal to zero. Verify critical number on a number line

9. The Night Before
Get some sleep! No really, if you stay up all night you’ll be useless…
Wear Layers! You never know what the gym will be like temperature wise, so bring sweatshirts!
Eat a good breakfast (meet in my room at 6:40 AM Tuesday morning for donuts and last minute review! We will all walk downstairs together at 7:05)
DON’T PANIC! You have learned so much all year long, if you freeze during the test, just start writing down information you know to refresh you memory.