Trojans determine hardest AP class

AP classes, also known as advanced placement classes, are notorious for their difficulty compared to the typical classes offered by schools. Among various difficult choices, CVHS currently offers 18 AP classes consisting of: AP Biology, AP Chemistry, AP Environmental Science, AP Statistics, AP Calculus AB, AP Calculus BC, AP Precalculus, AP Mandarin, AP German, AP French, AP Japanese, AP Spanish, AP Art History, AP US History, AP Computer Science, AP English Literature, AP Economics, and AP Art.  

AP classes hold a lot of rigor given that they are college preparation classes. These classes prepare students for what is known as the AP exam at the end of the school year by College Board. Among these, a particular class stands out in difficulty to students. 

From a recent survey consisting of 86 juniors and seniors who have taken at least one AP course, Trojans have come to the consensus that AP Calculus, specifically BC, takes the crown for the most difficult AP class at CVHS. 

“I think that Calculus BC is particularly difficult because a lot of people jump from [Integrated Math] 3A and if you do that, it’s basically two classes in one,” stated AP Calculus BC student teacher Kaiwen Wei. 

Students have also expressed the same sentiment, as the rigor is argued to be different depending on whether practice and knowledge of Calculus AB and/or Precalculus was had, which essentially serves as a prerequisite to Calculus BC. 

“I think Calculus BC is a hard class because students in the course are expected to have mastery over the first semester material by the first day of school, so it’s a really rigorous course, especially for those who haven’t taken Calculus AB,” stated junior Ella Chin who is currently taking AP Calculus BC.

This trend wasn’t a one year fluke however as former students had the same experiences.

“I think Calculus BC was hard because I didn’t take Calculus AB, so the speed of the material was difficult to grasp, and it was also kind of theoretical, so it took a while to get used to,” said senior Michelle Li, who previously took AP Calculus BC. 

Without taking AP Calculus AB, students feel very behind in AP Calculus BC, essentially taking two years of math in the same year. 

“Some students struggle with math, some students struggle with English, so it really depends on the student,” said counselor Portia Atcherson when asked her opinion. “The ones I typically do not hear about are the languages and the art classes.”

Difficulty of a class to a student is dependent on how they can dissect and understand the material. Depending on the teacher as well, everyone’s experiences will be different.

While students may nominate particular classes as the “hardest,” in the end it is all very subjective.