Lessons Learned: AP Precalculus

This year, I took AP Precalulus. Despite my inital impression, the class challenged me more than I would have ever imagined, and I finished with a C both semesters. Now that the year has ended, I’m left to wonder: What happened?

The year

The Summer Work

It all started with the mindset I had going into it. The summer work was all algebra two review. “Oh this is easy!” I said, as I didn’t do much studying for the summer work quiz. The quiz had a lot of material that was not on the summer work packet. From that alone, I shouldn’t have taken that as I one-off error.

The Year in a sentence or two

Each quiz and test, regardless of my study method, yielded the same results. 60%s, 70%s. The 80%s were purely due to the questions being easier, still scoring about 5-10% less or around the average.

Study Methods

I had a few I swapped between throughout the year.

  • Khan academy practice: algebra 2 and ap precalc
  • myopenmath practice
  • flipped math practice
  • worksheet review (redoing problems that are wrong)
  • youtube video lessons

What happened?

There are a few reasons why I think this is the result/outcome.

Too late

I put a lot of effort in the last couple of week to prepare for the final, but I really should have put that much more into the content on a regular basis, until I understood the AP exam and course more than the teacher.

Look for the Flags

I should have noticed the red flags with the class and my understanding of the material much sooner and next time I will look for them.

Self Study

The two students that excelled in the class that I know stated that they self studied and taught themselves the material. I think if I run into roadbumps with the way the course is taught or if I’m struggling with the material based on my learning style, I should practice the same.

What did I learn?

I learned quite a few things, all woven into the “what happened section.”

Side notes

I should clarify now that grades are not a mark of intelligence or smartness. I know I am not stupid necessarily for getting a C in this class.

On top of that, I want to state the mindset I have with this failure. It’s okay to fail if I learn from it.

Plans for the Future

I am taking calculus in the fall, so I am going to do the Khan Academy course for it over sumemr so I can be well-prepared before I walk into the class. I’ll self study and teach the material until I could teach a class myself, and I’ll use the methods that worked most effectively (study with people who know more, study ahead of time and reguarly, use review videos and packets).

Thank you

I don’t regret taking this class. Although it may sound like a downer to read, I would go through it all over again to understand even more and do my best to learn and become a better student. Thank you so much for sticking with me on this journey, and see you next time :)