AP Calculus BC Weekly Readiness Checklist (2026)

Use this checklist every Sunday in 35 minutes. A checked box requires evidence from a problem solved without notes—not recognition while reading a formula sheet.

Core calculus

• I can interpret a limit from a graph, table, and formula.
• I can connect differentiability and continuity without reversing the implication.
• I can apply chain, product, quotient, implicit, and inverse-function differentiation.
• I can use derivative signs to justify increasing/decreasing behavior and extrema.
• I can connect an accumulation function with the Fundamental Theorem of Calculus.
• I can choose and execute an integration technique appropriate to the integrand.
• I can set up motion, area, volume, average value, and differential-equation models with units.

BC-only readiness

• For parametric/vector motion, I distinguish position, velocity, speed, and acceleration.
• For polar curves, I can find slope and set up area without treating (r) as Cartesian (y).
• I can select a series convergence test and state what its result proves.
• I include hypotheses for Integral, Comparison, Limit Comparison, Ratio, or Alternating Series tests.
• I can find a Taylor/Maclaurin polynomial and discuss interval/radius or error when asked.
• I recognize when a geometric series formula applies.

College Board's AP Calculus BC course page lists Units 9 and 10 at 11–12% and 17–18% of the exam respectively. Do not postpone them as minor extensions.

Representation and justification

Complete one problem in each row:

Evidence	Ready looks like
Graph	Translate shape/sign into a supported calculus conclusion
Table	Use values and units without assuming unprovided continuity/differentiability
Verbal context	Define variables and interpret the final value in context
Symbolic	Show valid procedures and notation
Justification	State relevant condition, evidence, and conclusion

A correct number with no reasoning is not enough when an FRQ says “justify.”

Calculator decision

• I know the four required calculator capabilities: graph, zeros, numerical derivative, definite integral.
• I can write the mathematical setup before reporting calculator output.
• I retain sufficient precision until the final response.
• I can complete a no-calculator set without reaching for stored algebra tools.

Confirm current rules through the official BC exam page.

Weekly score

Give yourself one point only for a box demonstrated on a fresh problem:

• 18+ demonstrated: maintain and add mixed FRQs.
• 13–17: select the two most repeated gaps for next week.
• 8–12: pause broad sets; rebuild one prerequisite chain.
• Below 8: seek teacher help and sequence foundations before timed exams.

The bands are study triage, not predicted AP scores.

Convert gaps into assignments

“Series weak” is not an assignment. Write: “Tuesday: six problems choosing among geometric, nth-term divergence, integral, and alternating-series tests; for each, state conditions and conclusion.”

Worked gap: alternating series reasoning

Suppose a student correctly recognizes an alternating series but concludes that it converges without checking that the term magnitudes decrease to zero. The repair assignment should include three distinct cases: conditions hold, magnitudes fail to approach zero, and magnitudes approach zero but are not eventually decreasing in the provided setup.

For each case, write the condition, evidence, and conclusion. Then add one alternating-series error-bound problem where the student identifies the first omitted term and states what the bound controls. This turns “series weak” into a chain of decisions that can be retested.

Worked gap: accumulation and units

If (r(t)) is a flow rate in liters per minute, the definite integral over a time interval represents liters accumulated, while (r'(t)) has units liters per minute squared. A student who obtains the correct numerical integral but calls it a rate has a communication gap, not an integration-technique gap.

Repair it with one graph, one table, and one verbal rate context. Before calculating, write the quantity and expected units. After calculating, interpret the sign and interval in a complete sentence.

Turn Sunday's check into a weekly calendar

Day	Assignment
Monday	Rebuild the weakest prerequisite and solve four focused problems
Tuesday	Complete the named BC-only gap set
Wednesday	Delayed retry plus one graphical or tabular problem
Thursday	One released FRQ part with point-level scoring
Friday	Light theorem/series-condition retrieval or rest
Saturday	Mixed calculator/no-calculator set
Sunday	Run the checklist and choose next week's two gaps

Keep strong topics in the mixed set rather than reviewing every category equally. If school assessments already supply a timed set, use that result instead of adding duplicate volume.

Read score changes carefully

A higher weekly total is useful only when it comes from fresh problems. Reusing remembered questions measures recall of that item, not readiness. Track both the box and its evidence source.

If the same box fails for three weeks, seek a different explanation or outside feedback. Algebra may be blocking an integration technique; a theorem may be memorized without its conditions; calculator use may hide an incorrect setup. Reduce the task to the first broken step, repair it, and then return to BC-level transfer.

If an official practice result was poor, use the BC practice strategy after a bad score. For calendar balance, use balancing BC with other AP classes.

Four weeks before the exam, switch to the BC exam-month checklist, while retaining this weekly evidence check.

Readiness is not a formula sheet that looks familiar. It is repeated evidence that you can select a method, verify its conditions, execute it across representations, and communicate the result with units or justification. Let the weekly checklist expose the first missing link while there is still time to repair it.