Advanced Placement (AP) Precalculus (also known as AP Precalc) is an Advanced Placement precalculus course and examination, offered by the College Board, in development since 2021 [1] and announced in May 2022. [2] The course debuted in the fall of 2023, with the first exam session taking place in May 2024. The course and examination are designed to teach and assess precalculus concepts, as a foundation for a wide variety of STEM fields and careers, and are not solely designed as preparation for future mathematics courses such as AP Calculus AB/BC. [3]
According to the College Board,
Offering a college-level precalculus course in high school will give students a new and valuable option for improving math readiness and staying on track for college. [4]
AP Precalculus centers on functions modeling dynamic phenomena. This research-based exploration of functions is designed to better prepare students for college-level calculus and provide grounding for other mathematics and science courses. In this course, students study a broad spectrum of function types that are foundational for careers in mathematics, physics, biology, health science, social science, and data science. Furthermore, as AP Precalculus may be the last mathematics course of a student's secondary education, the course is structured to provide a coherent capstone experience and is not exclusively focused on preparation for future courses. [3]
| # | Topic Title | Instructional Periods |
|---|---|---|
| 1.1 | Change in Tandem | 2 |
| 1.2 | Rates of Change | 2 |
| 1.3 | Rates of Change in Linear and Quadratic Functions | 2 |
| 1.4 | Polynomial Functions and Rates of Change | 2 |
| 1.5 | Polynomial Functions and Complex Zeros | 2 |
| 1.6 | Polynomial Functions and End Behavior | 1 |
| 1.7 | Rational Functions and End Behavior | 2 |
| 1.8 | Rational Functions and Zeros | 1 |
| 1.9 | Rational Functions and Vertical Asymptotes | 1 |
| 1.10 | Rational Functions and Holes | 1 |
| 1.11 | Equivalent Representations of Polynomial and Rational Expressions | 2 |
| 1.12 | Transformations of Functions | 2 |
| 1.13 | Function Model Selection and Assumption Articulation | 2 |
| 1.14 | Function Model Construction and Application | 2 |
| # | Topic Title | Instructional Periods |
|---|---|---|
| 2.1 | Change in Arithmetic and Geometric Sequences | 2 |
| 2.2 | Change in Linear and Exponential Functions | 2 |
| 2.3 | Exponential Functions | 1 |
| 2.4 | Exponential Function Manipulation | 2 |
| 2.5 | Exponential Function Context and Data Modeling | 2 |
| 2.6 | Competing Function Model Validation | 2 |
| 2.7 | Composition of Functions | 2 |
| 2.8 | Inverse Functions | 2 |
| 2.9 | Logarithmic Expressions | 1 |
| 2.10 | Inverses of Exponential Functions | 2 |
| 2.11 | Logarithmic Functions | 1 |
| 2.12 | Logarithmic Function Manipulation | 2 |
| 2.13 | Exponential and Logarithmic Equations and Inequalities | 3 |
| 2.14 | Logarithmic Function Context and Data Modeling | 2 |
| 2.15 | Semi-log Plots | 2 |
| # | Topic Title | Instructional Periods |
|---|---|---|
| 3.1 | Periodic Phenomena | 2 |
| 3.2 | Sine, Cosine, and Tangent | 2 |
| 3.3 | Sine and Cosine Function Values | 2 |
| 3.4 | Sine and Cosine Function Graphs | 2 |
| 3.5 | Sinusoidal Functions | 2 |
| 3.6 | Sinusoidal Function Transformations | 2 |
| 3.7 | Sinusoidal Function Context and Data Modeling | 2 |
| 3.8 | The Tangent Function | 2 |
| 3.9 | Inverse Trigonometric Functions | 2 |
| 3.10 | Trigonometric Equations and Inequalities | 3 |
| 3.11 | The Secant, Cosecant, and Cotangent Functions | 2 |
| 3.12 | Equivalent Representations of Trigonometric Functions | 2 |
| 3.13 | Trigonometry and Polar Coordinates | 2 |
| 3.14 | Polar Function Graphs | 2 |
| 3.15 | Rates of Change in Polar Functions | 2 |
| # | Topic Title | Instructional Periods |
|---|---|---|
| 4.1 | Parametric Functions | 2 |
| 4.2 | Parametric Functions Modeling Planar Motion | 2 |
| 4.3 | Parametric Functions and Rates of Change | 2 |
| 4.4 | Parametrically Defined Circles and Lines | 2 |
| 4.5 | Implicitly Defined Functions | 2 |
| 4.6 | Conic Sections | 3 |
| 4.7 | Parametrization of Implicitly Defined Functions | 2 |
| 4.8 | Vectors | 3 |
| 4.9 | Vector-Valued Functions | 1 |
| 4.10 | Matrices | 2 |
| 4.11 | The Inverse and Determinant of a Matrix | 2 |
| 4.12 | Linear Transformations and Matrices | 1 |
| 4.13 | Matrices as Functions | 3 |
| 4.14 | Matrices Modeling Contexts | 3 |
Note that Unit 4 will not be tested on the AP exam. [5]
The exam is composed of 2 sections, each with 2 different types of questions.
Section I consists of 40 multiple choice questions. 28 do not allow the use of a calculator, while the last 12 do allow a calculator. The non-calculator section is worth 43.75% of the exam score, while the calculator section is worth 18.75%. [5]
Section II of the Exam includes 4 free response questions, with 2 not allowing a calculator and 2 allowing use of a calculator. Section II is worth 37.5% of the exam score, with the non-calculator and calculator sections weighed equally. [5]
AP Precalculus exams will be scored on the standard 1–5 AP scale, with 5 signifying that the student is "extremely well qualified" for equivalent college credit and 1 signifying "no recommendation." [3]
The 2025 AP Precalculus exam is set to take place on Tuesday, May 13, 2025 at 8AM local time. [6]
| Score | 2024 [7] |
|---|---|
| 5 | 25% |
| 4 | 24% |
| 3 | 26% |
| 2 | 15% |
| 1 | 10% |
| % of scores 3 or higher | 75% |
| Mean | 3.39 |
| Standard deviation | 1.28 |
| Number of students | 152,000 |
Advanced Placement (AP) is a program in the United States and Canada created by the College Board. AP offers undergraduate university-level curricula and examinations to high school students. Colleges and universities in the US and elsewhere may grant placement and course credit to students who obtain qualifying scores on the examinations.
The College Board, styled as CollegeBoard, is an American not-for-profit organization that was formed in December 1899 as the College Entrance Examination Board (CEEB) to expand access to higher education. While the College Board is not an association of colleges, it runs a membership association of institutions, including over 6,000 schools, colleges, universities, and other educational organizations.
Advanced Placement (AP) Chemistry is a course and examination offered by the College Board as a part of the Advanced Placement Program to give American and Canadian high school students the opportunity to demonstrate their abilities and earn college-level credits at certain colleges and universities. The AP Chemistry Exam has the lowest test participation rate out of all AP courses, with around half of AP Chemistry students taking the exam.
Advanced Placement (AP) Calculus is a set of two distinct Advanced Placement calculus courses and exams offered by the American nonprofit organization College Board. AP Calculus AB covers basic introductions to limits, derivatives, and integrals. AP Calculus BC covers all AP Calculus AB topics plus additional topics.
Advanced Placement (AP) Biology is an Advanced Placement biology course and exam offered by the College Board in the United States. For the 2012–2013 school year, the College Board unveiled a new curriculum with a greater focus on "scientific practices".
Advanced Placement (AP) English Language and Composition is an American course and examination offered by the College Board as part of the Advanced Placement Program.
Advanced Placement (AP) Human Geography is an Advanced Placement social studies course in human geography for high school, usually freshmen students in the US, culminating in an exam administered by the College Board.
Advanced Placement (AP) Physics B was a physics course administered by the College Board as part of its Advanced Placement program. It was equivalent to a year-long introductory university course covering Newtonian mechanics, electromagnetism, fluid mechanics, thermal physics, waves, optics, and modern physics. The course was algebra-based and heavily computational; in 2015, it was replaced by the more concept-focused AP Physics 1 and AP Physics 2.
Advanced Placement (AP) Statistics is a college-level high school statistics course offered in the United States through the College Board's Advanced Placement program. This course is equivalent to a one semester, non-calculus-based introductory college statistics course and is normally offered to sophomores, juniors and seniors in high school.
Advanced Placement (AP) United States Government and Politics is a college-level course and examination offered to high school students through the College Board's Advanced Placement Program. This course surveys the structure and function of American government and politics that begins with an analysis of the United States Constitution, the foundation of the American political system. Students study the three branches of government, administrative agencies that support each branch, the role of political behavior in the democratic process, rules governing elections, political culture, and the workings of political parties and interest groups.
Advanced Placement (AP) examinations are exams offered in United States by the College Board and are taken each May by students. The tests are the culmination of year-long Advanced Placement (AP) courses, which are typically offered at the high school level. AP exams have a multiple-choice section and a free-response section.
Advanced Placement (AP) Environmental Science is a course and exam offered by the American College Board as part of the Advanced Placement Program to high school students interested in the environmental and natural sciences. AP Environmental Science was first offered in the 1997–1998 school year.
Advanced Placement (AP) Physics C: Mechanics is an introductory physics course administered by the American College Board as part of its Advanced Placement program. It is intended to serve as a proxy for a one-semester calculus-based university course in mechanics. Physics C: Mechanics may be combined with its electricity and magnetism counterpart to form a year-long course that prepares for both exams.
In the U.S., the SAT Subject Test in Mathematics Level 2, was a one-hour multiple choice test. The questions covered a broad range of topics. Approximately 10-14% of questions focused on numbers and operations, 48-52% focused on algebra and functions, 28-32% focused on geometry, and 8-12% focused on data analysis, statistics and probability. Compared to Mathematics 1, Mathematics 2 was more advanced. Whereas the Mathematics 1 test covered Algebra II and basic trigonometry, a pre-calculus class was good preparation for Mathematics 2. On January 19, 2021, the College Board discontinued all SAT Subject tests, including the SAT Subject Test in Mathematics Level 2. This was effective immediately in the United States, and the tests were to be phased out by the following summer for international students. This was done as a response to changes in college admissions due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on education.
The SAT Subject Test in Mathematics Level 1 was the name of a one-hour multiple choice test given on algebra, geometry, basic trigonometry, algebraic functions, elementary statistics and basic foundations of calculus by The College Board. A student chose whether to take the test depending upon college entrance requirements for the schools in which the student is planning to apply. Until 1994, the SAT Subject Tests were known as Achievement Tests; and from 1995 until January 2005, they were known as SAT IIs. Mathematics Level 1 was taken 109,048 times in 2006. The SAT Subject Test in Mathematics Level 2 covered more advanced content.
Generally you need to have completed a semester of a pre-calculus class with a solid “B” or better to feel comfortable on the Math 1, whereas the content of the Math 2 test extends through Algebra II and basic trigonometry, precalculus, and basic calculus.
Mathematics education in the United States varies considerably from one state to the next, and even within a single state. However, with the adoption of the Common Core Standards in most states and the District of Columbia beginning in 2010, mathematics content across the country has moved into closer agreement for each grade level. The SAT, a standardized university entrance exam, has been reformed to better reflect the contents of the Common Core. However, many students take alternatives to the traditional pathways, including accelerated tracks. As of 2023, twenty-seven states require students to pass three math courses before graduation from high school, while seventeen states and the District of Columbia require four. A typical sequence of secondary-school courses in mathematics reads: Pre-Algebra, Algebra I, Geometry, Algebra II, Pre-calculus, and Calculus or Statistics. However, some students enroll in integrated programs while many complete high school without passing Calculus or Statistics. At the other end, counselors at competitive public or private high schools usually encourage talented and ambitious students to take Calculus regardless of future plans in order to increase their chances of getting admitted to a prestigious university and their parents enroll them in enrichment programs in mathematics.
Advanced Placement (AP) Physics is a set of four courses offered by the College Board as part of its Advanced Placement program:
Advanced Placement (AP) Physics 1: Algebra Based is a year-long introductory physics course administered by the College Board as part of its Advanced Placement program. It is intended to proxy a one-semester algebra-based university course in mechanics. Along with AP Physics 2, the first AP Physics 1 exam was administered in 2015.
SAT Subject Tests were a set of multiple-choice standardized tests given by The College Board on individual topics, typically taken to improve a student's credentials for college admissions in the United States. For most of their existence, from their introduction in 1937 until 1994, the SAT Subject Tests were known as Achievement Tests, and until January 2005, they were known as SAT II: Subject Tests. They are still commonly known by these names. Unlike the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) that the College Board offers, which are intended to measure general aptitude for academic studies, the Achievement Tests are intended to measure the level of knowledge and understanding in a variety of specific subjects. Like the SAT, the scores for an Achievement Test range from 200 (lowest) to 800 (highest).
Advanced Placement (AP) International English Language is an AP Examinations course managed by Educational Testing Service (ETS) with the sponsorship of the College Board in New York. It is designed for non-native speakers to prepare for studying in an English-speaking university, particularly in North America. The course also gives students a chance to earn college credit. The three-hour exam assesses four language skills: listening, reading, writing, and speaking. The test paper has two sections: multiple-choice questions and free-response questions. APIEL committee consists of high school and university English teachers from Belgium, China, France, Germany, Switzerland, and the United States.
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