AP Precalculus is one of the College Board's newer courses and was designed to fill a missing step in the AP mathematics line.
Content
Linear and quadratic functions, polynomials, rational functions, exponential and logarithmic functions, trigonometric functions, polar coordinates and sequences.
The focus is recognising functions across different representations and seeing the transformations between them. That is the skill used directly in the first months of Calculus.
Why it exists
The AP mathematics line began directly with Calculus for a long time, which was a hard entry point for students who were not ready.
Precalculus fills that gap: the student produces an AP score before entering Calculus, and the foundation gets measured.
Who it makes sense for
A student who will start Calculus a year later and is not sure of their foundation. This course keeps that year from being empty.
Also a student entering the AP mathematics line late, for whom going straight to Calculus is risky.
Who does not need it
A student with a solid foundation who could take Calculus AB or BC directly. For them, Precalculus spends the same year on a lower return exam.
A student who knows the Turkish curriculum well is often in this group: functions and trigonometry have already been covered.
The credit question
How much credit universities award for this course varies by institution and is more limited than for Calculus. The course is new and the policies have not settled.
So Precalculus should be treated as a preparation step rather than a credit collecting exercise.
The exam format
The exam lasts 2 hours 55 minutes in two sections. The multiple choice section has 42 questions and carries about 63 percent of the score; part of it bans calculators and part of it requires a graphing calculator. The free response section has 4 questions worth 6 points each and carries about 37 percent.
Only the first three units are tested: polynomial and rational functions, exponential and logarithmic functions, and trigonometric and polar functions. The fourth unit (functions involving parameters, vectors and matrices) is taught in the course but not assessed on the exam.