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Home > College Board Tests > CLEP: Exam Descriptions > Precalculus Exam to Debut in 2006

Precalculus

The College Board's College-Level Examination Program® (CLEP) introduced a new Precalculus Exam in January. The new exam replaces the CLEP College Algebra-Trigonometry and Trigonometry exams.

Why Should You Take CLEP Precalculus?

Depending on your institution's policy, a passing score on the exam can:

  • Show your college math professors that you're ready for a Calculus class
  • Allow you to opt out of a math proficiency core requirement
  • Earn you three college credits

Description of the Examination

The Precalculus examination evaluates your mastery of skills and concepts required for success in a first-semester calculus course. A large portion of the exam is devoted to testing your understanding of functions and their properties. Many of the questions test your knowledge of specific properties of the following types of functions: linear, quadratic, absolute value, square root, polynomial, rational, exponential, logarithmic, trigonometric, inverse trigonometric, and piecewise-defined. Questions on the exam will present these types of functions symbolically, graphically, verbally, or in tabular form. A solid understanding of these types of functions is at the core of all precalculus courses, and is a prerequisite for enrolling in calculus and other college-level mathematics courses.

The examination contains 48 questions, in two sections, to be answered in 90 minutes. Any time you spend on tutorials and providing personal information is in addition to the actual testing time.

  • Section 1: 25 questions, 50 minutes. The use of an online graphing calculator (non-CAS) is allowed for this section. Only some of the questions will require the use of the calculator.
  • Section 2: 23 questions, 40 minutes. No calculator is allowed for this section.

Although most of the questions on the exam are multiple-choice, there are some questions that require you to enter a numerical answer.

Online Graphing Calculator

A graphing calculator is integrated into the exam software, and it is available to students during Section 1 of the exam. Since only some of the questions in Section 1 actually require the calculator, students are expected to know how and when to make appropriate use of it. The graphing calculator, together with a brief tutorial, is available to students as a free download for a 30-day trial period. Students are expected to download the calculator and become familiar with its functionality prior to taking the exam.

Get more information about the calculator and download the trial version.

Results from a recent calculator survey indicate that most precalculus students use a graphing calculator without symbolic algebra capabilities in their precalculus courses. In order to answer some of the questions in Section 1 of the exam, students may be required to use the online graphing calculator in the following ways:

  • Perform calculations (e.g., exponents, roots, trigonometric values, logarithms).
  • Graph functions and analyze the graphs.
  • Find zeros of functions.
  • Find points of intersection of graphs of functions.
  • Find minima/maxima of functions.
  • Find numerical solutions to equations.
  • Generate a table of values for a function.

Knowledge and Skills Required

Questions on the examination require you to demonstrate the following abilities:

  • Recalling factual knowledge and/or performing routine mathematical manipulation
  • Solving problems that demonstrate comprehension of mathematical ideas and/or concepts
  • Solving nonroutine problems or problems that require insight, ingenuity, or higher mental processes

The subject matter of the Precalculus examination is drawn from the following topics. The percentages next to the topics indicate the approximate percentage of exam questions on that topic.

Approximate Percent of Examination

20%     Algebraic Expressions, Equations, and Inequalities
  • Ability to perform operations on algebraic expressions
  • Ability to solve equations and inequalities, including linear, quadratic, absolute value, polynomial, rational, radical, exponential, logarithmic, and trigonometric
  • Ability to solve systems of equations, including linear and nonlinear
15% Functions: Concept, Properties, and Operations
  • Ability to demonstrate an understanding of the concept of a function, the general properties of functions (e.g., domain, range), function notation, and to perform symbolic operations with functions (e.g., evaluation, inverse functions)
30% Representations of Functions: Symbolic, Graphical, and Tabular
  • Ability to recognize and perform operations and transformations on functions presented symbolically, graphically, or in tabular form
  • Ability to demonstrate an understanding of basic properties of functions and to recognize elementary functions (linear, quadratic, absolute value, square root, polynomial, rational, exponential, logarithmic, trigonometric, inverse trigonometric, and piecewise-defined functions) that are presented symbolically, graphically, or in tabular form
10% Analytic Geometry
  • Ability to demonstrate an understanding of the analytic geometry of lines, circles, parabolas, ellipses, and hyperbolas
15% Trigonometry and its Applications
  • Ability to demonstrate an understanding of the basic trigonometric functions and their inverses and to apply the basic trigonometric ratios and identities (in right triangles and on the unit circle)
  • Ability to apply trigonometry in various problem-solving contexts
10% Functions as Models
  • Ability to interpret and construct functions as models and to translate ideas among symbolic, graphical, tabular, and verbal representations of functions

Knowledge and Skills Required

Most textbooks used in college-level precalculus courses cover the topics in the above outline, but the approaches to certain topics and the emphasis give to them may differ. To prepare for the Precalculus exam, it is advisable to study one or more college textbooks, which can be found in most college bookstores. When selecting a textbook, check the table of contents against the "Knowledge and Skills Required" for this test.