Introduction

- The New AP With AP season coming around, the sooner one begins to prepare the better.

Outlined in this article are tips for precisely how you can study to secure a perfect 5 in the brand new AP Precalculus Exam introduced by College Board.

What is AP Precalculus?

Should I Even Take the Exam?

AP Precalculus, as mentioned already, is the newest AP class introduced by College Board as of 202

4. It covers a series of key topics that students must be well-versed on before entering into Calculus, and has been described many times over as a "feels-good" type class for student who couldn't quite make it to Calculus in high school but still want a GPA boost.

Now, the controversy around AP Precalculus comes from the fact that Precalculus isn't actually taught at a college/university level, and is a subject strictly left for high schools to cover.

Why is this a problem?

One of the most alluring facets of AP classes and reasons why they possess any benefits at all is because they can provide college credit to high school students in order to help to bypass certain semester credits and save time and money on particular courses that are available at those colleges.

So what does this mean?

AP Precalculus won't give any college credit at all?

In short, that is absolutely correct.

What an outrage?!

Why would I even take this exam in the first place then?!

Slow down.

Remember, although they are not a sizable decision factor, AP classes can still contribute towards college acceptance, so securing a 5 on this exam will still be beneficial to students as a competitive factor.

This is especially true is you are applying as a STEM major, because in accompaniment with AP Calculus AB/BC or AP Statistics, a good score on AP Precalculus can help your admissions portfolio stand out as mathematically impressive to a certain degree.

But is this worth spending $120 on?

Well, that depends.

Compared to other AP tests, AP Precalculus is certainly a less desirable choice, and it is ultimately up to YOUR financial situation and YOUR shrewd judgement on whether or not you should take the exam.

As for whether you should take the class

- absolutely!

Not only does it prepare you well for Calculus, but in many cases it helps you bypass taking AP Calculus AB and lets you jump straight to AP Calculus BC.

Additionally, it is universally considered "not too difficult", so it should be manageable for the majority of high schoolers.

We highly recommend giving it a shot, especially if you are STEM-oriented.

AP Precalculus

- What is On the Exam?

For those who are taking the exam, how on on earth should you prepare for it?!

First, let's quickly discuss what topics are on the exam.

It is important that we do this because a majority of the topics taught in a standard AP Precalculus classroom environment are not actually present on the exam, so it is key that you have an idea of what material you should be focusing on.

According to College Board, here's what will be on there: Section I: Multiple Choice40 Questions | 2 Hours | 6

2. 5% of Exam Score Part A: 28 questions; 80 minutes; 4

3. 75% of exam score (calculator not permitted) Topics: Trigonometry, Polar Functions, Exponential Functions, Rational Functions, Logarithmic Functions  Part B: 12 questions; 40 minutes; 1

8. 75% of exam score (graphing calculator required) Topics: Everything mentioned above with an emphasis on trigonometry and finding the equation from a graph

- ensure that you know how to use your graphing calculator to do that Section II: Free Response4 Questions | 1 Hour | 3

7. 5% of Exam Score Part A: 2 questions; 30 minutes; 1

8. 75% of exam score (graphing calculator required) Free-Response Question 1: Function Concepts Free-Response Question 2: Modeling a Non-Periodic Context  Part B: 2 questions; 30 minutes; 1

8. 75% of exam score (calculator not permitted) Free-Response Question 3: Modeling a Periodic Context Free-Response Question 4: Symbolic Manipulations  How to Study for the AP Precalculus Exam Now that you know what is on the exam, how should go about studying for it?

Well, the answer is simple: practice, practice, practice.

But not just any practice

- you must employ a specific practice routine that ensures success.

First thing's first, you MUST ensure that you understand ALL the material at hand.

If you don't understand a specific topic or subtopic, ask your math teacher for help or watch videos through Khan Academy or YouTube that help clarify the topic.

Then, for all of these specific topics, do not broaden your scope and just prioritize completing problems on the exact issue you are facing.

For example, if you are having trouble with figuring out the equation of a polar function from its graph because you forgot the rules for graphing flower petals, don't just practice doing a bunch of different polar graphs and questions over and over again until you think you are solid.

Instead, figure out exactly what it is that you cannot permeate through your brain, which in this case would be knowing the rules for a ± b⋅sin/cos(θ), and memorize those rules before practicing those problems in order to combat the specific issue at hand.

This way, you've managed to pinpoint and tackle a very specific issue, and won't find yourself struggling to juggle multiple issues all at once such as the rules for a⋅sin/cos(bθ) (like the student in the image is doing) or the angles that sweep the inner loop type questions.

Next, once you've done this for all of the topics that were not lucid to you, take as many practice tests as you can.

Once again, if past college board practice tests aren't doing the trick for you, seek out practice exams in Khan Academy or ask your math teacher for some.

You could even make your own or generate some with AI (although I will warn you, it is not always the most accurate so this should be a last resort).

Only after you feel confident with what you've practiced and are so incredibly mind-numbed that you could graph trig functions in your sleep should you take a break.

It will be hard, it will be painful, but trust me it will be worth it.

As they say

- better now than later!

Overall, your strategy should be to make sure you know everything, and then to make sure you know it all well.

As esteemed Hungarian born mathematician Paul Halmos once elegantly put it, The only way to learn mathematics is to do mathematics.

Final Thoughts: What to Do on Exam Day You made it to exam day.

You're ready, and now is not the time to second guess your abilities.

You have done everything in your power until this day to ensure success, and even if you haven't, it is not the time to start and give yourself a miniature heart attack.

Instead, the morning of the exam, focus your attention on ensuring that all of your materials are ready.

This includes MULTIPLE pencils, MULTIPLE erasers, and a graphing calculator that you are comfortable using and that is approved by college board.

Ensure that your calculator has a working battery and make sure to check if it is allowed IN ADVANCE, or you better hope that your math teacher has an extra.

On top of that, try packing a snack for before the test to supply you with that last minute energy boost.

Now, as a student myself, I know that you may be groaning at that piece of advice.

I personally have a knot formed in my stomach every time before a critical exam, one that even the most fibrous of granola bars doesn't make it through.

However, if you are ALSO like me, food that doesn't necessarily have to be healthy, when consumed at periodic moments throughout the day, delivers massive rushes of dopamine to the brain.

That dopamine, coupled with a few deep breaths and moments of closing one's eyes and resting one's mind before the exam, is what pumps people up and gets them hyper-focused for an exam.

Capitalize on that.

Additionally, if at any point before the exam, you realize that you forgot how to plot cubic regressions on your graphing calculator or deduce the sinusoidal equation to a scenario, don't freak out.

You caught yourself before the test, and should be relieved!

Just calmly find a YouTube video online and watch a tutorial on how to do that specific concept.

In most cases, it would be something that you already knew how to do that nerves drained out of you, and recognition of how to do it will come almost instantly.

Finally, if you still have waves of anxiety flowing through your body, try to put things into perspective.

If you don't get the score that you want, you don't have to send it to colleges.

It's not the end of the world, and will not significantly affect your admissions chances anyways!

Besides, everybody knows that AP tests aren't the best measure of your intelligence anyways, as they are often skewed by College Board and are ultimately just a ploy to make money.

So relax

- you've got this!

Go get that

5. Go show yourself what you've got left inside of you.

Let's do some math.

Resource: How to Get Better at Math Congratulations!

You survived AP Precalculus, or at least you will now that you've made it through this article.

But don't count your chickens before they hatch, for this is just the beginning.

If you are really passionate about math and want to take Calculus next year, or are looking to succeed in competition math and set yourself apart from other students, check out this FREE guide below from an International Math Olympiad winner himself: https://www. rishabacademy. com/math-preparation.