# AP Precalculus exam guide > Three assessed units plus a fourth studied but not tested, covering polynomial, exponential, trigonometric, and polar functions. - Canonical page: https://www.arcadesacademy.com/exams/ap-precalculus - Markdown source: https://www.arcadesacademy.com/exams/ap-precalculus/llms.txt - Exam family: AP exams - Governing body: College Board - Official exam information: https://apstudents.collegeboard.org/courses/ap-precalculus - Who takes it: High school students taking precalculus who want college credit or placement and a structured on-ramp to AP Calculus. - Follows the fall 2026 course and exam description, from 11 May 2027 - Guide structure last checked against official sources: August 30, 2026 ## Overview AP Precalculus is built around function families and the modeling they support. The Course and Exam Description organizes the content into four units: polynomial and rational functions, exponential and logarithmic functions, trigonometric and polar functions, and functions involving parameters, vectors, and matrices. One structural detail matters for planning. Unit 4 is part of the course but is not assessed on the AP Exam; College Board's stated position is that Units 1 through 3 cover the content colleges expect for credit or placement, while Unit 4 gives teachers room to extend the course. Students should still learn Unit 4 material when their teacher covers it, but exam preparation time belongs to the first three units. Arcade Academy is an independent study workspace. Use the official Course and Exam Description as the authoritative content list and the official exam page for current format details, and use the unit pages below to organize practice. ## Exam format - **Total time:** 2 hours 55 minutes - **Section I:** 42 multiple-choice questions in 1 hour 45 minutes, 62.5% of the exam score - **Section I detail:** Part A is 29 questions in 65 minutes with no calculator; Part B is 13 questions in 40 minutes with a graphing calculator required - **Section II:** 4 free-response questions in 1 hour 10 minutes, 37.5% of the exam score - **Section II detail:** Part A is 2 questions in 35 minutes with a graphing calculator required; Part B is 2 questions in 35 minutes with no calculator - **Format update:** The multiple-choice count, two of the free-response questions, and the section timing changed beginning with the May 2027 exam; confirm the current numbers on the official exam page - **Content assessed:** Units 1 through 3 only; Unit 4 is part of the course but is not assessed on the exam - **Delivery:** Hybrid digital: multiple-choice questions are answered and free-response prompts are read in College Board's Bluebook app, and free-response answers are handwritten in a paper booklet - **Score scale:** 1 to 5 ## Scoring The multiple-choice section contributes 62.5% and the free-response section 37.5% of a composite score, which College Board converts to the reported 1 to 5 scale using cut points set for that year's exam. Because AP Precalculus is a newer course, credit and placement policies vary widely by institution, so check each college directly. ## Units AP Precalculus is organized into 4 units. Each one below lists its published weighting where the governing body publishes one, the topics it covers, and study tips specific to it. ### 1. Unit 1: Polynomial and Rational Functions - Position: 1 of 4 - Published weighting: 30–40% - Page: https://www.arcadesacademy.com/exams/ap-precalculus/unit-1-polynomial-and-rational-functions Unit 1 establishes the analytical vocabulary of the course: how quantities change in tandem, average rates of change, and the behavior of polynomial and rational functions. End behavior, zeros, asymptotes, and holes are all analyzed through the structure of the expression. Transformations and function modeling close the unit and recur in Units 2 and 3. #### Topics - **Change in tandem and rates of change** — Describing how one quantity changes as another does, and computing and interpreting average rates of change. - **Polynomial functions and end behavior** — Degree and leading coefficient as determinants of end behavior, and turning points and extrema. - **Zeros, multiplicity, and complex zeros** — How multiplicity shapes the graph at a zero, and what complex zeros imply about the real graph. - **Rational functions** — Vertical asymptotes, holes, and end behavior determined by comparing numerator and denominator degrees. - **Equivalent representations** — Rewriting polynomial and rational expressions to reveal a specific feature such as a zero or an asymptote. - **Transformations and function modeling** — Shifts, stretches, and reflections, and choosing an appropriate function type for a described situation. #### Study tips - Practice describing graph behavior in complete sentences, since the free-response section scores written reasoning. - Determine end behavior from structure rather than by graphing, which is faster and works on the no-calculator part. - Distinguish a hole from a vertical asymptote by examining the factored form, not the graph alone. ### 2. Unit 2: Exponential and Logarithmic Functions - Position: 2 of 4 - Published weighting: 25–40% - Page: https://www.arcadesacademy.com/exams/ap-precalculus/unit-2-exponential-and-logarithmic-functions Unit 2 develops proportional growth. Arithmetic and geometric sequences lead into linear and exponential models, composition and inverses lead into logarithms, and the unit closes with data modeling and semi-log plots. Recognizing whether a data set is better modeled by a linear, quadratic, or exponential function is an explicitly tested judgment. #### Topics - **Sequences and their function models** — Arithmetic and geometric sequences and the linear and exponential functions that extend them. - **Exponential functions** — Growth and decay behavior, the effect of the base, and manipulating exponential expressions. - **Composition and inverse functions** — Building composite functions, finding inverses, and the domain restrictions inverses require. - **Logarithmic functions** — Logarithms as inverses of exponentials, logarithm properties, and graph behavior including asymptotes. - **Exponential and logarithmic equations** — Solving equations and inequalities, including extraneous solutions produced by domain restrictions. - **Model selection and semi-log plots** — Choosing among competing models for a data set, and reading a semi-log plot as evidence of exponential behavior. #### Study tips - Practice logarithm properties in both directions, expanding and condensing, until either is immediate. - Check the domain after solving any logarithmic equation; extraneous solutions are a standard test. - Learn to recognize an exponential model from a table by constant ratios rather than constant differences. ### 3. Unit 3: Trigonometric and Polar Functions - Position: 3 of 4 - Published weighting: 30–35% - Page: https://www.arcadesacademy.com/exams/ap-precalculus/unit-3-trigonometric-and-polar-functions Unit 3 covers periodic phenomena through the trigonometric functions and extends into polar coordinates. Sinusoidal modeling, inverse trigonometric functions, identities, and equations are the core, and polar graphs bring in rates of change of the radius with respect to angle. This unit is the most notation-heavy of the three assessed units. #### Topics - **Periodic phenomena and the unit circle** — Radian measure, the unit circle, and defining sine, cosine, and tangent from it. - **Sinusoidal functions and transformations** — Amplitude, period, phase shift, and midline, and constructing a sinusoid from described behavior. - **Sinusoidal modeling** — Fitting a sinusoidal model to periodic data and interpreting its parameters in context. - **Tangent, reciprocal, and inverse functions** — Graphs of tangent, secant, cosecant, and cotangent, and the restricted domains inverse functions require. - **Trigonometric identities and equations** — Pythagorean, sum, difference, and double-angle identities, and solving equations over a given interval. - **Polar functions** — Converting between polar and rectangular coordinates, graphing polar curves, and describing how the radius changes with angle. #### Study tips - Rebuild the unit circle from memory regularly rather than relying on a calculator; Part A of each section has none. - Practice extracting all four sinusoidal parameters from a described context, which is a standard free-response setup. - Describe polar graphs in words, naming where the radius increases, decreases, or is negative. ### 4. Unit 4: Functions Involving Parameters, Vectors, and Matrices - Position: 4 of 4 - Page: https://www.arcadesacademy.com/exams/ap-precalculus/unit-4-functions-involving-parameters-vectors-and-matrices Unit 4 extends the course into parametric functions, implicitly defined relations, conic sections, vectors, and matrices. It is part of the AP Precalculus course framework but is not assessed on the AP Exam, so it does not carry a published exam weighting. Students heading into AP Calculus BC or a linear algebra sequence often find it the most useful preparation in the course even though it is untested. #### Topics - **Parametric functions** — Describing planar motion with a parameter, and analyzing position and rate of change along the path. - **Implicitly defined functions and conic sections** — Relations that are not functions, and the standard forms of circles, ellipses, parabolas, and hyperbolas. - **Vectors** — Vector representation, magnitude and direction, and vector addition and scalar multiplication. - **Vector-valued functions** — Using vectors to describe motion in the plane over time. - **Matrices and linear transformations** — Matrix arithmetic, inverses and determinants, and matrices as transformations of the plane. - **Matrices as models** — Using matrix multiplication to model transitions in a context over successive steps. #### Study tips - Treat this unit as preparation for later courses rather than for the exam, since it is not assessed. - If you are heading to AP Calculus BC, prioritize the parametric and vector topics, which reappear there directly. - Learn matrix arithmetic by hand at least once before relying on a calculator, so the operations are meaningful. ## Study strategies - Concentrate exam preparation on Units 1 through 3, since Unit 4 is part of the course but is not assessed. - Practice writing verbal descriptions of function behavior, because the free-response section scores explanation as well as computation. - Work deliberately without a calculator, since the larger part of each section prohibits one and unit-circle and algebraic fluency carry that work. - Rehearse translating between representations: table, graph, symbolic form, and verbal description of the same function. - Build model-selection judgment by fitting linear, quadratic, and exponential models to the same data and arguing for one. - Take at least one full timed exam so pacing across the four separately timed parts is settled before test day. ## Frequently asked questions ### How is the AP Precalculus Exam structured? The exam runs 2 hours 55 minutes. Section I is 42 multiple-choice questions in 1 hour 45 minutes for 62.5% of the score, split into a 29-question no-calculator part and a 13-question calculator part. Section II is 4 free-response questions in 1 hour 10 minutes for 37.5%, split into a 2-question calculator part and a 2-question no-calculator part. Confirm current numbers on the official exam page, since the format changed beginning with the May 2027 exam. ### Is Unit 4 on the exam? No. Unit 4, covering functions involving parameters, vectors, and matrices, is part of the course framework but is not assessed on the AP Exam. The exam assesses Units 1 through 3, which College Board describes as the content colleges typically expect for credit or placement. ### Which units do students find most challenging? College Board does not rank difficulty. Students most often report that the trigonometric and polar unit requires the most practice, particularly identities and describing polar behavior in words. Practice results are a better guide than any general ranking. ### How is the exam scored? The two sections combine in a 62.5 to 37.5 ratio into a composite score that is converted to the reported 1 to 5 scale using cut points set each year. Because AP Precalculus is a newer course, credit and placement policies vary considerably, so verify with the specific college. ### When should students start exam-focused review? A common approach is to review each unit as the class finishes it and to begin timed mixed practice roughly two months before the May exam, with extra attention to no-calculator fluency since it carries the larger part of each section. ### Is Arcade Academy affiliated with College Board? No. AP® is a registered trademark of College Board, which was not involved in the production of, and does not endorse, this site. Arcade Academy is an independent educational resource. ## Related exam guides - [AP Calculus AB](https://www.arcadesacademy.com/exams/ap-calculus-ab): All eight AP Calculus AB units with published exam weightings, from limits through applications of integration. - [AP Calculus BC](https://www.arcadesacademy.com/exams/ap-calculus-bc): All ten AP Calculus BC units with published exam weightings, including parametric and polar functions and infinite series. - [SAT](https://www.arcadesacademy.com/exams/sat): Study the digital, adaptive SAT module by module, with the College Board's published content domains and their share of every section. - [ACT](https://www.arcadesacademy.com/exams/act): Study the enhanced ACT section by section, from the three core tests behind the composite to the optional science and writing components. ## Independence and trademark notice AP® is a registered trademark of College Board, which was not involved in the production of, and does not endorse, this site. Arcade Academy is an independent educational resource. Confirm current exam format, dates, and policies with College Board directly. AP® is a registered trademark of College Board, which was not involved in the production of, and does not endorse, this site. Arcade Academy is an independent educational resource.