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Precalculus CLEP
Free Study Guide
Name of Exam: Precalculus CLEP
Number of Questions: 48
Time Limit: 90 Minutes
ACE Recommended Passing Score: 50
Practice Test Available?: Yes - Click here
Cost: $80 + Sitting Fee (Usually no more than $20) at your testing site. Military can take CLEPs for free with Tuition Assistance. Check with your Educational Officer!
Difficulty 1-5 : 4
(One being the easiest, and five being the hardest)
Alternatives: StraighterLine PreCalculus and ALEKS PreCalculus
Exam Description:
The Precalculus CLEP replaced the old College Algebra-Trigonometry CLEP as well as the full-fledged Trigonometry CLEP. The new exam heavily tests on your understanding of functions and their properties and includes the following: quadratic, absolute value, square root, rational, logarithmic, exponential, trigonometric, piecewise-defined, and inverse trigonometric.
Important! - There is an on-screen graphing calculator included that you will need for the first portion of this exam. CollegeBoard recommends that you download a free 30 day trial of the graphing calculator along with a tutorial in order to become familiar with its use. You can find that here.
You will need to know how to do the following with the above calculator:
- Generate a table of values for a function
- Find numerical solutions to equations
- Perform calculations to include exponents, logarithms, roots, and trigonometric values
- Find zeros of functions
- Find minima/maxima of functions
- Graph functions and analyze the graphs
- Find points of intersection of graphs of functions
Personal Thoughts:
The idea of me actually teaching someone Precalculus is pretty funny. I have no qualms about being completely honest and saying that I have "not" taken this exam. My saving grace is that most of you who are thinking about taking this exam probably enjoy math, and are much further along the road of understanding than I am.
What I'm going to do is to list the topics you'll be tested on, give you some free resources and tutorials, and then get the heck out of the way. I think we'll both be better off that way.
Exam breakdown:
According to the College Board website, the Precalculus CLEP is broken down as follows:
| 30% | Representations of Functions: Graphical, Symbolic, and Tabular |
|---|---|
| 20% | Algebraic Expressions, Equations, and Inequalities |
| 15% | Functions - Properties, Concept, and Operations |
| 15% | Trigonometry and its Application |
| 10% | Analytic Geometry |
| 10% | Functions as Models |
Areas of Study
Representations of Functions: Symbolic, Graphical, and Tabular
(30% of the Precalculus CLEP )
- Linear functions
- Quadratic functions
- Absolute value functions
- Square root functions
- Polynomial functions
- Rational functions
- Exponential functions
- Logarithmic functions
- Trigonometric functions
- Inverse trigonometric functions
- Piecewise-defined functions
Algebraic Expressions, Equations, and Inequalities
(20% of the Precalculus CLEP )
- Algebraic expressions
- Linear equations
- Quadratic equations
- Absolute value equations
- Polynomial equations
- Rational equations
- Radical equations
- Exponential equations
- Logarithmic equations
- Trigonometric equations
- Nonlinear equations
Functions: Concept, Properties, and Operations
(15% of the Precalculus CLEP )
- Domain
- Range
- Function notation
- Evaluation
- Inverse functions
Trigonometry and its Applications
(15% of the Precalculus CLEP )
- Basic trigonometric functions
- Inverse trigonometric functions
- Basic trigonometric ratios and identities (in right triangles and on the unit circle)
Analytic Geometry
(10% of the Precalculus CLEP )
Analytic Geometry of:
- Lines
- Circle
- Parabolas
- Ellipse
- Hyperbolas
Functions as Models
(10% of the Precalculus CLEP )
- Symbolic Functions
- Graphical Functions
- Tabular Functions
- Verbal Functions
Recommended Free Study Resources
See any of the below free resources to find the above topics. All of them are worth the time to review. Between the resources in the below list, you should be covered for the material on this exam.
Temple Virtual Precalculus Lessons
John W. Bales - Precalculus Tutorial
Recommended bargain-priced study resources
Always check your library first! You may be able to find some of these for free. You don't have to buy the officially recommended resources all the time. If you're the type of person that prefers to study from a textbook source however, then please see below.
The Complete Idiot's Guide to Precalculus
Pre-Calculus Demystified
Standard Deviants: Pre-Calculus, Vol. 1
Standard Deviants: Pre-Calculus, Vol. 2
InstantCert Academy - Precalculus Exam Feedback - Only one page of information here for the Precalculus CLEP, but it does provide some great resources. If you're already a subscriber I'd look it up. For non-subscribers you should run a forum search for Precalculus. There's quite a few posts in the free section that also give some feedback.
If you don't know what InstantCert is, then click here for the scoop as well as a discount code: **InstantCert Academy**
You'll find an InstantCert link for every exam here if that gives you an idea of the amount of information they have available. It's an outstanding resource.
Closing Thoughts
Once again, if you're thinking about taking this CLEP then you're probably a much bigger math fan than I am. I'm therefore hesitant to offer any words of wisdom because I don't have much to give on this subject. Suffice it to say that I wish you nothing but success, and I hope that the above resources help in some small way.
Best of luck!
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