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AP Precalculus

AP Precalculus Full Practice Exam

Full-length practice exam modeled on the official College Board AP Precalculus exam: 40 multiple-choice questions (Section I, 120 min) covering polynomial, rational, exponential, logarithmic, trigonometric, polar, sequence, vector, and matrix functions, plus 4 free-response questions (Section II, 60 min) on function concepts, modeling, and symbolic manipulation.

Exam Structure

1

Section I — Multiple Choice

40 questions · 120 minutes

40 MCQs covering Units 1–4. Part A (Q1–Q28) is no calculator (80 min); Part B (Q29–Q40) is calculator-allowed (40 min). Reference formulas provided.

2

Section II — Free Response

4 items · 60 minutes

4 FRQs (6 points each, 24 total): Q1 Function Concepts (calc), Q2 Modeling (calc), Q3 Symbolic Manipulation (no calc), Q4 Trig & Symbolic Manipulation (no calc). Self-graded rubric.

Total time: 3h 0m. Each section has its own timer; sections are completed back-to-back. Free-response sections use a self-grading rubric checklist after you write your response.

About the AP Precalculus Exam

Exam Structure

  • • Section I: 40 MCQs (120 min, 62.5%)
  • • • Part A: 28 no-calc (80 min)
  • • • Part B: 12 calc-allowed (40 min)
  • • Section II: 4 FRQs (60 min, 37.5%)
  • • • Q1 Function Concepts (calc, 6 pts)
  • • • Q2 Modeling (calc, 6 pts)
  • • • Q3 Symbolic Manipulation (no calc, 6 pts)
  • • • Q4 Trig Symbolic Manipulation (no calc, 6 pts)
  • • Total: 3 hours

Unit Weighting

  • • Unit 1 — Polynomial & Rational Functions (~30%)
  • • Unit 2 — Exponential & Logarithmic Functions (~30%)
  • • Unit 3 — Trigonometric & Polar Functions (~30%)
  • • Unit 4 — Functions, Sequences, Vectors, Matrices (~10%, not assessed on the AP exam itself but may appear in MCQ practice)

This full-length practice exam mirrors the real test’s sections, timing, and question mix so you can rehearse pacing and stamina before exam day. Every question is scored instantly with an explanation, and your results feed into your score prediction. For the most realistic read on where you stand, take it in one timed sitting.

About the AP Precalculus exam

AP Precalculus is a relatively new College Board course designed to prepare students for calculus and other college-level quantitative work by developing fluency with families of functions. The course is built around four units: polynomial and rational functions; exponential and logarithmic functions; trigonometric and polar functions; and functions involving parameters, vectors, and matrices. Importantly, only the first three units are assessed on the end-of-course exam—Unit 4 is taught but not tested. The central skill the course develops is modeling: students learn to recognize which type of function fits a situation, to analyze functions through their rates of change and key features, and to move fluidly among graphical, numerical, analytical, and verbal representations. A recurring theme is covariation—how output values change as input values change—and students study average rates of change, concavity, and end behavior as precursors to calculus concepts. Trigonometry is treated thoroughly, including the unit circle, transformations of sinusoidal functions, identities, and polar coordinates. Students most often struggle with the demand to justify and interpret rather than merely compute, with the abstraction of function composition and inverses, and with connecting symbolic forms to graphs. Because the exam mixes no-calculator and calculator-required sections, both algebraic fluency and technology skills matter. Effective preparation emphasizes understanding the defining behaviors of each function family—where they increase, decrease, have asymptotes, or repeat—and practicing the verbal interpretation of model behavior. Students who can describe what a function is doing, not just evaluate it, are best positioned to succeed and to transition smoothly into AP Calculus.

Exam structure

Two sections totaling 3 hours: Section I is 40 multiple-choice questions in 2 hours (28 no-calculator, 12 calculator), worth about 62.5%; Section II is 4 free-response questions in 1 hour (2 calculator, 2 no-calculator), worth about 37.5%. Only Units 1-3 are assessed.

Scoring

Multiple-choice and rubric-scored free-response points are combined into a weighted composite converted to a 1-5 AP score, with 3 generally considered passing.

Common mistakes

  • Treating Unit 4 content as exam-relevant when only Units 1-3 are assessed
  • Computing values without interpreting function behavior (increasing/decreasing, concavity, end behavior) as questions require
  • Confusing average rate of change with instantaneous behavior and misreading covariation
  • Errors with trig identities, the unit circle, and transformations of sinusoidal functions
  • Mishandling inverse functions, function composition, and domain/range restrictions
Reviewed by the Study Mondo team · Last reviewed June 2026Sources: AP Precalculus Exam – AP Central, College Board, AP Precalculus – AP Students, College Board