Course

Course Summary

Credit Type:

Exam

ACE ID:

CLEP-0035

Organization:

College Board's College-Level Examination Program (CLEP)

Location:

Certified CLEP testing centers throughout the U.S.

Length:

1.5 hours

Dates Offered:

Credit Recommendation & Competencies

Level	Credits (SH)	Subject
Lower-Division Baccalaureate	3	Precalculus

Credit is recommended for candidates scoring 50 and above.

Description

Objective:

The Precalculus exam assesses student mastery of skills and concepts required for success in a first-semester calculus course. A large portion of the exam is devoted to testing a student’s understanding of functions and their properties. Many of the questions test a student’s 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 it is a prerequisite for enrolling in calculus and other college-level mathematics courses.

The exam contains approximately 48 questions, in two sections, to be answered in approximately 90 minutes.

-Section 1: 25 questions, approximately 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, approximately 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 students to enter a numerical answer.

A graphing calculator, the TI-84 Plus CE, is integrated into the exam software and available to students during Section 1 of the exam. Students are encouraged to practice using the graphing calculator on an ETS website.

Skills Measured:

Questions on the exam require candidates 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 exam is drawn from the following topics.

• Algebraic Expressions, Equations, and Inequalities (20%)
• Functions: Concept, Properties, and Operations (15%)
• Representations of Functions: Symbolic, Graphical, and Tabular (30%)
• Analytic Geometry (10%)
• Trigonometry and its Applications* (15%)
• Functions as Models (10%)

*Note that trigonometry permeates most of the major topics and accounts for more than 15% of the exam. The actual proportion of exam questions that requires knowledge of either right triangle trigonometry or the properties of the trigonometric functions is approximately 30%–40%.

Instruction & Assessment