CLEP Precalculus study guide
CLEP Precalculus · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
The CLEP Precalculus exam is a College Board credit-by-examination assessment that measures mastery of the skills and concepts needed for success in a first-semester calculus course. It suits independent learners, returning students, and anyone who already knows precalculus material and wants to earn introductory precalculus credit without sitting the course. The CLEP Precalculus study guide has 6 sections and about 2,795 words.
01Algebraic Expressions, Equations, and Inequalities
The Algebraic Expressions, Equations, and Inequalities domain checks whether you can rewrite expressions fluently and solve equations and inequalities exactly - polynomial, rational, radical, absolute-value, exponential, and logarithmic. CLEP Precalculus items here are usually short but reward precision: the exam often hinges on whether you kept every restriction on the variable.
491 words, about 2 min02Functions: Concept, Properties, and Operations
The Functions: Concept, Properties, and Operations domain asks you to treat a function as an object: identify its domain and range, combine and compose functions, invert them, and describe symmetry and monotonicity. Expect questions that hinge on a single restriction - a denominator, a radicand, a restricted domain, or the order of operations inside a composition.
460 words, about 2 min03Representations of Functions: Symbolic, Graphical, and Tabular
The Representations of Functions: Symbolic, Graphical, and Tabular domain tests translation between the three views. A question may give a formula and ask for a graph feature, a table and ask for a rate, or a graph and ask for a model.
441 words, about 2 min04Analytic Geometry
The Analytic Geometry domain connects algebra and shape: lines, distance and midpoint, circles, parabolas, ellipses, and hyperbolas described by equations. Questions typically supply a general second-degree equation and ask for center, radius, vertex, foci, axes, or asymptotes - or reverse the process and build an equation from described features.
471 words, about 2 min05Trigonometry and its Applications
Trigonometry and its Applications covers the unit circle, radian measure, identities, trigonometric equations and graphs, inverse trigonometric functions, and triangle solving with the laws of sines and cosines. The exam tests fluency with exact values plus the discipline of keeping every solution inside a stated interval.
485 words, about 2 min06Functions as Models
Functions as Models asks you to choose a family of functions that fits a real situation, estimate its parameters, and interpret them with units - linear, exponential, logarithmic, logistic, sinusoidal, or power. Many items are set in context: population, medication levels, temperature, revenue, or radioactive decay.
447 words, about 2 min