AP^® Precalculus - NEW

The College Board has introduced a new course - AP Precalculus, which will begin in the Fall of 2023.  The goal of this course is not to gain college credits. Rather, it is to be sure that students (who most likely are not taking AP Calculus) have the requisite skills needed for a college level calculus course.  Details about the thinking behind this new Advanced Placement precalculus course can be found at the College Board Website.

Once this course was announced, I decided to create a precalculus manual similar to the one that has been successful for AP Calculus, both AB and BC.  This necessitated taking a long, hard look at the proposed curriculum which is somewhat different than traditional precalculus courses.  This new course emphasizes rate of change, use of technology, and modeling.  And, it begins to use calculus terms without actually doing calculus. 

AP Precalc versus Traditional Precalc

Rather than try and explain the differences here in this space, I urge you to download the "Why AP Precalculus?" document that will explain the curriculum, the areas in which it mirrors traditional precalculus courses and where it differs. Please note that while some of the material from my (non-AP) precalculus manual was used in this new work, it has been thoroughly updated and enhanced to reflect this new course and its perspective.  About 30% of it is brand new and so this precalculus manual is an up-to-date, next-generation document in compliance with the Advanced Placement standards.

Advanced Placement® Compliant

The AP Precalculus manual was constructed similar to the AP Calculus manuals: a classwork section that teachers will use to show examples, and then a homework section which mirrors the types of problems seen in classwork.  There are three units in the course with the fourth optional as it is not tested on the AP exam. All four units are included in this manual:

    1. Polynomial and Rational Functions

    2. Exponential and Logarithmic Functions

    3. Trigonometric and Polar Functions

    4. Functions Involving Parameters, Vectors, and Matrices

        (not tested on AP exam)

Like most material that comes from outside sources, the College Board does not endorse this material. However, all of the topics that are taught in the AP Precalculus manual are coupled with the AP^® learning objectives that are enumerated in the AP Precalculus Course Framework.

Download for free

As are most MasterMathMentor materials, you can purchase the student version in PDF form FREE OF CHARGE.  Each is about 8 megabytes. Links are below.

Solution Options

You can download the solution version. This version is an exact duplicate of the student version except that the space given for students to complete work  are filled in with the solution ... not just the answer!).  Solutions are available as a web download as well as on a flash drive.

Teachers who purchased the traditional precalculus manual after 2020 can receive a $25 discount in the price of either solution version. Email me first at team@mastermathmentor.com to ensure you are in our records.

Get the AP Precalculus Solutions

Free Student Version

Cover and Table of Contents  (double-click to download)

            Unit 1:   Polynomial and Rational Functions

   #             Topic (double-click to download)            Pages

            Unit 2:   Exponential and Logarithmic Functions

   #              Topic (double-click to download)          Pages

            Unit 3:   Trigonometric and Polar Functions

   #         Topic (double-click to download)                Pages

Unit 4:   Functions Involving Parameters, Vectors & Matrices

  #        Topic (double-click to download)                  Pages

Get the AP Precalculus Solutions