Question 1
The graph of a polar function for is shown. Which of the following could be the equation of the graph?
Is AP Precalculus hard?
Most students who sit it pass: 80.8% scored 3 or higher in May 2025, and 28.1% earned a 5. What makes it hard is the trigonometry and polar unit, a third of the multiple choice, and free-response points that need a reason, not only an answer.
| Students in May 2025 | 253,596 |
|---|---|
| Scored 3 or higher | 80.8% |
| Scored 5 | 28.1% |
| Mean score | 3.55 |
What makes it hard
- Unit 3, trigonometric and polar functions, is 30–35% of the multiple choice, and some classes reach it late or rush it.
- Part A is 29 questions in 65 minutes with no calculator, so exact values, factoring and log rules have to be quick.
- Free-response points come in pairs: an answer and a reason. A right value with no justification earns one point of two.
- Graphs carry many questions: reading where a function increases, how its rate of change behaves and where it is concave up.
How it compares, May 2025
- AP Precalculus: 80.8% scored 3 or higher.
- AP Calculus BC: 78.6%.
- AP Calculus AB: 64.2%.
- AP Statistics: 60.3%.
What makes it easier
- The course is three units with published weights, so you know where the points are.
- The same few ideas repeat: rates of change, transformations, and equivalent forms of each function type.
- Part B allows a graphing calculator, and only some of its questions truly need it.
Try 2 questions
Question 2
For , which of the following is equivalent to
Next step
Questions people ask
What percentage of students pass AP Precalculus?
In May 2025, 80.8% of the 253,596 students who took AP Precalculus scored 3 or higher. Many US colleges grant credit or placement for 3 and above, but each college sets its own policy.
What share of AP Precalculus students earn a 5?
28.1% in May 2025 (71,321 students).
What is the hardest unit in AP Precalculus?
For many students it is Unit 3, trigonometric and polar functions: it is 30–35% of the multiple choice and has the most new ideas, from radians and sinusoids to inverse trig and polar graphs.