Press Releases

CLEP® Launches Precalculus as First New Exam in More Than 15 Years

01/09/06

NEW YORK, January 9, 2006—The College Board's College-Level Examination Program® (CLEP®) will introduce the new Precalculus exam on Wednesday, January 11. This is the first new CLEP exam to be introduced in more than 15 years, and it will assess student mastery of skills and concepts required for success in a first-semester calculus course. Developed in response to recommendations from college faculty serving on CLEP test development committees and a curriculum survey of high schools and colleges, the CLEP Precalculus exam will benefit both students and universities by enabling capable students to move more quickly into higher-level mathematics classes and earn college credit by demonstrating precalculus mastery. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, the number of students taking Precalculus courses in high school increased from 14 percent to 23 percent between 1990 and 1998. The exam will replace the CLEP College Algebra-Trigonometry and Trigonometry exams, which will be phased out as of July 2006.

"CLEP Precalculus will allow students to demonstrate to college mathematics faculty that they are ready for a calculus class and allow them to opt out of a math proficiency core requirement, saving both time and money. Calculus is a gateway course for many disciplines—engineering, sciences, health professions and CLEP Precalculus provides a measurement of this critical skill," said Ariel Foster, director of the CLEP program. "Students who place out of an introductory class by taking a CLEP exam tend to perform better on average than those students who were not exempted."

Examination Overview

CLEP Precalculus tests a student's knowledge of specific properties of the following kinds of functions and present them symbolically, graphically, verbally, or in tabular form. The test specifications reflect current texts and curriculum and are distributed as follows:

• 20% Algebraic expressions, equations, and inequalities
• 15% Functions: concepts, properties, and operations
• 30% Representations of functions: symbolic, graphical, and tabular
• 10% Analytic geometry
• 15% Trigonometry and its applications
• 10% Functions as models

The examination consists of 48 questions in two sections to be answered in 90 minutes. Although most of the questions are multiple choice, some require students to enter a numerical answer.

• Section 1:

  25 questions, 50 minutes. The use of an online graphing calculator (non-CAS) is permitted for this section. Some of the questions will require the use of a calculator.

• Section 2:

  23 questions, 40 minutes. The use of a calculator is not permitted for this section.

"Since CLEP Precalculus was developed by mathematics professors from a diverse range of schools and backgrounds, the exam represents a balance between traditional and reform curricula," said James Choike, chair of the CLEP Precalculus Test Development Committee and professor of mathematics at Oklahoma State University, Stillwater. "We felt it was important to include questions that measure students' knowledge of mathematical concepts, as well as questions that measure students' ability to perform calculations that relate to readiness for an engineering calculus course."

Students have the opportunity to prepare for the 35 CLEP exams using the CLEP Official Study Guide, which helps them learn more about CLEP exams, decide which CLEP exams to take, and interpret CLEP scores. The Guide includes sample test questions and provides test-taking tips and a list of study resources to help students prepare for the exams. For a limited time, free Precalculus study guides, including sample questions and tips for studying, are available at www.collegeboard.com/student/testing/clep/ex_pcal.html. A free test information guide, which includes sample questions and content breakdown, is available for educators at www.collegeboard.com/clep/precalculus.

Since the program's inception in 1967, students have taken more than six million CLEP exams. For more information about CLEP and how it helps students save money on college tuition and move more quickly toward graduation, visit www.collegeboard.com/clep.

For more information, contact the College Board Office of Public Affairs at (212) 713-8052.