AP Precalculus
Past Papers

PRACTISE WITH A PURPOSE

How to use AP Precalculus past papers

Choose a question based on the thinking you want to practise. Question 1 combines ideas about functions and their behavior; Question 2 turns a real situation into a non-periodic model; Question 3 models a repeating situation; and Question 4 tests exact symbolic work. Start with one task type, write a complete response, then try the same type in another year. That makes it easier to spot whether you are improving the underlying skill rather than remembering a particular context.

Open the original PDF before you begin. The finder takes you directly to the numbered question, but a prompt can continue on the next page. Read its graph, table, labels, units and all lettered parts. For 2026 Question 3, the waterwheel context starts on page 6 and the graph and response parts continue on page 7. The popup's page controls keep those pages together. Use the graphing calculator for Questions 1 and 2 as the released papers direct; practise Questions 3 and 4 without one.

Work through every requested explanation as well as the computation. A numerical answer alone is often insufficient when the prompt asks for a reason. For a model, state what its input and output represent, keep the correct units, and distinguish a secant-line estimate from the model's actual value. For periodic behavior, identify amplitude, period, midline and starting position before writing a sine or cosine equation. For exact symbolic work, show the algebraic steps and check restrictions on the domain.

After you finish, open the scoring guide from the same year. Use the question number to find the relevant rubric, then compare your explanation and supporting work point by point. For 2024 and 2025, the student samples show how real responses earned different scores, while the chief reader reports discuss common difficulties. Revise your answer before moving to the next paper. The supplied 2026 folder has no scoring documents, so its paper can be used for practice but its marking material is not presented here as if it were supplied.

2027 AP Precalculus exam format and what changed

College Board lists the 2027 AP Precalculus exam for Tuesday, May 11, Session 1. It is a hybrid digital exam: students answer multiple-choice questions and view free-response questions in Bluebook, then handwrite free-response answers in a paper booklet. Your AP coordinator supplies the local Session 1 start time. The exam content remains based on the assessed course units, but the number of multiple-choice questions, the structure of Free-Response Questions 1 and 2, and section timing change in 2027.

Each 2024–2026 paper in this collection says 30 minutes for its calculator-required FRQ Part A and 30 minutes for its no-calculator FRQ Part B. That is the timing printed on those original papers, not the 2027 timing. For a 2027-style rehearsal, give yourself 35 minutes per part and consult the current exam description for the updated Question 1 and 2 structure. A past prompt still provides valuable work on concepts, modeling, graphs and communication even where its layout differs.

Which AP Precalculus units are on the exam?

The course includes four units, but only Units 1–3 are assessed on the AP exam. College Board's percentages below describe approximate multiple-choice emphasis, not a fixed number of questions in the FRQ section. A single free-response problem can draw on ideas from more than one unit, which is why the finder lets a question appear under more than one unit filter.

If you are studying Unit 1, compare the quadratic song-streaming model with the function tables and graphs in Question 1. For Unit 2, use the video-game sales and car-depreciation contexts to practise logarithmic and exponential models. For Unit 3, compare the rolling tire, guitar string and waterwheel: all repeat, yet their periods, midlines and starting positions differ. Question 4 is a useful cross-unit check of exact algebra, logs, exponentials and trigonometry.

Build a useful practice routine

For a targeted session, filter to a topic such as average rate of change, complete one question without help, then write down the first step you missed. Revisit the same topic in another year and see whether your reasoning improves. For a full released-paper session, answer Questions 1 and 2 with a graphing calculator, then put it away for Questions 3 and 4. Mark each section using its own year and avoid treating a sample response as the only acceptable wording.

Keep a short error log: Was the mistake a domain restriction, a graph reading, an equation setup, a unit, or an explanation? Practise that exact step before taking another whole paper. If you need a broader study plan, see AP tutoring and the AP exam timetable guide.