AP classes have been a high school staple for years. The courses have appealed to many, whether it be those seeking a challenge, or wanting to prepare for college. The main appeal of AP courses, though, has always been the college credit. In an AP class, students do college-level work in the high school environment. At the end of the year, students have the option of taking an AP exam which can give them college credit if they score high enough. With said college credit, students can save money by not having to pay the tuition fees to take the same course in college, and they get a headstart on graduation requirements. While most AP classes gain credits, it is up to colleges to accept them. Not every college or university will accept AP credits from certain classes, which is where the issue with AP Precalculus comes in.

AP pre-calc debuted in the fall of 2023, making this its second year in effect, with the AP exams this year being its second exam period. Because this course is fairly new though, few colleges accept the credits earned from the test. What this means essentially is that if a student took AP precalculus and the AP exam, they might not be not getting college credits and not saving any money. In addition to this, traditionally precalculus is not considered to be “college level” according to several outside sources. So if someone struggled in AP precalc, chances are they will still be ill-prepared, despite the AP branding. Not all is lost though, while most colleges don’t take the credits from precalc, some still do. But in the end, the course is still invaluable for students seeking a tougher challenge and preparing them better for AP calculus.