Thanks Tog! Did you still find the by-hand portion to be harder than the calculator portion? Like with the practice exam I found the calculator part to be harder. I was even surprised to learn a few new ways I could use it during the exam even though I couldn't get one of those methods to work.
So this is the forum thread I originally based my studying on:
http://www.degreeforum.net/general-educa...#post90632
Again I would highly suggest using Purple Math. If the subject is based in previous knowledge then purple math will normally tell you and provide a link back to what you should already know. Very helpful! I agree that the Official CLEP practice exam is an accurate representation of the level of difficulty. I had also taken part of one of the Peterson exams but their test was unreasonably tricky. Self-studying without serious prior exposure would be tough, especially if you are not a math person. I really enjoyed this material in high school so I was able to more quickly pick up on the topic relations and where my weak points where without too much practice. Without the knowledge of how the topics are supposed to relate self-studying for this would have been much, much harder. I also had just taken College Math last month which helped solidify my basics. Don't cram for this exam!
1. Log
a) Natural Log --> Log --> Exponent
b) Log Rules
c) Change of Base
d) Exponent Rules
e) Root/Special Factoring Rules
2. Trig Identities
a) Double-Angle
b) Pythagorean (identity-based)
c) Half-Angle (x/2 and squared forms)
d) Sum and Difference Tangent
e) Basic Trig Relations
f) SOH-CAH-TOA
3. Trig-related Formulas
a) Distance
b) Pythagorean Theorem
c) Law of Cosines and Sines Short
4. Graphing Quadratics
a) Slope Formula
b) Quadratic Function Basic Form
c) Vertex Formula and Form
d) Example Graph: Log, Exponent, Radical
e) Domain and Range
f) Asymptotes Vertical, Horizontal
g) Discriminate
5. Graphing Conics
a) Circle Equation
b) Ellipse Equation, Formula, Define A/B/C
c) Area Circle --> Area Sector, Circumference --> Arc Length
6. Graphing Trig
a) Cosine and Sine Graph Key Points
b) Tangent and Cotangent Key Points
c) Secant and Cosecant Key Points
d) Basic Form and Translation Identification
e) Reflection
f) Symmetry
7. Unit Circle
That was my list I typed up in order to organize my already labeled note-cards. The arrows mean I remembered it by linking a specific version of the forms. I would know the list! Also, in my practice cards, I emphasized practice in solving inequalities, absolute value inequalities, working with radicals, exponents, and logs. Some topics I wish I understood better or practiced more in which include reflection and symmetry (which I had thrown in a few hours before the exam), hyperbola, odd and even functions and their graphs, composites(!), inverse functions, and intersecting functions. Although I can't tell specifics of what I actually saw on the exam it really doesn't matter because you should really just expect to understand all that Pre-Calc has to offer anyway. :p Essentially it's knowing everything and everything's graph. Lol.
Below is the list I practiced writing out to reference during the exam:
1. Log
a) Natural Log --> Log --> Exponent
e) Special Factoring Rules
2. Trig Identities
a) Double- Angle
b) Pythagorean (identity-based)
c) Half-Angle (x/2) and Squared
d) Sum and Difference Tangent
e) Basic Trig Relations
f) SOH-CAH-TOA
3. Trig-related Formulas
c) Law of Cosines and Sines Shorts
4. Graphing Quadratics
c) Vertex Formula and Form
d) Example Graph: Log, Exponent, Radical
f) Asymptotes Vertical, Horizontal
g) Discriminate
5. Graphing Conics
c) Area Circle --> Area Sector, Circumference --> Arc Length
6. Graphing Trig
a) Sin; Cos; Tan; Cotan; Csc; Sec Key Point Graphs
d) Basic Form and Translation Definitions
e) Reflection; Symmetry Rules
7. Unit Circle
Hope that helps!
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