Functions and transformations
Domain and range, composition and inverses, and how shifting, stretching and reflecting changes a graph and its equation.
1-on-1 online Precalculus tutoring
One tutor works with your child every session on the unit their Precalculus or AP Precalculus class is on, making functions, logarithms and trigonometry reliable before calculus. It starts with a free 45-minute diagnostic, then sessions are $59 each, with no enrollment fee.
What Precalculus covers
Precalculus courses vary more than most. Some are mainly trigonometry, others mainly functions. These are the topics most courses include, and tutoring follows the order your child's class uses.
Polynomial and rational functions
Zeros, end behavior, asymptotes and holes, and reading a function's behavior from its equation.
Exponential and logarithmic functions
Modeling growth and decay, properties of logarithms, and solving exponential and logarithmic equations.
Trigonometry
The unit circle, graphs of the six trig functions, identities, inverse trig functions, and solving trig equations.
Triangles and vectors
The laws of sines and cosines for any triangle, and vectors in the plane.
Polar, parametric and complex numbers
Polar coordinates and graphs, parametric equations, and complex numbers in polar form.
Sequences, series and limits
Arithmetic and geometric sequences and series, and an intuitive first look at limits, the starting point of calculus.
Why Precalculus matters
It is where calculus problems go wrong
Most mistakes in calculus are not calculus: they are a trig identity, a log rule or an algebra step. Precalculus is where those tools become reliable.
Regular or AP, the core is the same
Both cover functions, exponentials and logarithms, and trigonometry. AP Precalculus adds a College Board exam in May, which tutoring prepares for as well.
It builds graph sense
Knowing what a function's graph looks like before plotting it saves time on every later test, including the SAT's Advanced Math questions.
Taking AP Precalculus? The AP tutoring page has the exam format and the College Board unit weights.
How Precalculus tutoring works
It starts with a free 45-minute diagnostic on the unit your child's class is on right now, including the Algebra 2 skills it relies on, and a written plan within a day. After that, the same tutor teaches every session on a shared whiteboard with Desmos open, so each function is graphed and its behavior seen, not just computed. Your child does the solving; the tutor stops them at the step where it goes wrong. Every mistake goes into an error journal, and the recording and notes land in your dashboard within two hours.
A trig equation, solved without losing answers
Trig equations often have several solutions, and students regularly find one and stop. This is the kind of problem sessions use to build the habit of finding them all.
Solve 2 sin²x − sin x − 1 = 0 for 0 ≤ x < 2π.
Step 1: see it as a quadratic. Let u = sin x. Then 2u² − u − 1 = 0, which factors as (2u + 1)(u − 1) = 0.
Step 2: solve for sin x. sin x = 1 or sin x = −½.
Step 3: find every angle. sin x = 1 only at x = π/2. sin x = −½ is negative, so x is in the third or fourth quadrant, with reference angle π/6: x = 7π/6 or x = 11π/6.
Answer: x = π/2, 7π/6, 11π/6.
The common mistakes are dividing both sides by sin x, which throws solutions away, and giving only one of the two angles for sin x = −½. The unit circle, sketched first, shows exactly how many answers to expect.
Precalculus tutoring prices
- Free 45-minute diagnostic, no card needed
- $59 per 55-minute session
- $429 a month for 8 sessions (two a week)
- $799 a month for 16 sessions in the weeks before the AP exam
No enrollment fee. See all plans, or small-group classes for a lower hourly price.
Questions parents ask about Precalculus tutoring
When do students usually take Precalculus?
Most US students take it in 11th or 12th grade, after Algebra 2, and before AP Calculus or college calculus. Tutoring follows whichever course your child is in.
Do you tutor AP Precalculus too?
Yes. AP Precalculus covers the same core topics and adds the College Board exam in May. See AP tutoring for the exam format and how each unit is weighted.
My child is doing fine in Precalculus. Is tutoring still worth it?
If calculus is next, a few weeks spent making trig identities, log rules and function transformations automatic pays off quickly. The free diagnostic will tell you honestly if it isn't needed.
Will the tutor follow my child's school course?
Yes. Share the syllabus and unit calendar in the first session. Course work maps to your state's standards and your district's curriculum, and sessions stay a little ahead of class.
Is a graphing calculator used?
Where the course allows it. Desmos is open in every session so functions can be graphed and explored, but students also learn to sketch and reason without it, since some tests do not allow a calculator.
How many sessions a week are needed?
Two 55-minute sessions a week is a good starting point. The diagnostic gives you a number for your child, and you can change it month to month.
Before Precalculus: Algebra 2. After it: AP Calculus AB and AP Calculus BC.