Fiveable for AP Students

Get multiple-choice practice questions

get_practice_questions

Read-onlyIdempotent

Returns original, course-specific multiple-choice practice questions. Free-text topics are matched against Fiveable's course map, so natural phrasing works. Omit topic to get balanced practice across the whole subject, with varied units, skills and stimulus formats. For history, science and language subjects this can return source-based sets — one stimulus with several questions off it — and stimulus images come back as viewable images. This is targeted or mixed practice, distinct from Fiveable's durable adaptive diagnostic.

Every question carries a Question id that supports a saved answer submission for student progress. The recentCorrect and recentAnswered inputs allow the tool to drop to easier question types when a student is missing questions, helping find where understanding breaks down. A returned question set consumes one full-content preview unless existing access covers this practice feature. Moderate cost — roughly 300 tokens per question, more when images are attached.

Input Schema

TableJSON Schema

Name	Required	Description	Default
`mode`	Yes	"exam" requests Fiveable's balanced whole-course practice mix of units, skills and stimulus formats. "topic" drills one scope. "auto" picks exam when no topic is given.	auto
`tier`	No	The tier the student was just working at — pass back the tier from the previous result, along with recentCorrect / recentAnswered, so a student who is still missing comprehension questions drops to vocabulary rather than being handed comprehension again. On its own it pins the level: stimulus = source-based application, comprehension = does the student know the content, vocabulary = does the student know the terms.
`limit`	Yes	Exact maximum number of questions to return, including questions in a stimulus set.
`topic`	No	Free-text topic, e.g. "photosynthesis", "the American Revolution" or a CED topic number like "3.3". Matched against Fiveable course topics, then key terms. Omit for whole-subject mixed practice.
`intent`	No	Privacy-safe reason for the request. Use explain, quiz, notes, frq, or research; never send the student's raw prompt for analytics.
`unitId`	No	Exact unit id, public id, or slug from get_subject_outline. Use this for broad practice across a unit; do not substitute one topic id as a proxy for the entire unit.
`topicId`	No	Exact topic id from get_subject_outline, if known.
`subjectSlug`	Yes	Fiveable subject slug, e.g. "ap-bio". A course name such as "AP Biology" also resolves.
`courseVariant`	No	AP Calculus only (subject ap-calc): 'ab' hides BC-only units and topics; 'bc' includes them. Defaults to the student's saved Fiveable course when they are connected.
`recentCorrect`	No	How many of the student's recent answers were correct, for automatic tier adjustment.
`includeAnswers`	Yes	Defaults false so students can attempt questions before seeing the key. Set true only when the student explicitly asks for answers. Use check_practice_answer anonymously or submit_practice_answer when signed in.
`questionFormat`	Yes	"auto" matches what the subject's own practice UI leads with. "stimulus-set" requests source-based questions; "standalone" requests single questions with no shared source.	auto
`recentAnswered`	No	How many questions the student recently answered. Needs 3+ before the tier moves.

Output Schema

TableJSON Schema

Name	Required	Description	Default
`text`	No	Readable tool result text for clients that consume structured output.
`status`	Yes	Operation status: completed, pending, partial, failed, unavailable, or a domain-specific outcome.

Schema Changelog

Changes observed during successful MCP inspections.

Changed1 schema field changedOct 1, 2026

changedInput schema / properties / topic / description

Previous value: -"Free-text topic, e.g. \"photosynthesis\" or \"the American Revolution\". Matched against Fiveable course topics, then key terms. Omit for whole-subject mixed practice."New value: +"Free-text topic, e.g. \"photosynthesis\", \"the American Revolution\" or a CED topic number like \"3.3\". Matched against Fiveable course topics, then key terms. Omit for whole-subject mixed practice."

Changed1 schema field changedSep 27, 2026

addedInput schema / properties / courseVariant

Added value: +{
+  "description": "AP Calculus only (subject ap-calc): 'ab' hides BC-only units and topics; 'bc' includes them. Defaults to the student's saved Fiveable course when they are connected.",
+  "enum": [
+    "ab",
+    "bc"
+  ],
+  "type": "string"
+}

Changed1 schema field changedSep 21, 2026

changedInput schema / properties / subjectSlug / description

Previous value: -"Fiveable subject slug, e.g. \"ap-bio\"."New value: +"Fiveable subject slug, e.g. \"ap-bio\". A course name such as \"AP Biology\" also resolves."

First observedSep 6, 2026

TDQS

A4.8/5.0

Behavior5/5

Does the description disclose side effects, auth requirements, rate limits, or destructive behavior?

Beyond the readOnly/idempotent/non-destructive annotations, it discloses non-obvious operational behavior: a returned set consumes one full-content preview unless existing access covers practice, and roughly 300 tokens per question (more with images). It also explains the adaptive drop-to-easier-type behavior driven by recentCorrect/recentAnswered.

Agents need to know what a tool does to the world before calling it. Descriptions should go beyond structured annotations to explain consequences.

Conciseness4/5

Is the description appropriately sized, front-loaded, and free of redundancy?

Purpose is front-loaded and most sentences carry unique value (topic matching, stimulus sets, cost, quota). It is longer than strictly necessary for a 13-param tool, and paragraph two drifts into answer-submission plumbing better owned by sibling tools, but there is little pure filler.

Shorter descriptions cost fewer tokens and are easier for agents to parse. Every sentence should earn its place.

Completeness5/5

Given the tool's complexity, does the description cover enough for an agent to succeed on first attempt?

Output schema exists so return values need not be described, and for a 13-parameter, 5-enum tool the description still covers scope selection, tier mechanics, image/stimulus behavior, quota consumption and cost. Nothing an agent needs to call it correctly is missing.

Complex tools with many parameters or behaviors need more documentation. Simple tools need less. This dimension scales expectations accordingly.

Parameters4/5

Does the description clarify parameter syntax, constraints, interactions, or defaults beyond what the schema provides?

Schema coverage is 100%, so baseline is 3, but the description adds real meaning beyond the schema: free-text topics are matched against Fiveable's course map (natural phrasing works), tier semantics are explained in behavioral terms, and the recentCorrect/recentAnswered pairing with a 3+ answer threshold is clarified.

Input schemas describe structure but not intent. Descriptions should explain non-obvious parameter relationships and valid value ranges.

Purpose5/5

Does the description clearly state what the tool does and how it differs from similar tools?

States a concrete verb+resource (returns course-specific multiple-choice practice questions) and explicitly positions itself as 'targeted or mixed practice, distinct from Fiveable's durable adaptive diagnostic', so an agent can separate it from start_diagnostic without opening schemas.

Agents choose between tools based on descriptions. A clear purpose with a specific verb and resource helps agents select the right tool.

Usage Guidelines5/5

Does the description explain when to use this tool, when not to, or what alternatives exist?

Gives explicit when-to-use rules: omit topic for whole-subject mixed practice, use unitId for broad unit practice and not a topic id as a proxy, pass tier with recentCorrect/recentAnswered for tier adjustment, and set includeAnswers true only when the student asks. It also names the routing alternatives (adaptive diagnostic, check_practice_answer, submit_practice_answer, get_subject_outline).

Agents often have multiple tools that could apply. Explicit usage guidance like "use X instead of Y when Z" prevents misuse.

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