In this paper the overview of the most important approximate methods for the optical characterization of inhomogeneous thin films is presented. The following approximate methods are introduced: Wentzel–Kramers–Brillouin–Jeffreys approximation, method based on substituting inhomogeneous thin films by multilayer systems, method based on modifying recursive approach and method utilizing multiple-beam interference model. Principles and mathematical formulations of these methods are described. A comparison of these methods is carried out from the practical point of view,