Disclosed is a power control method and apparatus. The power control method includes that a user equipment at level i sends a preamble on a resource of a Physical Random Access Channel (PRACH) at level k greater than or equal to i according to a determined power control mode, which includes at least one of: mode one: transmitted power of the preamble of the PRACH at level k is determined according to a path loss between the user equipment and a base station, maximum transmitted power, and target received power of the preamble of the PRACH at level k; mode two: the transmitted power of the preamble of the PRACH at level k is the maximum transmitted power of the user equipment; or mode three: the transmitted power of the preamble of the PRACH at level k is the maximum transmitted power of a user equipment corresponding to level k.