Brushing up my math skills real quick-like
 

I haven't taken any math since high school (4 years ago) and now I have to take something called the "Compass" test before they'll let me take Calculus at my college. The test goes through Algebra and through Trigonometry. I have to take it within a couple days. I took all that in high school, but damn if I remember it after all this time. Where can I find a quick refresher so I can pass this damn test? I really need to take Calc this summer because it's a prereq for some classes I need this fall.

I say grab yourself a tutor and a book and lock yourselves in a room until the test. No, seriously you should get some of the books of the classes that ill be covered and take the chapter tests out of em. Its gonna take time but its probably the most effective way to do it.

Brilliant! I don't have time for a tutor but getting ahold of the textbooks and taking some chapter tests is a bully idea. I'll have to see if my library has them.

Compass tests are just placement tests. You can probably find some reviews of those subjects online to looks at.

I need to do the same thing GreasyP. I'll post any good resources I happen to stumble across.

best bet is to get one of those Baron's books and go thru the entire book doing ALL the problems over a weekend.
dont cheat!

man i know how you feel. im in grade nine and i had to study REAL hard for my math final exam because i was really bombing it. in the end, i got 78% on my final. try this:

study for as long as you can, take a break for a bit, come back, do some more studying, and so on.

that will keep your head fresh, so it's not like you are cramming your head with info.

this actually does work wonders. my last calculus assessment (97.5%), i revised all up about 23hrs in two days. one 11hr day, one 12hr day. if your going to be cramming for long periods, make sure you have regular breaks, otherwise you'll end up with a killer headache and just not absorb any knowledge.

i treated it for every two hours of study, a 15minute break. i also listened to music through headphones whilist i did this cram sessions, and found it helped. i'd be stuck, and sorta zone out to the music for a moment, *click* and i'd have the solution.

going through a text book, if you get stuck.. the net is a great place for maths help ive found, so use it to your advantage.

I'm a math teacher and I would be happy to help you if you get stumped. Buy the Barron's SAT I Math workbook and it will go through arithmetic, algebra and geometry. If you get one for SAT II, it will cover algebra 2 and Trig. The night before the test, stop studying 2 hours prior to going to bed and do something mindless. If you don't, your brain will work math problems while you sleep and you will feel more tired when you wake up than you did when going to bed. Laso, eat a good breakfast with lots of protein, if it is a test less than 3 hours drink some caffeine. Good luck!

Dr. Math is sometimes useful or Ask Jeeves sometimes can direct you.

Thanks. One of my co-workers let me borrow their old College Algebra books, so I'm going through those. It's not really studying, but just refreshing my memory about some rather basic mathematical concepts. Funny how after four years I can recognize the math problems, but have no idea how to execute and finish the problems. Not like I'm going for a perfect score on a Math Placement Test, just don't want to end up in a class that will bore me all semester.

www.sparknotes.com should help
one of my favourite "school" sites;-)

i suck at math, but great in english i wonder why.........hit* copy pate pwns j00!

I'm kinda in the same situation.
Here's a good algebra site: http://www.purplemath.com/modules/modules.htm

hth!

I'm just curious, what are your math capabilities? Not just GreasyP, but all of you in general. Is TFP a load of Einsteins or are we enlightened in some other form...

Whew... it was close, but I passed. That trigonometry almost killed me, it's been so long since I used identities and such. Thanks, guys.

Well... I hardly studied at all, just looked over a College Algebra text book, and refreshed my memory on things, and did a damn good job on the Placement Test (of course my uncanny ability to ace multiple choice tests might of had something to do with it). They wanted me to take the Calculus test, but I wasn't about to jump ahead of myself.

I wouldn't call myself a genius, but I do have the ability to soak things in pretty well. Just gotta focus on my paying attention skills.

if you need any maths help, you can always pm me. I don't know how much i could help, but i can try =)

i'd say for an average 18year old completing year 12 (senior year), my math capabilities are quite strong. studying specialist maths (as advanced as highschool math goes), and sitting on a 97.5% average, highest of the local region, i'd like to think im doing alright.

Mathematician/Teacher of Mathematics here...

And I believe there are a few more of us on the site

In addition to the books Assman suggested, there is a book called "Forgotten Algebra" that I usually suggest to anyone in your situation. There is also the yellow book "The Algebra Tutor" and Cliffs Notes "Algebra". All are great brush-up sorts of math books.

And algebra is just like riding a bike... You may not have done it for a while, but the minute you start again it all comes back.

Just finished calc 3. I start diff. eq. in the summer and linear algebra in the fall.

Congrats on passing the test GreasyP. :)

A good key is to do the questions you'd ask if you were the teacher/prof. Don't even bother doing questions you think would be cool doing just out of self-interest. Place yourself in your teacher's shoes.

I have 1 more year to go in my Math and Economics degree, and I find this works really well.

My suggestion is get all the books you've used over the years, and just review. memorize formulas, and work a couple problems, just to refresh your memory.

It's a 3-step procedure
1: Solve problems
2: Solve problems
3: Solve problems

If you're stuck on one, don't give up until you have it solved. Either by looking up in books, on the net or asking someone.

Now if I could just follow my own advice :p