WHERE AND WHEN DO I START?

This is another question for your counselor, AFTER your knowledge of math has been assessed.

In general, WHEN YOU START is as soon as possible, because your math skills decrease rapidly after you complete a math course.  Most math courses require that your knowledge of the prerequisite material be immediate, that is, that it be at the level that it was when you completed the prerequisite course.  So, it is best to complete a sequence of math courses in successive semesters until you have completed all that you need.  Skipping a semester or two between math courses may pose little problem for an ‘A’ math student, cause a ‘B’ student to have to review quite a bit, but may cause a ‘C’ student to struggle to the point of failure.  Don’t skip semesters when taking successive math courses.

WHERE YOU START depends on how much math you have had, how well you learned it when you had it, and how well you remember what you learned.  Ultimately, it’s what you remember that counts, but if you learned it well once, refreshing your knowledge will go faster and better for you.  The Sierra College Assessment Center offers four assessment tests to assist you and your counselor in determining where you should start.  They are, in increasing order of difficulty: