Passed College Algebra!

[AMPawlak227]

I scored a 67 on College Algebra last night. I procrastinated much too long in scheduling and taking this one. My advice to others - DON'T be intimidated by this test. I followed some excellent advice I learned on this forum and wrote down the formulas floating through my head first thing - so I couldn't panic later and forget them. It turned out that I didn't need a single formula - not even the quadratic equation. All the formulas I needed were included with the questions. You just needed to plug in the data and solve the equations. I don't mean to imply that the test was easy and send anyone into it overconfident - just don't blow it up to epic proportions in your mind (like I did!).

[ShotoJuku]

[SIZE="4"]Congrats!!![/SIZE]

[studyhard]

Congratulations! Great job!!!

That's a riot that they don't even expect you to remember the formula. Cool.

[wannabeit]

Congratulations!

[Basket Weaver]

Great job, this test scares more people than probably any other test (Statistics is a close second). Great score too!

[mapalo]

Congratulations !!

[Matymus]

Congratulations!! That's a great score! Were you allowed to use a calculator at all on this one??

[Kiwi Lover]

I scored a 67 on College Algebra last night.

What a GREAT score on a very difficult exam (at least for Algebra-loathing individuals like me, plus a few others I know of on this board.... ).

CONGRATULATIONS on passing the exam, and thank you for posting some feedback...every little bit helps!

Take care,
JoAnne

[Southron Boy]

Congrats! I'll bet you're breathing steady now--well, maybe not if you treated yourself to that much deserved ice cream cone!

Thanks for the great feedback!

I'm planning on taking this one soon, too. How long did you study. My algebra wasn't stellar in school, but I have a solid basic mathematics foundation and am learning (after being out in the real world for two years) to appreciate how Algebra applies to real world situations (never thought x's and ab's could, but they do ). Kind of looking forward to it and hope to pass with some really hard work, the great imput in these threads, and from some kind assistance from Kiwi (Thanks, again, JoAnne).

Again, great job!

[AMPawlak227]

There is an online calculator built into the exam you can use. There is a downloadable version you can use for practice from the collegeboard website. It has the standard scientific functions - exponents, roots, etc. I started studying about four months ago - then got wrapped up in a tough course at my community college and put it aside. I would say maybe 4 weeks of focused study. I discovered early on that my basic math skills were rusty (like fractions and exponents), so I decided to take prep for and take College Math as a "pretest". It brought my math skills up to par & the extra 6credits certainly don't hurt. I used the REA book and the WTAMU website recommended here. I was lucky enough to have a math geek co-worker who could help with explanations. I ended up giving her the link for the Peterson's tests so she could take them for "fun". Very nice girl, but seriously warped on what she considers fun.

As I said, the worst thing for me was the psychological aspect. I needed to remind myself that it was a multiple choice test and I could afford to get nearly half the questions wrong. Logarithms were tough for me, but I knew they were a small part of the test. So rather than drive myself nuts over them, I just accepted that I'd probably get those two questions wrong. It did wonders for my stress level!