Sometimes it just seems like its not worth it.

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*Sigh*

I've completed all the required classes for an A.A. degree and was going to graduate and enter a 4yr university where I only needed to take the classes related to my major..no more state-mandated classes in anything else since I did them all in my AA.

And now, im told that because I got two C's in my math classes I have to take a math exam before im allowed to graduate.

Havent been in a math classroom for over 10 years and I've been straight C in all math classes since elementary school. My major has ZERO math classes and is not math-related. At all.

Options are:

1- take the math exam and pass it (passing grade is 85/100).. even if I fail it 3 times they claim i'll be given a waiver...catch is I need to prove I'm 'trying' to pass it. I'm VERY cautious when a pencil pusher tells me not to worry... especially when they refuse to give me a written statement of what im being told.

2- take a math class and get an A so the avg math gpa is 2.5 .. HAHAHAH me, an A in math.. /facepalm

3- Wait until July 1 to see if florida legislation strikes down the requirement of this $#@$@ exam to graduate. Give that im graduating end of summer semester the timing is just right. Problem is, there is a chance it wont be struck down and a chance that it is struck down but i'm 'grandfathered' into the old requirements. Geez.

So, im going with option 1 while I wait for option 3. Option 2 is an impossibility.

The system now in place for option 1 is you buy an online study packet that gives you practice work and practice tests and when you're done with it you can go take the real test.

I look at the practice packet and here's what I see as the stuff the exam covers:

Number sets : I never saw this crap in high school. ever. Nor in my college math classes
Logic : Again, this was not in high school nor in my college math classes
Geometry: Ok this I saw and remembered some of it.. its workable
Algebra: Remember some of it as well. workable.
Probability: Didn't see this in neither high school or college.
Statistics: This is an elective in HS I never took and my trig+algebra college level classes didnt use this.

SO... right off the bat.. i'm a blank in 4 out of 6 . That 85 is apparently not happening. It seems that to pass this exam I need to take the equivalent of a whole year of math classes ... WTF.

I'd go for one, and use Patrick JMT's youtube channel to take a crash course in math.

That bites, maybe you will pass it this time around cheer up, math isn't exactly my favorite subject either.

I had to take the math exam 2 times before they let me pass, with a D each time! Darned Dyscalculia!

Number sets are easy... It's just a set of definitions. Logic is kind of weird, but once you learn what all the symbols mean, it's pretty simple. Probability is simple enough as well. As for statistics, that should be pretty easy too. You have quite a while to learn all this stuff, so I bet you can do it. Logic will probably take the longest, I'm guessing.

While we're at it, here's info on number sets: http://www.mathsisfun.com/sets/number-types.html

I'd take the math class. ( option 2) It's my understanding that you haven't taken a math class in 10 years. When you did you got C's for grades which means you knew 75% of the material at one time. I don't know what your college major will be but it sounds like you'll be taking some kind of college level math. You'll need a foundation before going on to this math or else it will be a waste of your time and money.

Ask me how I know this ! I'm just trying to keep another soul from learning this lesson the hard way!

What matters most is not a test score or even a high grade on the remedial math courses, but rather the knowledge. Take the math classes as a refresher to get back in the swing of things. You'll be surprised at what you'll remember.

If finances preclude you from taking the remedial classes, look at websites that teach lessons for the UK's GCE- (A level). The BBC has instruction modules that prepare students for the GCE, which is roughly equivalent to taking AP classes in the USA. Self teaching can be difficult ( again ask me how I know ) but it might fill the need.

However mathematics is one of my favorite subjects. Dantac, number sets probably refers to such things as natural numbers (1, 2, 3...), whole numbers (0, 1, 2, 3), integers (-3, -2, -1, 0, 1, 2, 3), rational numbers (1/3, etc), real numbers (3.14159...), and complex numbers (3i + 2). Logic is probably going to be in deductive format, such as "if p then q. Declare p true, therefore q is also true; but if q is false then p is false", although there is also inductive logic which is to abstract a general conclusion from a set of specific instances. Probability is the likelihood of an outcome. Such as if you flip a coin your likelihood of either side being face up is 1 out of 2 or 1:2 or 1/2 or 50% and if you flip two coins the likelihood of both coins being face up is 1/2 * 1/2 = 1/4 =25%. For statistics you may have to average numbers, of which the mean of a set of numbers is the summation of the numbers divided by the quantity of the terms of summation (with a set of number 1, 4, 3, 8, there are four terms of summation so their mean would be (1 + 4 + 3 + 8 )/4 ). The mode average is whichever term recurs the most often, and the median average is the term which is between those within the given set.

I think sets is the most unintuitive branch. Be sure to know logic notation going in. I'm not sure what the standard notation is though

Thing is, I already completed my college level classes.. nearly 8 years ago

And the test is of stuff that seems much more basic than what I took back then...the thing is I've never seen this stuff lol.

My major has zero math classes and all state mandated college level classes I've already completed.

I'm taking tutoring in math for this stuff, the college offers it for free. You should've seen the poor girl's face when I told her I had never seen this stuff and I did not requiring tutoring but rather to be taught how to do it

One thing i'm noticing when trying to learn this and as I read your post is that my mind just shuts off when it comes to assigning names and labels to numbers. Its really weird.

I would presume there are "prep courses" for this exam.

Take one.

Florida has the CLEP exam that I had to take in order to graduate. It was intended to ensure those getting an AA degree actually knew the minimum materials needed to earn an AA degree.

Makes you question the overall quality of education when your class grades are not taken as evidence enough.

Sorry. Natural numbers are basically whole numbers except that their set does not include zero. Integers are "whole" but they can be either positive or negative. Rational numbers are number in a ratio format, in other words fractions. Real numbers include the properties of the other set in addition to having irrational, or decimal, values. Complex numbers have the number i within them, you know that whole square root of negative one deal? Complex numbers are more useful when processing vectors within fields such as electronics, but basically the treatment of the number i, as would probably be on a test, is that i is the square root of negative one, i squared equals negative one, and i to the forth ( i^4) equals positive one.

CLEP is a test you take to receive credit hours for taking an exam rather than taking the course. The CLAS is the one you needed to take in order to graduate.

Its a funny thing that. You need a 2.5 gpa to be exempt from taking this exam. I'm exempt from the english portion since I had A's in both my english comp. classes. Math however, 2 C's = 2.0 gpa. So you need a B and a C to be exempt.

Florida law in 2009 made it so that this test was no longer to be offered yet they did not remove the law that mandated universities to require the student to fulfill the very thing that the CLAS exam was in place for... so universities now have had to cobble up an exam of their own for this.

The amendment to that 2009 law to remove the requirement altogether (aka returning to the 'C=pass no more fuss' will be put to the FL senate in May and if passed becomes effective july 1 2011.

Whenever it feels like its not worth it - it usually isn't. This is probably going against everything that all those teachers have ever told you to do, but do whatever you feel is worth it, and it probably will be.

Check out the user khanacademy on YouTube and maybe mathsonline [dot] com [dot] au. A good online course I've seen.

Don't worry about logic - logic is AWESOME. And it should be easy for any Aspie. Seriously, you'd be looking at it and wondering how it's even considered math.