HELP.... need advise on how to survive MATH assesment...

[WannaBeNrse]

Hi....

i am actually very lucky with the school I want to apply to- very little prereq's, and it's a pathway program, meaning after year 1, you can take the nclex-pn, after year two the RN. The only admission criteria i have to meet are CNA, accepted college student, pass med. terminology test or take 1-credit class, and pass english and math assessment. so really, compared to all the other schools i know of, it is not that hard (long waiting list, though).

BUT i am soooo stressed out about the math.... i have consciously stayed away from anything math-related for the past 8 years (since my hs graduation) and it seems like i can't even do the easiest problems anymore, like (2a+5)-(-4a+7)....just as an example.... i get confused about the + and -. i dont remember anything about equations, geometry....anything.... i feel like they should put me in elementary school so i can start all over.... :-( the problem is, if i score really really low on the assessment, they might make me take three semesters of math- which means i won't even be able to apply next year, when they take applications for 2009. so i want to at least get to the point of only needing math 98, which i could take in the fall and then be good to apply in january.... so.... do i have a chance?

i took a couple of ACT practice tests just to see where i stand and usually get around 50% correct. i guess i will need 75-80 in the assessment, but i am not sure. are college board assessment tests easier, harder, or about the same as ACT?

are there any good books or websites for math dummies? i plan on taking the assesment in april or may, so i can still register for a summer class if necessary.... HELP....

[MrsBradyMom]

Hi!

I too really stink in math. I was in the exact position a few months ago that you are in right now. I needed to score high enough on my math placement test to pass me out of Math 020 (beg. algebra). I didn't remember anything from high school (I'm now 33 and haven't sat in a classroom for 15 years).

I am proud to announce that I did it! The best resource I found was my local library. I checked out a few math self-tutor books, alot of them came with interactive computer cd's. My library also has a web site set up with over 100 different tutor sessions in all subject areas. This website could walk you through math from 1st grade to college algebra. Try to see if your local library offers anything like this. I actually went back and reviewed fractions first and went from there. It took me a few weeks to work up to and learn all the material I needed, but it was worth it. You will be surprised that alot of it will just "come back" and click for you. What you thought you forgot is really just tucked away somewhere in your brain and when you start reviewing material some of it will come back to you. Good luck to you, you can do it!

[WDWpixieRN, RN]

I think there's also a lot of great math help on the web....bet there's even some interactive sites....a lot of the basic math is multiplication, division, fractions, decimals, so with a little work, I bet you can get past it...I don't know any sites specifically however...

Another suggestion if you've got a few extra bucks is to check in to some tutoring...obviously check first on campus -- maybe there's a math lab you can do some review in, but also perhaps a private company (we have a great individually-owned one here in our town, but there's places like Sylvan, Kumon, etc)....

Good luck!!