Austin Community College -

In choosing which math course(s) to sign up for, there are two basic questions you need to think about:

Which math courses do I need to take?
Which math courses am I ready to take?

Before you sign up for a math course, you need to find out the answer to both of these questions.

Step 1: Find out what math courses you need to take

This will depend on what degree program you are interested in and what, if any, other college you plan to transfer to later. To determine this, you should speak with your advisor/counselor and read through the degree requirements in the ACC catalog. Also, the department has put together a page on Information about which math course(s) will fit into your educational plan as well. If you would like to check which math courses can be transferred to other colleges, see information on Transfer of ACC Courses to other Colleges.

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Step 2: Find out which math course you are ready to take

In step 1, you set your math goals, where you are headed in your math studies. However, you also need to know where to start if you really want to reach that goal. It is very important that you start with a course you are ready for now; doing well in any math course requires you to have current knowledge of the material covered in its prerequisite course. If you start at a higher level than you are ready for now, you will probably wind up wasting your time and money, since you will likely have to drop the course or be unable to pass it satisfactorily. On the other hand, if you start at a course at a much lower level than you are prepared for, it will take you that much longer to finish your studies (and you may find it really boring). You can save yourself a lot of wasted time, effort, and frustration by doing your best to make sure you have registered for the right math course for which you are realistically ready.

Before you register for the first time at ACC, you should take an assessment test (as part of the Texas Success Initiative) to determine which classes you are ready to take. To understand what your score on this test means, read through our section on Interpreting ACC Assessment Test (COMPASS) Scores. You should also take a look at the Math Advising web pages as well. You can use this information in consultation with your advisor to determine which math course seems best for you. Once you think you know which class you want to register for, it is a good idea to go to the math department's Prerequisite Review Pages and work through the review for the class you have decided on to make sure you really are ready for that course. If that one seems too hard, you can take a look at the review for the previous course; if it seems really easy, you might want to take a look at the review for the next course. After working through the reviews, if you feel you might be registered for the wrong course, please contact any full-time math faculty to discuss your situation (you can find someone able to answer email questions on the Math Advising web page).

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