Your placement scores in math will determine which class fits your present math level and will help advisors decide how many remedial math classes you will need to take before enrolling in credit-bearing college algebra. All remedial math classes should let you begin at your current level of math knowledge before moving you into new and more challenging math concepts.
Depending on your placement score, you may begin with an intensive review of arithmetic in the first level of remedial math. This course will cover prime numbers, place value, multiples, inequalities, fractions, mean, median, mode, ratio and percent. Student may also review decimals, measurement in the metric system and some of the basic rules of geometry. Many universities and four-year colleges do not teach this level of remedial math, but they will refer students to the local community college.
The next two levels of remedial college math are Introductory First Term Algebra and Second Term Algebra. Introductory First Term Algebra covers the four basic operations of addition, subtraction, multiplication and division, with absolute value, exponents, and order of operations. Students will also learn linear equations, inequalities, word problems with formulae and graphing lines. Second Term Algebra includes quadratic equations, rational equations, radical equations, polynomial expressions, rational expressions, linear and quadratic functions, domain, range, function notation and graph reading.
The highest level of remedial math is called Intermediate Algebra at community colleges and four-year colleges and universities. This class will improve the student's knowledge of linear functions, quadratic functions, exponential functions and graphing, with application and modeling of these functions. Students will solve equations and inequalities symbolically, numerically and graphically and will also learn function concepts covering domain, range inverses, compositions, and transformations.