The Acuplacer

In December 2010 I made the decision to change my major from History Education to Accounting. This decision had several side affects. The biggest of all was the need to return to that daunting, feared by many, overwhelmingly complicated subject of MATH. Before I continue, let my take you on a brief journey through Catie's Math History.

Elementary school set the foundation of numbers and basic calculations of addition, subtraction, division and multiplication. The comprehension was there, I was learning at a pace that caused me to quite enjoy the subject. I was good at it.

Middle school establishes your "level" of math ability. The really smart kids began 7th grade with Algebra 1, the ones who struggled to learn the concepts began in Math 7, and everybody else started with Pre-Algebra. That was me. My teacher in 7th grade was phenomenal. She had an amazing technique for teaching math. I don't know how she did it, but I owe any future success in math to her.

8th grade took me to Algebra 1. No sweat.

Then came 9th grade. GEOMETRY. Shapes. Practical application. What is the volume of that ball you like to throw around? It should be fun right? Wrong. I hated this class. I don't think it all had to do with the subject material. I had a teacher who was unwilling to be patient with students who took a bit longer to grasp the concepts. I had been a straight A student up to this point. By the end of the second quarter I had a failing notice. BOTH of my parents had to come in for a special parent teacher conference. The teacher was very unwilling to work with me. She basically said it was my fault for not applying myself. I was so frustrated. This was not the kind of student I was used to being. It made me have a lot more compassion for students who just take a little longer to learn. Somehow I was able to inch by and pass the class enough to start high school in Algebra 2.

I'm not sure how this happened, but when I began my high school career in Algebra 2, I was in a class full of Juniors and Seniors. It kind of gave me a boost in terms of being the youngest in the class... but I was painfully shy and didn't talk to anyone, so it really wasn't much glory. I sat in a corner all by myself so I could concentrate on my work. My teacher was also one of the sports coaches. He did a good job, but I never knew if he was angry or just being sarcastic....

Moving on to Junior year, Pre-Calculous. This teacher was very good. I learned a lot and did quite well.  At this point I had accomplished the minimum requirement to graduate from high school. My teacher strongly encouraged me to take concurrent enrollment MATH1050 for my senior year. I just wanted to play my senior year. At one time I actually did register for it, but at the last minute I changed my mind and registered for advanced cabinet making instead. (Which I don't really regret, I had a blast in the class)

Fall 2003 Freshman year, Utah State University. Math 1050. 4 days per week. 7:30AM. Bad idea. Logan is cold in the winter, and dark early in the morning. I did not attend this class very faithfully. It was the first time in my life I had ever skipped class. My teacher was good, but I just didn't apply myself. As the semester wore on I was getting Ds on all my exams. I knew I couldn't keep this up if I was going to pass the class. I had a neighbor who was willing to tutor me before the cumulative final. I studied hard and finally understood the material. I got an A on the final.

That was the last math class I ever took.

Fast forward to the present day. It is time to enroll in math classes again. Since it has been 7 years since my last math course, a placement test is required. Do you know how much you can forget in 7 years? Honestly, I probably forgot it all after 7 months.

The test used by universities is the Acuplacer. It draws questions from a vast amount of algebraic equations.

I first took the test in January of this year. I prepared a little bit before the test, but it was not enough to recall all the rules and formulas required to answer most questions.

More time passed. At the end of finals I took the test a second time. Again, fail, but now I have a strategy. I enlisted the help of my dear friend Miss P. to tutor me in the ways of college algebra. My boyfriend even chipped in to help. I took the test again, my score was too low. I took it again a week later, still no luck.

This has turned out to be a somewhat longwinded explanation, but it does all lead to a point. Today at 5PM I have one more chance to take the Acuplacer test to see if my studying and preparation will pay off. My goal is to get a high enough score to register for Math 1090 this summer so that I can apply for upper-division status in my major by January 2012.

As a side note, I must say that as the concepts have slowly started to come back to me, I feel a huge sense of accomplishment and satisfaction. I used to know it. It is down inside of me. I just hope it will emerge today as I make one more attempt to pass the test.