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submitted 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) by SuperZutsuki@hexbear.net to c/askchapo@hexbear.net

Hey nerds, I'm planning on going back to school in a few years and want to smash the math proficiency test so I don't have to spend years relearning things that will probably only take me a few months at most. What books do you all recommend to get me from college algebra to Calc II or III?

Bonus points for stats and physics recs, as well.

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[-] PorkrollPosadist@hexbear.net 18 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

I don't know if it will help your test scores, but I found the 3Blue1Brown Youtube channel to be incredibly helpful in learning fundamental linear algebra and calculus. My interest in learning this was for 3D game development in Godot, but math is math I suppose. Around the same time I hit up my local library and checked out an "outdated" college textbook on calculus (which was also great, but I had to return it too soon).

I generally prefer literature over video content, but these video series have absolutely fantastic visual representations of the concepts being explained. I think they are a great place to start before dipping into more rigorous literature. You must consider that the traditional way of teaching mathematics is on a chalk board, which is ultimately a visual medium.

this post was submitted on 15 May 2026
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