If you believe that your placement exam results paint an accurate picture of your current mathematics knowledge, and the results indicate that you have to take mathematics courses that cover material that you can learn on your own, you do have a choice. You could study on your own and then take the placement exam over again. There are some restrictions on how frequently you may retake the placement exam, and these restrictions vary from campus to campus. However, if retesting is an option, you should consider a self study program that will advance you at least to the point where you no longer have to take non-credit bearing courses.

There are many good computer aided instruction programs available. ALEKS, from the ALEKS Corporation is a bare bones math tutor program. It is good for students who are either rusty or who pick up mathematics without a lot of lengthy explanations.