Free readiness check
Starting UBC Math 100?
Find out if your math foundation is ready for UBC MATH 100.
MATH 100 moves fast, and it assumes a lot from Pre-Calculus 11 and 12. Fifteen questions on the algebra, graphs, exponents, logs, trigonometry and first calculus ideas the course expects you to already have.
The readiness check
Free readiness check
The skills MATH 100 assumes on day one
Algebra, graphs and slope, exponents and logs, functions, trigonometry, and a first look at limits and derivatives. Go back and change any answer as you go — you'll see how you did at the end.
15 questions · about 10 minutes
What should I know before UBC MATH 100?
MATH 100 is a first course in differential calculus, so it doesn't assume you've seen calculus. It does assume the algebra, graphs and trigonometry from Pre-Calculus 11 and 12 are fluent enough to stay out of your way.
Algebra and equations
Nearly every MATH 100 problem ends in an algebra step, and slow factoring buries the calculus under bookkeeping.
Review: Factoring quadratics and special forms · Rearranging and solving equations
Exponents and logarithms
Exponentials and logs arrive early in the course, never leave, and the rules are assumed rather than retaught.
Review: Exponent laws, including negative and fractional powers · Converting between log form and exponent form
Functions and graphs
Calculus is a set of operations on functions, so notation, graphs and composition are the language the whole course is written in.
Review: Evaluating and composing functions · Slope, intercepts and reading graphs
Trigonometry
Trig runs through derivatives and limits all term, and exact values are expected rather than retaught.
Review: Exact values and radians on the unit circle · The Pythagorean identity
Limits and derivatives
This is what MATH 100 teaches, so these questions measure a head start, not readiness.
Review: Limits, including the 0/0 factor-and-cancel case · The power rule
The unit circle is worth singling out: MATH 100 works in radians from week one, and rebuilding exact values mid-problem costs real time on a midterm.
Common problems students run into
Patterns we see often in first-year calculus tutoring — not everyone meets them, and meeting one is no sign you're behind.
Algebra gets in the way of the calculus
The calculus makes sense, but marks disappear in a factoring slip inside a derivative. It reads as not understanding calculus when it's really the step before.
Trigonometry has faded
Trig is often a year behind students by first year, and it's assumed rather than retaught. Exact values and the Pythagorean identity come up most.
Function notation is read slowly
Anything that slows down reading f(g(x)) slows down the whole course — and composition is exactly what the chain rule takes apart.
Limits feel unlike anything before them
Limits are usually the first genuinely new idea, and 0/0 looks broken before it looks routine.
The pace leaves little room to catch up
Thirteen weeks, each one assuming the last. A gap that's an afternoon's work in August is much harder to close in October.
Not sure what to review?
Four steps. The first two are free and take about ten minutes.
Take the readiness check
Fifteen questions, about ten minutes.
See your weak areas
Results break down by topic, so you get a short list rather than a single number.
Review those topics
A few focused hours on two topics beats re-reading everything.
Get help if you need it
If a topic won't come together on your own, you'll at least know exactly what to ask about.
Before the course starts
When should I start reviewing?
A few weeks out is plenty for most people. The work is short and specific — an afternoon or two on the topics that are actually rusty, rather than a full summer of review.
I did well in Pre-Calculus 12. Do I still need to review?
Often less than you'd think, but a gap between courses matters more than the grade did. Trigonometry and log rules are the two that fade fastest when they haven't been used in a while.
What if I've never taken calculus?
That's normal and it's not a problem. MATH 100 teaches limits and derivatives from the beginning — what it doesn't reteach is the algebra, graphs and trigonometry underneath them.
How do I know which UBC math course I should be in?
UBC sets the prerequisites and the course you register in, so the UBC Academic Calendar and your program advisor are the right sources for that. This page only helps with the skills the first-year courses assume.
How much review is enough?
Enough that the algebra stops being the hard part. If factoring, rearranging and exact trig values come out without stopping to think, you're ready to spend your attention on the calculus.
Want help getting ready?
If you would rather not work through a topic alone, we tutor UBC first-year math one-on-one. Come with a topic and we start there.