If you did not study science subjects at sixth form or senior school, you may be looking for ways to improve your skills in mathematics. One approach to follow is the syllabus provided by Cambridge Pre-University Mathematics.

If you want to improve your skills in mathematics, there are so many resources it is hard to know where to start. My personal experience is that:

• I need to follow a syllabus. Jumping around between different resources for different topics is inefficient. A syllabus is a way to provide a logical progression through different topics
• I need a combination of textbook and interactive aids. I can only assume that we each have a different learning style, but most learning resources I have seen seem to provide a mix of aids: video; interactive software; practice questions; test papers; as well as textbook.

We have an advantage over high school students, in that we don’t need to pass an exam. We just need to learn and understand the right topics.

One approach to follow is provided by Cambridge Pre-University Mathematics. Whereas A Levels (and perhaps AP) are designed as school leaver qualifications, Pre-U is designed as a university entrance qualification. The idea is best explained by the prospectus:

• to support independent and self-directed learning
• to encourage learners to think laterally, critically and creatively, and to acquire good problem-solving skills
• to promote comprehensive understanding of the subject through depth and rigour.

Here is the syllabus. And a textbook.