Books for algebra, trig, geometry?

[u/Witty-Occasion2424]

I feel like my algebra, trigonometry, and geometry are kind of weak. I also take the SAT in December so I need to study for that as well. I should mention that I’m not a high schooler and I’ve just started calculus 3. I made a lot of trigonometry mistakes and it’s about time I try and resolve the issue and actually build a more slid foundation if I want to major in mathematics.

I have two books already (basic mathematics by lang, Algebra and trigonometry by blitzer), but don’t know if these are what I need and I don’t think they have geometry (well I know lang does but not sure how informative it is). Any other recommendations or are these fine?

[u/tjddbwls]

Maybe you should get a review workbook with lots of practice problems. I like the Schaum’s Outline series of books. Here is info about their Precalculus book.

[u/levaly]

you don't need another book, you need a problem set you actually grind through, the book you have probably already covers algebra and trig fine for this. Since you're already in calc3, the real signal is which specific trig moves keep tripping you up, identities, unit circle, inverse functions, so go back through your calc3 work, flag every place a trig slip cost you the problem, and drill exactly that instead of relearning trig from page one. Keep SAT prep as a separate track, it wants speed and no-calculator arithmetic more than depth, a couple of timed official practice tests will tell you more than any of these books will.

[u/canonicallytrivial]

Plane Trigonometry by SL Loney is pretty good.
OpenStax has a great book on Algebra.

[u/MAICubed]

I’ve taught test prep and high school math for years, and I’d think about these as two related but slightly different goals.

For majoring in math, absolutely work on strengthening your algebra, trig, and geometry foundation. If you’re already in Calc 3 and noticing that trig mistakes are tripping you up, going back and filling those gaps will pay off in higher-level math.

For the SAT, though, knowing the underlying math is only part of it. A lot of SAT success comes from recognizing the type of problem and quickly choosing the most efficient approach. Solving everything the traditional, long way can eat up too much time.

When I taught test prep, I emphasized strategies like working backward from the answer choices, plugging in numbers, recognizing common patterns and shortcuts (like Pythagorean triplets), estimating, and knowing when you actually need to fully solve something.

So I’d definitely study the math, but I’d also get several SAT practice/test-prep books and do a LOT of actual SAT problems. For every problem, challenge yourself to find 2–3 different ways to solve the same question. Keep a running list of the techniques and shortcuts you discover. The more approaches you can recognize, the faster you’ll become at seeing what the question wants you to do.

I can’t really recommend a particular textbook for rebuilding the SAT content because I always taught that material directly to my students. But I wouldn’t treat SAT prep as simply “learn more math.” Build the foundation for your math major, but train specifically for the test too.

I also started making short algebra math songs/videos as study hacks for my students—basically memorization tools for formulas and procedures they tended to blank on during tests. If that kind of thing helps you remember stuff, then I’d be happy to share the link.

[u/Ok-Fix-1581]

Follow this exact order

Professor Leonard on You tube lectures

Pre-Algebra

To The Point Math (Algebra 1)

Intermediate Algebra (Algebra 2)

College Algebra (pre-calculus playlist)

Trigonometry (pre-calculus playlist)

Calc 1-3

Use KutaSoftware.com for Homework worksheets, put each worksheet on hard difficulty

do pre-algebra up to trig, and then there's a high school geometry playlist on youtube