ASU MAT 117: College Algebra
MAT 117 is ASU's college algebra course covering functions, linear and quadratic equations, polynomials, exponentials, and logarithms, and it's a prerequisite gate for brief calculus, statistics, and many majors. It's taught through the ALEKS adaptive learning system, which most students first meet during math placement.
Fennie is independent and not affiliated with Arizona State University. This is an unofficial study guide.
What makes it hard
ALEKS is the defining experience: it requires mastering topics in its knowledge pie and periodically re-tests old material through knowledge checks, so cramming literally doesn't work. Skipped weeks reappear as lost pie progress. Students who treat it as a daily 30-60 minute habit cruise; students who binge before deadlines fight the system all term.
What you'll cover
- • Functions and graphs
- • Linear and quadratic equations
- • Polynomial and rational expressions
- • Exponential and logarithmic functions
- • Systems of equations
The MAT 117 study guide
How to study for ASU MAT 117, step by step.
- 1
Commit to 30-60 minutes in ALEKS most days
MAT 117 is won or lost on rhythm. ALEKS rewards short, near-daily sessions and punishes binges. Knowledge checks re-test old topics, so crammed material literally evaporates from your pie.
- 2
Take knowledge checks seriously, not defensively
Don't game them with notes. A falsely full pie collapses later and the proctored exams expose it. Let ALEKS find your real gaps while they're still cheap to fix.
- 3
Front-run the module deadlines
Aim to hit each mastery milestone several days early. ALEKS topic counts can jump after a knowledge check, and the buffer absorbs that without a deadline panic.
- 4
Keep a notebook ALEKS can't see
Work every problem on paper, especially logs, exponentials, and rational expressions. The Honorlock-proctored exams are done by hand, and screen-only practice doesn't transfer.
- 5
Re-derive your weakest pie slices before exams
Before each proctored exam, pull your shakiest topics and redo a problem set on paper under time. The exam is the one place the adaptive system can't help you.
Today
Today's MAT 117 plan
What a Fennie Daily Plan looks like for MAT 117. Yours is built from your own syllabus and adapts every day to your deadlines and progress.
First plan free, no card required. Fennie is independent and unaffiliated with your school.
FAQ
Is MAT 117 at ASU hard?
The algebra is standard college-algebra material; the ALEKS format is what trips people. Knowledge checks re-test earlier topics, so progress evaporates if you cram. Treat it as a near-daily habit and it's one of the most predictable courses at ASU.
How does ALEKS work in MAT 117?
ALEKS builds a pie of topics, teaches and tests them adaptively, and runs periodic knowledge checks that can add topics back if you've forgotten them. Grades typically hinge on hitting mastery milestones by module deadlines plus proctored exams.
How many hours a week does MAT 117 take?
Plan on 6-10 hours weekly in ALEKS, ideally split into short daily sessions. Students logging consistent time finish modules early; students working in weekend binges lose topics to knowledge checks and redo work.
More ASU courses
MAT 210: Brief Calculus
MAT 210 is ASU's applied calculus course for business and non-engineering majors, covering derivatives, optimization, and basic integration with business applications, minus the trigonometry of the full calculus sequence. W. P. Carey business majors take it in huge numbers.
MAT 243: Discrete Mathematical Structures
MAT 243 covers logic, proof techniques, set theory, functions and relations, induction, and combinatorics, the mathematical foundation for computer science. It's required for ASU CS majors and is most students' first encounter with writing proofs.
MAT 142: College Mathematics
MAT 142 is ASU's terminal math course for majors that don't require algebra-track courses like MAT 117, covering applied topics including probability, statistics, personal finance, and geometry. Like ASU's other intro math courses it runs through the ALEKS adaptive system, on campus and in 7.5-week online sessions.
MAT 265: Calculus for Engineers I
MAT 265 is the first course in ASU's calculus sequence for engineering majors, covering limits, derivatives, applications of differentiation, and an introduction to integrals. It covers Calculus I territory in three credits instead of four. Every Fulton Schools engineering student passes through it.