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Petition to Challenge Process

Petition to Challenge

The following information is for students interested in taking math courses that require a certain MATH Milestone number that is above what the student currently possesses (please see pages 3 and 4 of this document).  Please note that we also offer "X" courses that provide additional support, which are designed for students with any Milestone number: MATH 104X, 116X, 119X, 121X, and 150X.  For students interested in one of these X courses, the challenge petition is not required.

Special Note for Students with Prior HS Coursework:  For students that are petitioning on grounds of having completed prior high school coursework that is considered equivalent a prerequisite MATH course (such as completion of one year of HS Precalculus vs MATH 141 at City College), please proceed with the Proof of Prerequisite petition process through our college Evaluations office.  The petition can be found here.   

Petition Deadlines for Fall 2024 Courses

Courses with the following start dates: Petition Filing Deadline -- The Admissions and Records Office must receive completed petition by the following dates:
08/19/2024 Friday, 08/02/2024, 11:59PM PST
09/16/2024 Friday, 08/30/2024, 11:59PM PST
10/14/2024 Friday, 09/27/2024, 11:59PM PST

 

Instructions to Filing a Challenge Petition

Follow these steps to initiate the petition process to challenge the prerequisite to a MATH course:

Step 1 (Contact Math Department Chair)

Contact Math Department Chair, Professor Paul Young (pyoung@sdccd.edu).  Within your email, please provide information detailing your math background.

Step 2 (Filing Petition Form)

  1. Visit the SDCCD Student Petition to Challenge website. 
  2. Fill out all fields and upload relevant documents (such as transcipts from previous institution of higher education, AP exam scores, etc.)
    [Important Note: The petition process is course and section specific!  You need to already know the Class Number you're trying to enroll in.]
  3. You will receive notification email(s) to inform you of the results of the submission.
  4. For in-depth instructions on the petition filing process, please refer the this document prepared by the Admission and Records Office.

Step 3 (Challenge Exam)

Once your petition has been submitted, Professor Young will contact you to provide information about scheduling your challenge exam.  All challenge exams are in-person paper tests, timed for 120 minutes, to be taken on campus at City College.  After your test has been graded, you will be notified via email of the results.

 

Challenge Exam Prep Material

Below are resources for help you prepare for your challenge exam.  In order to successfully challenge a course's prerequisite, you will need to demonstrate profiency in skills and concepts learned in the previous course(s). 

Typical Course Sequencing for the BSTEM Pathway (Business, Life Sciences, Social Sciences)

BSTEM Pathway

 

 

 

 

Course Sequencing for the STEM Pathway (Sciences, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics)

STEM Pathway

For more information, please refer to the Comprehensive Pathway chart to see our course sequencing.

 

Review the corresponding textbook and try practice problems at the end of each chapter. Check your answers using the answer keys included in the textbook.

MATH 104 - Trigonometry

MATH 116 - College and Matrix Algebra

MATH 121 - Basic Techniques of Applied Calculus I

MATH 141 - Precalculus

MATH 150 - Calculus and Analytic Geometry I

MATH 151 - Calculus and Analytic Geometry II

MATH 252 - Calculus and Analytic Geometry III

MATH 254 - Linear Algebra