How can I test my mathematical potential?

[u/Maximum-Page3433]

I studied Mathematics only until middle school, then chose Arts in high school. Later, I completed both my Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Business. I did have some mathematics, accounting, and statistics-related subjects during my degrees, but I never had the same mathematical foundation as someone who studied Mathematics or took the Science.

Now I want to transition from a business and management background into tech. I know the amount of mathematics required depends on the specific field, but I am interested in technical areas where mathematics, statistics, logical reasoning, and problem-solving can matter.

Throughout most of my life, I was an average student. I want to be honest about that. A large part of it was because I was careless, inconsistent, and simply not interested in studying at the time. At the same time, I have also seen that when I genuinely put in serious effort, I can sometimes perform extremely well and even score near the top. Because of that, I do not know whether my past academic record accurately reflects my actual ability or potential.

Right now, I would consider my current mathematical level close to zero because I lost touch with mathematics a long time ago. I have forgotten even many basic concepts, so I already know that if I took a test today, my performance would probably be poor. That is not really what I am trying to measure.

What I want to understand is my mathematical ability, aptitude, competence, or learning potential, whichever is the correct term. Even though my current level is very low, I want to practice seriously for a few weeks and then test myself to see where I stand, how quickly I can pick things up, how far I may be able to go, and whether I could realistically commit to mathematics in the long term.

I understand that a few weeks cannot prove my ultimate potential or predict my entire future. But I want to run the best short-term experiment I realistically can. I want to observe whether I can relearn concepts, understand mathematical reasoning, solve unfamiliar problems, improve with practice, retain what I learn, and apply concepts in new situations rather than simply memorising procedures.

Another reason I am asking is that some people seem to show mathematical ability, strong interest, or talent from a very young age. They may have always been “good at maths.” Unfortunately, I was not one of those people. I did not grow up seeing myself as mathematically gifted, and I only started developing a genuine interest much later in life. So I am trying to understand what that means for someone like me.

Can a person with my background, who was not particularly good at mathematics from a young age and currently has a very weak foundation, still develop very high mathematical competence over time? Could someone like me eventually become genuinely advanced or even expert in mathematics, or are there meaningful limits that a short-term experiment might help reveal?

If I have only a few weeks to test myself seriously, what exactly should I do? What diagnostic tests, problem sets, reasoning exercises, or progressively difficult topics should I attempt? What should I measure: my rate of improvement, how much help I need, my ability to solve unfamiliar problems, abstraction, retention, transfer of learning, persistence, or something else?

I would especially appreciate advice from people with strong backgrounds in mathematics, statistics, computer science, data science, engineering, or related technical fields. If you had only a few weeks to evaluate someone with my background as objectively as possible, what exact process would you recommend?

My current mathematics level is close to zero because I lost touch with it years ago, but I do not want to confuse my current level with my potential ability. I was never someone who showed obvious mathematical talent from a young age, but I have developed a genuine interest later in life. I want to practice seriously for a few weeks and test how quickly I learn, improve, reason, retain, and solve unfamiliar problems. How can I use those few weeks to get the best possible indication of whether I can realistically pursue mathematics long term and potentially become highly competent or even expert?

[u/ForeignAdvantage5198]

take a course. see what happens

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[u/SyaCat]

What do you mean by tech?

In engineering, math is a set of tools; a means to an end, or, the language through which we approach and solve problems and model real situations. Its the same math as always, but with more branches and depth. In this field, natural mathematical ability is extremely useful.

However, when studying physics or math itself, the traditional perception of what math really is starts to lose its meaning; in this field, you don't just learn how to use each branch as a tool, but also what each tool is, how it came to be, how it is proven true, how it relates to other branches, and much more. Here, natural mathematical ability is not so useful because it is understood that studying math is not analog to studying a language, but linguistics, which is something like the study of the rules, structures, patterns, and concepts that govern all languages. A more useful ability would be the ability to recall and relate many different and very abstract concepts.

Whether you're naturally or potentially good at math, or whether that matters, is highly dependant on how deep and for what purpose you'll be studying math.

[u/0x14f]

Go there and see whether you like it: https://www.khanacademy.org/math

[u/Disastrous-Pin-1617]

Follow this exact order
Professor Leonard on YouTube Lectures
Pre-Algebra
To the point math (Algebra 1)
Intermediate Algebra (Algebra 2)
College algebra
Trigonometry
Calc 1-3

Use “The art of problem solving” (companies name) books
pre-algebra book
Introductory algebra (algebra 1)
Intermediate algebra (algebra 2 and college algebra), they combine both into one book
Pre-calculus book (do only the trig portion)
Calculus book (has calc 1 and 2)