When was the last time you opened up a textbook? What about testing your understanding of fundamental concepts used everyday? How do you keep your understanding fresh?
I’ve recently acquired over 20 different Schaum’s workbooks, covering a variety of subjects. My daily routine has been to crack these open and begin working through problems. This is the fastest way I’ve come to realize I don’t really know what I think I know.
You think you do. You remember taking calculus and the core concepts behind it — but look at a problem on derivatives and you’re stuck. While I grasp the overall meaning behind calculus, knowing the formulas and why certain algorithms behind them behave in the manner they do, is arguably a better proxy for understanding a concept you have likely spent year(s) learning.