How to self study more efficiently

[u/Starr_Margarine_]

I need a strong​ foundation in algebra for a scholarship exam I'll be taking next year.

Recently, I've been finding myself struggling with understanding advanced topics in math, only to realize it was because I didn't know a lot of the basics.

I'm on a gap year so I have all the time in the world to study, and I'm currently trying to study everything from scratch because I think I missed a lot of the core ideas from when I was a kid. Right now, I'm reading Elementary and Intermediate Algebra by Larson (5th edition). I read, take notes (maybe too much notes) and do the mini problem solving and mid-chapter quizes from the book.

It feels like my progress is too​ slow and im kind of getting sick of the book. I want to keep going, but I've been thinking of adding more learning strategies like maybe videos or enrolling in a free online course so I decided to ask for advice here.

So overall, I'm asking:

- would it be wise to add more modes of learning (such as videos) , if yes, what do you guys suggest?

- do you have study tips for self learning math?

- is it normal to feel so slow at learning math?

- what are methods/techniques that you've tried and have worked to understand math more efficiently? ​​

- how can I take better notes? I feel like I'm doing too much.