Math: for many students the word is synonymous with torture. Just the thought of all those precise, complicated calculations can be enough to drive the average person kuku for coco puffs. There’s no getting around the fact that mathematics has earned a bad rap amongst teenagers as being one of the most difficult and least needed of all subjects in adult life. It can be grueling to put hours of effort into something that some feel won’t be important to them outside of class, but what if I told you that math didn’t have to be hard? With the right help and a little practice you might even find it can actually be rather interesting how the numbers work together. Now that might sound like crazy talk, but there are plenty of ways to make math a little bit easier for yourself. You can work with tutor, ask your teacher for help, or peruse one of the many how to guides online and in your local bookstore. For students in the Big Apple there are many targeted options when it comes to help with this challenging subject. Here are three good ones math enthusiasts have made just for you.
- Caddell Prep (https://caddellprep.com/)
If you’re reading this article, chances are you are or you know a New York City student who needs just a little help with working on their math skills and there’s nothing better suited to the task than Caddell Prep. Caddell Prep is an all-inclusive hub of mathematical splendor based out of Staten Island, New York. They offer online lessons, practice problems and test prep courses. Signing up for their free membership unlocks your access to a whole slew of helpful study videos and practice questions for Pre-Algebra, Algebra I, Geometry and Algebra II, aligned to the common-core curriculum used in NYC public schools. This resource not only allow you to hone your skills, but also to track your own growth, not only celebrating your strong points, but helping you weed out your weak ones. This allows students to target specific areas to work on so they can make the most of the time they spend studying.
In addition, Caddell Prep offers test prep specifically for NYC students. Test Prep is available for the math Regents exams and two of the high school entrance exams: SHSAT and TACHS. Another plus, students who use the math practice during the year will have insight into what to review for the Regents exams. No more hours spent staring at flashcards just good old working on the actual math. Study through practice can be one of the best ways to not only increase your knowledge, but your confidence as well. Prepare yourself through Caddell Prep today and you might just find your next test is a breeze.
- Khan Academy (https://www.khanacademy.org/)
Khan Academy is an amazing and completely, one hundred percent free online resource for students starting in kindergarten all the way up through college courses. Yes, you read that right. This is an entire online school waiting to give you as much knowledge as you can take in for free. This incredible website is the brain child of a man named Salman Khan and features an inclusive list of high school level math courses from algebra to AP Calculus and even trigonometry. You name it, they’ve got lessons on it. This is essentially an entire high school career of classes—not even just math—for free at your fingertips. Videos, practice tests, online reading, all of it is at your disposal to use whenever and wherever you want. Just to make it a little cooler, your progress is tracked through a point and badge system that can make you feel almost like you’re unlocking achievements in a real life video game instead of helping yourself with your homework. It also happens to be mobile with a downloadable app for most smartphones and tablet devices. This wonderful learning center earns high marks for its readily available study programs and a respectable variety of classes that will make it a tool you’ll use for many years to come.
- Barron’s Regents (https://barronsregents.com/)
It feels like every January young adults in the state of New York are hyped up and sent into a panicked frenzy over the Regent exams. The stress induced by this test, especially its math section can be enough to make you want to pull your hair out and you could try and study on your own, but wouldn’t it be better if you had something to help you out? Never fear the Barron’s Regent is here. Okay, the tacky rhyme aside, the Barron’s Regent is one of if not the best way to study for the Regent exam. Unlike the usual cookie cutter studying services, the Barron’s regent doesn’t give you some made up questions that approximate what you might encounter on such an important test. The only questions you’ll see on this renowned website are all for real, real life. That’s right, on top of the usual progress report everybody offers, Barron’s Regent gives you the ability to choose and answer questions that have actually been on the Regent exam in years past. In other words, you’re not stuck answering a question close to the topic you’re studying for, you’re picking from over a thousand different questions that have been on the actual Regent exam at one time or another. This form of studying is as close to getting a copy of this year’s test as you can possibly get and it makes your efforts to prepare for the Regent exam a lot more productive. The more familiar you are with the type of wording used in the actual test, the better your chances are going to be to navigate your way to a higher score.
