How Long Does it Take to Get Good At Math?

So, you've decided your child needs math support, you hired a math tutor (or hopefully enrolled your child in Mathnasium) and wonder how long it will take to get their math skills up to par.

We hear this question a lot. (Spoiler Alert: One 60 min session per month is not enough to make significant math gains.)

We won't attempt to respond to the math tutor scenario, because that is highly variable upon which tutor, which teaching method, frequency of sessions, etc.

However, we can give you a very good estimate for the amount of time it takes a math student to become math-proficient at Mathnasium.

The first thing to keep in mind (and this is really important) is that not every math student starts at the same place.  Just because two students are in 9th grade geometry, doesn't mean they have the same math foundation.

Consider two piano students, one who had never played a note and another who understood how to read music and had basic piano skills.  If both are asked to master the piece Fur Elise, it wouldn't be fair to assume it would take them the same amount of time.  Math is no different.

The next very important consideration is the amount of time students are able to commit to math practice.  Perhaps two math students have the same skill level, but the first practices math twice as frequently as the second, who do you think would develop math skills more quickly?  Our piano example works to illustrate this point as well.  Piano students who practice regularly master the piano much faster than those who don't.

You're still wondering what time committment in hours you need to make and if I'll ever get there.  Okay, okay, fair enough!  

We recommend 2-3 60 minute sessions per week at Mathnasium.  Students who attend with this regularity for six months see enormous increases in math understanding, math confidence and higher math grades at school.

Oh, and in case you were wondering, piano instructors recommend students practice ~ 3 hours per week.  Yes, developing math skills is more like other types of lessons (dance, piano, karate, sports, etc.) than people realize.

Call us today to get a specific math roadmap for your child to enjoy math success!