Pre-calculus help - find a pre-calc tutor online

Whether you need to brush-up on limits or binomial theorems before taking a high school or college calculus class or just need a bit of help to get you through a pre-calculus class, many in-person and online pre-calculus tutoring resources are within your reach.

Assess your pre-calc tutoring needs

Before you decide on a tutor, the National Tutoring Association recommends that you have a goal in mind and then ask that tutor to explain exactly how he or she might be able to help. Depending on your goal, you might find that non-traditional, online tutoring resources best fit your needs.

High school pre-calc tutoring goals

Your math teacher can help you to develop tutoring goals based on your state's curriculum standards that shore up your weaknesses. For example, Michigan's pre-calculus curriculum guide and content standards outline nine areas of learning, one of which is quadratic equations. A pre-calc tutor might help you learn how to apply quadratic functions under specific conditions like motion and gravity, for example.

If your ultimate goal is to prepare yourself for a calculus class such as AP calculus, you can use the course prerequisites published by The College Board to guide your tutoring objectives.

College pre-calc tutoring goals

Passing your class and getting credit may be your immediate goal, but many college students take pre-calc because they must take additional math, like calculus, or other math-heavy computer science, science or engineering classes. Your pre-calc course assignments and syllabi can provide you with short term goals, but your pre-calculus professor or faculty advisor can help identify the tutoring goals to lay a foundation for success in a series of future classes.

How to find a pre-calc tutor

These tips for finding a pre-calc tutor include resources for traditional face-to-face tutoring, online math help, mentors, online tutoring available 24/7, tutor-finding services and more:

1. Contact your local library. Free online tutoring resources, like those offered by County of Los Angeles Public Library, may be available for patrons.
2. View free pre-calculus tutorial videos through Khan Academy or Brightstorm before testing your knowledge with online assessments.
3. Check to see if Pi Mu Epsilon, a national math honor society, has a local chapter with an available mentor.
4. Math circles bring together mathematicians and students with the goal of supporting students with an interest in math. Check to see if there is a chapter of the National Association of Math Circles near you.
5. Find face-to-face pre-calculus tutors near you using our TutorFinder.

When it comes to your math goals, you might need a quadratic equation. But no matter how complex those goals or how daunting future math classes may seem, the pre-calc tutoring options available online and in your community are truly exponential.