Mc graw hillReviews 1,887

With the Aleks program my 10th grade year is hell. In the beginning of the school year life was good then I learned I had to do it. And I thought that math was hard, no this stuff in hard going from detention free to every weekend I have to serve a Saturday detention sense October and now it is April the one to blame is the knowledge checks. You can be doing good the boom knowledge check, it seems like if you miss three you get set back fare. My one friend is in Aleks to a good friend had 150 topics then a knowledge check came and dropped him down to 129 and he got a Saturday so I like to thank Aleks for making life hell.

Pros: None
Cons: Not Learning
Grades Used: Prep for College

Aleks has some awful online classes. Supposed to be brushing up on Algebra for college entrance tests yet it refers to rules by different names at different times (sometimes it's FOIL, sometimes, it's distributive property) which is confusing, the explanations are often only half complete using only a single example, and the questions are worded in the strangest ways. Not only that, but the formatting tools for the answers give away what the answer should look like.

This isn't teaching me so much as it's making me furious that I was assigned some dog-crap in this format. I cannot wait to be done with this, as I'm simply going through the motions just trying to complete it instead of focusing or even remotely enjoying it. And I actually love doing math, it's why I'm studying and want to learn more, but this is just infuriating.

Another frustration is if you're struggling with a topic, it will forcibly switch topics instead of giving you more practice, which you clearly need. It's like working with a tutor who has no patience for mistakes, which are part of learning. I have literally yelled "F*CK YOU" at my computer several times because of Aleks. I'm studying to learn, so mistakes will be made and as frustrating as they are, I don't need to be told when to give up, or that I'm not going to get it very soon.

More often than not I've had to turn to Youtube tutorials of people working out certain problems to hear or read a detailed explanation of how each mechanism should work, AND MORE THAN ONE EXAMPLE BECAUSE THERE'S SPECIAL CASES IN MATH, ESPECIALLY WHEN NEGATIVE NUMBERS COME INTO PLAY. Considering this is only Algebra, I will flat-out withdraw from college if I have to take another Aleks anything to get my degree, because I can only imagine how frustrating learning something as complex as Calculus could be with Aleks.

Aleks is the least rewarding, most frustrating "tool" I've ever used, and I mean it 100% that if doing more Aleks work is a requisite for my degree, I'll be changing my course plan to avoid all Aleks in the future.

I would only be more upset if I had to pay for this, instead of just have my time wasted by it.

Although it helps me learn for the quizzes and exams, it takes up a lot of my free time. 20 topics can easily turn in 100+ questions of math homework, and who would want to spend 10+ hours doing all of that? There were many times when I wanted to punch my monitor in. The only reason why it gets two stars instead of one is because I actually learned for the exams and quizzes, although, If I don't finish the last couple topics, that will heavily impact my quiz / exam grade, since the hardest topics are guaranteed to be on quizzes / exams.
P.S. This is my third semester using ALEKs and currently I am doing Trigonometry.

Aleks is a very good concept. The only problem is the company really hasn't worked out all the bugs, especially the capability of the intelligence of the software trying to anticipate the specific needs of the students. For instance, if you make a small typo error, it assumes you don't understand the concept at all and makes you go over and over the same concept again, which uses up way too much of your time as a student, and also discourages you, which makes it that much harder to concentrate, especially if you have a learning disability! Also if you are having the slightest trouble with a concept, it will cause the program to constantly give you assessments and reviews, (which is normally a good concept) but depending on to what degree it does this, once again uses up way too much time to be practical for the average student. This is unacceptable in my opinion.

All I can say is I have actually been looking at what aleks does for about 2 and 1/2 years now and my findings may make parents who pay for college classes cringe. What this simple input/output program does in effect is give you a pie with questions. After you complete the pie (answer all questions correctly) you then take a test to move up to the next level. Here is where the problems start, The assessments put questions that you have already been tested on into a current assessment. Now if you miss one of these questions it will be added to your workload even though you have already taken a test to advance to whatever current level you are in. So what aleks is doing is penalizing the user for material they may have forgotten. This is how the program wastes students valuable time and in the process if the student really needs to get to the next course well the student gets to spend even more money on an aleks extension. Fair? Super Scam? You be the judge. Just an FYI. :)

There are bugs in the programming. It does not recognize +1 as the same number as 1. There are times when I give the correct answer, the program counts it as wrong and then proceeds to give me the same answer I gave as the correct answer.
This is not a learning program, more of a review type program. They way it is taught Aleks expects you to do your own research and find help from else where. There are tutorial videos - lot of them - but they are just as confusing and narrow on their teaching as the instructions you have to read thru.
Finally the demonstration problems have flaws in them as well.
They explain that 1/2 + 1/2 = 1/4
This is just one of many major flaws I have found in this course. Save yourself the time and hassle.

This is nothing but a way for a business to make up for the $#*!ty state of our education system. People don't want to spend money training and hiring qualified math teachers so we get this garbage instead. It teaches extremely inefficient, drawn out ways to do math problems and provides no lasting information. Once a topic is completed it is likely that the student is going to completely forget about it. Professors and teachers end up centering their entire class around this stupid program and pretty much do nothing. Aleks is a perfect example of what's wrong with schooling and education today. Plus it's way too expensive. Thanks a lot $#*!s

I'm a 4.0 premed student, I've always been great at academics although at first I had no problem with aleks I apperantly excelled farther than the course I'm currently taking. Aleks is 18.8% of my grade. I havent learned the material and it's pushing me into uncharted waters. Giving me new things to do isn't the problem, but giving me new things and not really explaining it, now that, that is an issue. So, RUN RUN AWAY FROM
WHATEVER COURSE REQUIRES THIS GOD FORSAKKEN PROGRAM. ITS THAT BAD, GOOD FOR NOTHING BUT STRESS!

STAY FAR AWAY FROM ALEKS. I am required to take this course for my college algebra class, and I am beyond losing my sanity. I have to spend at least 6 hours every day doing my ALEKS homework before I can even get to my normal homework. Every single time I get on ALEKS I end up crying and breaking something because even if you know exactly how to do a problem, you're wrong. Always. And then when you get a wrong answer, you lose the progress that you have made. So if you had three questions left before you could move to the next topic, if you get the question wrong they add another question you must pass before moving on. This has left me drowning in a puddle of my own tears because I will spend hours on just ONE topic. And then it will add more throughout the week, leaving you with 40 topics that you must complete within the next couple of days. NEVER, EVER take a class requiring ALEKS. EVER.

Aleks is a terrible way to learn Math. First off, It frustrates the learner because when you are doing something wrong it provides a poor way of explaining how to do it. I find it to be a complete waste of my life and time. Aleks has never helped me on a test or changed my life in anyway positive but instead brings stress and negativity. I also wonder when aleks will ever save my life for allow me to receive a job. That day will never come, I wish my school stopped using this stupid program and had my teachers actually teach us for the second period of Geometry. The only plus is i get to listen to Music. Aleks sucks and is useless.

Aleks is a waste of time, I mean, who would go on aleks when they have better things to do, like playing video games, or riding dirt bikes, hell I'd rather play with barbie dolls. Aleks is just flat out STUPID. My friend typed out an answer on aleks, and guess what? It said, "Your answer is incorrect, please read the explanation carefully." And everyone knows it says that whenever you get an answer wrong twice. But when my friend looked at the correct answer, it was the same exact answer he typed on the computer. IT'S SO F**KING $#*!ED IT'S NOT EVEN FUNNY, NEVER TRY IT!

Aleks is a waste of time. Having a set time to do 100+ questions AT HOME.
Some students have the luxury of being able to complete a test and maybe a topic or two during school hours though unfortunately I do not and neither do any of the students in my grade.
It's not like Aleks provides any sort of tutoring help either. And every time I login (not an exaggeration... EVERY TIME) I either take an assessment or "knowledge quiz" that tests to see how much I know. Each test takes me about an hour at the least and then I have to do the actual topics I meant to do. Not to mention it doesn't show each topic that needs to be done until you've completed the first incredibly long list and you THINK you can move on to the next "pie piece" although it generates another list for the same piece.
Teachers give me and other students about a week or two for a piece then take a grade that's 70% of our average. Topics that I've never seen like (off the top of my head) area of a circle and rectangle and haven't since I failed the topic hundreds of times my first semester (close to the year end atm) take off my grade and my once A algebra class now rests at a C because of this god forsaken program.
I get nothing other than lower grades and (verbal) beatings and grounding from my parents for failing the class I'd be acing with flying colors because of this program.