Math Tutor Chicago

Do You Need Quality Math Tutoring?

Searching for a “math tutor Chicago IL”? My tutoring is not some empty marketing talk but brings real results. With more than 15 years of expertise, I guarantee that I can solve ALL questions on your list! My students often appreciate my patience and talent to make complex concepts “crystal clear”. As a former college professor, I can teach you how to study and learn math effectively without wasting your time. I simply know what works from teaching college students for 6 years.

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Chicago Math Lessons for High School and College Students

My Services

Study skills coaching

As a former college professor with 6 years of classroom experience and a current full time math tutor, I know which learning approaches work and which are just a waste of your time and effort. Reading your maths textbook (however bad it may be) and doing the example problems before jumping to homework will improve your comprehension and save you lots of time in the long run. It is tempting to skip that and watch random videos on YouTube instead. This will harm your math education, will lead to failing exams, and ultimately you will spend much more time repairing the damage. Math tutoring can enhance your self-study, but it can’t replace reading the textbook. It is my job as a tutor to tell you that before we set off on your learning journey.

Conceptual understanding

Are your math teachers difficult to understand? I will tailor my explanations to your level using everyday language without complicated math jargon. This is what good math tutors do. My tutoring will help you make sense of math once again. Solving math questions without understanding the concepts actually harms your learning and backfires on tests.

Past exam analysis

Do you want to improve your past test results or avoid the same mistakes? When we go over the test, I will diagnose the weak areas that need work on and we will do extensive practice on those. This is an opportunity to leave those mistakes behind, once and for all.

Math homework help

Stuck on your math homework or your comprehension is shaky? After we go over those pesky problems, you will understand why and how to breeze through them with confidence. You will also get a detailed record of the solutions from the tutoring session, for your review later. I also help with Math projects that often use Word or Excel.

Math test preparation

Cramming before your math exam? I will make sure we cover all the bases and will pinpoint weak areas so we exercise those. That will improve your chances for a better grade. Exam preparation starts with conceptual learning and homework practice. You should not miss these opportunities to prepare long before the exam.

Math for ACT, SAT, GRE, GMAT

With my perfect score on the GRE Quant section, I have a long track record of success preparing students for the Math/Quantitative sections of the Standardized Exams. I help both with preparation materials for practice as well as with test-specific strategies for answer elimination and time management.

AP Precalculus, AP Calculus AB, AP Calculus BC

With my Physics Ph.D. and having taught college Calculus classes for 6 years, I have excellent problem solving skills in Calculus and I will provide easy to understand solutions and explanations, customized to your current level.

Help with online math classes

As a former college teacher, I have years of instructor-level experience with most platforms for online math courses: MyMathLab, ALEKS, WebAssign, Connect Math, Canvas, Blackboard, Moodle, and more. I can help you learn how to take advantage of their interactive features.

My qualifications in brief:

My Ph.D. degree in Theoretical Physics entails theoretical and practical mastery of high-level Mathematics. I have the talent for explaining Math in everyday language, which is so rare among mathematicians. I consider this an essential requirement to be a good Chicago math tutor.

6 years of classroom teaching experience in Math, Statistics, and Physics at City Colleges of Chicago, IL
5 years College Math and Physics Tutor at The University of Chicago, IL
15+ years giving Math and Physics lessons from high school to college level
perfect score on the GRE quantitative (math) section
perfect score on the GRE Physics
Ph.D. in Theoretical Physics, 2010, University of Chicago, Illinois

For more excruciating details please check out my About page, detailing my education history from more than 10 years ago.

How does Valentin Kostov Ph.D. tutoring work?

Please send me a file with the questions you would like to review and solve with me and I will give you a price within 1 hour. Most online math courses allow you to print out the math homework in a PDF file. If not, you can send me snapshots of your questions or class handouts.

Send me your questions

Online or in-person 1-on-1 sessions

In these days of technology, I prefer meeting online. You will only need a microphone. You can write in your notebook while you tell me what to write for you on a whiteboard, which I will send you at the end of the tutoring session. It’s that easy! As long as we have the same problems to work on, your learning will be as effective as meeting in person, but much more convenient.

If you still want to meet in person, I tutor in Uptown, Chicago IL 60640 and we can meet at any local Starbucks.

How much will I pay for your help?

There are many factors that will determine the price of my expert mathematics services. Once you contact me with your problems, I will review it and determine the price based on the subject (Calculus 3 costs more than Calculus 1), the difficulty level of your class, and the type of help that you require (exam preparation is more expensive than homework help).

One of The Best Math Tutors in Chicago IL or Online

There are many sites that pop up when you Google “math tutor Chicago IL”. Why choose me as your private tutor? Perhaps because many math tutors out there may not be able to solve all of your questions or don’t know the best methods nor explain in a way understandable to you. Please take a look at the solutions on my WyzAnt tutor profile to get a feel of my exceptional problem-solving abilities and my concise, easy-to-understand explanations. My solutions often get upvoted and there is a reason for that.

My mathematics lessons have helped hundreds of students do their coursework, prepare for an exam, enhance their understanding and math skills and inevitably improve their grades or exam scores. My students are people with diverse backgrounds, ages, ethnicities, and nationalities and range from homeschoolers to all possible college majors: economics, business, pre-meds, sciences, and humanities. I usually work with high school students and up, occasionally with middle school children.

Teaching Proficiency in a Wide Range of Mathematics subjects

Besides my 15+ years of tutoring experience, I taught math classes at several City Colleges around Chicago IL for 6 years in the following subjects:

Algebra (all levels)

Algebra studies the methods of solving equations or inequalities and the properties of functions – linear, quadratic, polynomial, rational, exponential, and logarithmic.

Geometry

Geometry is concerned with the properties of plane figures (triangles, quadrilaterals, circles, etc.), 3-dimensional objects (pyramids, rectangular solids, cylinders, cones, spheres, etc.) and their perimeters, areas, and volumes.

Trigonometry

Trigonometry explores the relationships between the sides and angles of triangles, trigonometric functions and their graphs, identities, and equations. It is often part of Precalculus courses.

Pre-Calculus

Precalculus expands on algebra, trigonometric functions, complex numbers, systems and matrices, conic sections (ellipses, hyperbolas, parabolas), sequences and series (arithmetic and geometric progressions), and limits.

Calculus 1

Calculus I utilizes limits to define derivatives and integrals and then applies those to analyze functions and solve problems involving motion, area, volume, and growth models. AP Calculus AB is equivalent.

Calculus 2

Calculus II continues with advanced methods of integration, ordinary differential equations, applications of integrals to find areas and volumes, parametric equations, polar coordinates, and convergence of infinite sequences and series. AP Calculus BC is equivalent.

Calculus 3

Calculus III (also Multivariable Calculus) extends to functions of several variables, partial derivatives, multiple integrals, vectors in 3-dimensional space, vector fields, vector calculus (gradient, divergence, curl), line and surface integrals, Green, Stokes and Divergence theorems.

Symbolic Logic

Symbolic logic concerns itself with truth values, evaluating logical statements, and valid logical arguments.

Financial Math

Financial math covers percents, discounts, interest, compound interest, inflation, annuities, loans, future value, stocks, and bonds.

Combinatorics

Combinatorics covers the fundamental counting principle, combinations, permutations, and anagrams. It is typically studied before Probability.

Probability

A course in probability studies methods to calculate probability using combinatorics or experimental data, conditional probability, addition and multiplication of probabilities, binomial, geometric, and normal probability distributions. This is usually a part of a Statistics course.

Math Tutor for Advanced Placement Tests

I have been tutoring for more than 15 years AP Precalculus, AP Calculus AB (the equivalent of college Calculus 1), AP Calculus BC (the equivalent of college Calculus 2), AP Statistics, and AP Physics 1, 2, or C.

These tests reflect the US college educational standards but require extensive use of graphing calculators for numerical calculations, much more so than their college counterparts. Correspondingly, I provide focused educational lessons on how to use the standard Texas Instruments calculators such as TI-83, TI-84, and others, for numerical calculations.

Tutoring for Quantitative sections of ACT, SAT, GRE, and GMAT

I also tutor for the Math sections of the common Standardized tests. This includes the ACT and SAT, used for college applications, as well as the graduate school tests GRE and GMAT.

I myself have a perfect score on the GRE quantitative section, which is math at the highest level of all the tests. I also have a perfect score on GRE Physics, which is another area of expertise of mine.

Having a math tutor is not necessary to excel on those tests but it can enhance your self-study tremendously by helping you select the best preparation materials. Multiple-choice tests have specific answer elimination strategies that will often allow you to spot the right answer without solving the problem. That saves time on the test and allows you to answer tough questions, which you may not be able to solve otherwise.

Common Questions

When should I seek tutoring?

Tutoring is beneficial anytime you need help understanding concepts, preparing for exams, or aiming to improve your grades significantly.

Do you provide online tutoring?

Yes, I prefer online tutoring using an online whiteboard for lessons. In-person meetings can be arranged along the Red Line in Uptown Chicago.

What subjects do you tutor?

I tutor a wide range of subjects including Math, Physics, Statistics, and the Math/Quant sections of standardized tests like ACT, SAT, GMAT, GRE, and more.

How can I contact you?

To get in touch, please visit my Contact page to schedule tutoring sessions and discuss your academic needs. You can also text my Google phone number listed there.

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Ready to Excel in Math, Statistics, Physics, or Standardized Tests?

Contact Valentin Kostov Ph.D. Tutoring today to unlock your academic potential with expert guidance and personalized support.

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