If it’s been a while since high school, VET tutors can help you get off to a good start in college or vocational training.

Many great online learning systems are available to you for free at any time you're available to re-learn any level of Math, Science, Grammar, U.S. & World history, Computer Skills, and practice for your college placement tests.

Most of the resources we list here are completely free, but don't forget that in certain situations, the GI Bill will pay for some tutoring if you use a service that charges fees.  You need to coordinate this with your course instructor and the VA benefit Certifying Official at your school.  This benefit is limited (not to exceed $100/month, and capped at $1200 lifetime total); click here to read the details. 

Check out these FREE self-paced online learning systems to prepare for formal education, and let us know how else we can help!
University Studies for Student Veterans - Online Course from Columbia University

This excellent and free online, on-demand course from Columbia University's Center for Veteran Transition and Integration teaches student veterans the skills and techniques needed to be successful in the college environment.  Since its launch, this course has helped thousands of active duty and transitioning service members and veterans succeed in the college classroom. 

Students will learn foundational college success skills (good notetaking, time management, reading comprehension of large amounts of technical material, how to study, etc.), which will be useful no matter what their major or what school they attend.

You can complete the entire course, or can just watch videos à la carte by topic from the course's video library.  Each topic has a companion “veteran voices” video where an actual student veteran gives a brief testimonial about the application of that skill or concept in their own studies.

There are 6 course modules, and each is designed to take approximately 3 – 4 hours to complete.  Think of this course as Basic Training for College!  

March 2 Success

This is a free, interactive, self-paced online course that enhances and refreshes students’ knowledge in a range of academic areas to prepare them for standardized tests and college.  Take the pre-test, and have a remedial course automatically generated for you based on your individual results!  Follow different tracks (pre-engineering, pre-health-related fields, etc.) depending on your interests.  HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!  VET's online tutors can help coach you through this system for additional help.

Accuplacer (college placement test) Preparation

Many colleges and universities in North Dakota and elsewhere will require applicants to take the Accuplacer test to measure their skills in mathematics, reading, and English.  Results will be used to place students into the starting course that best matches their skill levels at that school.

When Accuplacer results show that someone is not quite ready for college-level math or English courses, the school might place that student into a developmental or remedial course to catch them up.  These courses are normally not for college credit and so don’t count towards your degree, but are required before the student can enroll in a “for credit” course that does count.  Those remedial courses aren't free, so not only do they delay your degree completion, but they also use up your financial resources. 

Prepare for the Accuplacer using these resources:

“Learn as you go” tests provide you with explanation of the correct or incorrect responses

  •  Download the free sample question packets here:

Basic Arithmetic

Quantitative Reasoning, Algebra, and Statistics

Reading

Writing

Advanced Algebra and Functions (This is a separate, stand-alone test only given to students that will need Calculus.  It’s not part of the normal Accuplacer assessment. It tests advanced college-level math concepts).

  • Use the free Accuplacer practice tests and study guides available from Union Test Prep
  • There’s also an iTunes app available from College Board (the managers of the Accuplacer) to help you study anytime and anywhere.  This one is not free, and only works on Apple products (app cost was $2.99 as of June 2024).

Most colleges will arrange for you to take the Accuplacer for free as part of the college’s admission process.  You can take it more than once, but usually for an additional fee ($10 - $20). 

Free College Placement Skills Training (CPST) from DANTES

Free for active duty military, currently serving National Guardsmen, Reservists, and U.S. Coast Guard members, their families, and DoD civilians. 

The Defense Activity for Non-Traditional Education Support (DANTES), in partnership with Peterson’s, offers a self-paced online training course that can prepare you to place well enough on your college entrance exams like the Accuplacer so you can skip remedial math or English courses that still cost money but don’t count towards your degree, delaying your progress. 

A pre-test determines your abilities, and then a customized learning plan is auto-generated for you.  Learning happens through interactive games, activities, engaging videos, and drills, with quizzes to help you measure your progress.  Click here for more info and to sign up!

EdReady.org

Take a FREE online college math and/or English readiness assessment, and then follow a personalized study path at your own pace to fill in any knowledge gaps.  There are also Accuplacer prep and SAT/ACT prep tracks to get you ready for your college's placement exams!

Khan Academy

A FREE personalized learning resource for all ages!  Khan Academy offers practice exercises, instructional videos, and a personalized learning dashboard that empower learners to study at their own pace in and outside of the classroom: math, science, computer programming, history, art history, economics, and more.  Guides learners from kindergarten to calculus using state-of-the-art, adaptive technology that identifies strengths and learning gaps. Work through a study plan by subject or by grade level.  VET's online tutors can guide you through this online learning system if extra help is desired!

VET's Video Tutorial Playlists

Links to some very helpful video tutorial series! 

  • Excellent math lessons grouped by topic (from the creator of Math Antics)
  • Tutorials on D2L and Blackboard, the Course Delivery Systems used by many colleges and universities, including those in Minnesota and North Dakota.
  • More to come!
Study Edge Online Tutoring System

Study Edge offers a free trial semester of tutoring to military veterans through its online system.  Membership includes access to Short Concept Videos, Study Guides (in the form of downloadable PDFs), and Practice Problems with video solutions covering several traditionally challenging math and science courses

Materials break down all the information being covered in the course you want assistance with, concept by concept, with problems similar to your homework along the way.  There’s also a section that reviews high school level math and science, as well as the college-level courses.

For more info and to register, vets can go to StudyEdge.com and need to e-mail veterans@studyedge.com to set up their free trial semester membership.  (I'm not sure yet what they need to confirm/validate your veteran status.)  After the free trial semester, there is a cost to maintain your access.

HippoCampus.org - Free Learning Resources in Math, English, Natural Sciences, History, and Economics

Explore over 7,000 free videos in 13 subject areas including basic arithmetic and algebra through calculus and statistics, lab sciences, History and Economics, and English grammar. 

GCF LearnFree.org

Free, self-paced, online learning system with modules covering over 125 topics in high school level math, life and personal management skills, English grammar, reading comprehension, and computer skills to get you ready for college level classes.

Tutor.com/Military: Free Online Tutoring for Military and Family members, Kindergarten through College

A service of the Department of Defense Morale, Welfare, and Recreation (MWR) Program.  Get help from professional tutors in major subjects like math, science, social studies, English, or writing.

Eligible military families can access these tutoring services 24/7 for free.

Numerade - (Free!) 100 Million+ Video Solutions for Your STEM Course Textbook Questions

Numerade.com offers a FREE searchable library of video solutions to Science, Engineering, and Math course problems from several commonly used textbooks, recorded by experienced college professors.  Find a helpful explanation to a homework problem in Biology, Chemistry, advanced Math, or other STEM courses. This is like going to an instructor’s office hours for help, but you can access it any time, and repeat the video as many times as you need!

There are also videos with solutions to AP (Advanced Placement) practice exams to help you earn transferrable college credit, and to ACT and SAT practice tests to get ready for college entry exams and qualify for scholarships.  Almost every question on the practice tests is walked through for you by an expert instructor!

Numerade also offers FREE learn-at-your-own-pace on-demand STEM courses in Calculus, Pre-Calculus, Chemistry, and Physics to help students succeed in their future college courses.  These mini-courses are developed and instructed by experienced college instructors using videos and other helpful materials. 

Chegg - Online Study Resources

Chegg offers many resources online to help students learn various subjects through easy-to-understand graphic demonstrations, interactive homework problem solving tools, access to live tutors, and their new “Understand a Topic” section, featuring concise lessons covering key topics within many major subject areas, like Chemistry, Economics, Computer Science, Statistics, Accounting, and Physics.

Symbolab.com

Symbolab is a free, interactive math education tool that includes automated step-by-step “white board” solutions to Algebra, Geometry, Trigonometry, Calculus, and Statistics problems that you can enter yourself.  Choose your level of math (middle school through college-level math), use the symbol pad to enter your math problem, and click “GO” to see a step-by-step breakdown of how to solve the problem.  Includes a wealth of smart calculators to solve equations, inequalities, integrals, derivatives, limits, trigonometric functions, graphs, and more.

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