1. It’s specifically built for maths.

The fact that the lesson includes testing makes the learning active. That was the biggest problem associated with maths grinds: the teacher talking, the students listening but the learning is passive. When they get to the test, students often struggle. And so using testing in every class keeps the lesson sharper and more engaged and you can actually see you’re working. That approach is really tailored for Maths specifically, which requires that active practice.

2. It’s online.
Less travel, less wasted time in the car. More time for learning. 

3. It’s immense value.
It’s €149 per month for Breakthrough Maths. That delivers 16 classes a month. In comparison for traditional grinds, which is roughly €50 per hour, you’re getting almost five times the value and five times the amount of grinds time.

4. The Breakthrough Maths Buzz.
Not everyone likes TJ Hegarty, the founder. But that sense of energy, enthusiasm, and buzz on his TikToks is what radiates into the style of teaching. Breakthrough Maths spends the whole summer training its tutors into the Breakthrough Maths style of teaching. It’s fun, engaging, relatable and that is half the battle in teaching maths: having a likeable teacher and someone who’s engaging. That’s what Breakthrough Maths has been delivering for five and a half years and it’s what all the reviews mention and say. 

The Cons
1. It’s a group grind.
It can be harder to ask one-to-one questions, although the tutors do answer questions and they do stay after the class. Throughout the lesson it’s a lot more based on the testing and challenging yourself that way rather than talking individually to the tutor. Some students don’t love that. 

2. Top students might struggle.
The students aiming for the top H1 grades can struggle with Breakthrough Maths. The lesson is tailored more towards students in the middle, kind of the lower to average to just above average grades. Students aiming for 90%+ can find the class a bit slower and might get frustrated. If you’re in that average bracket or just above average or just below average, it really suits you but for students in top grades there are probably better alternatives for the speed that you need.

3. Marmite.
Sometimes Breakthrough Maths can be represented like Marmite. You either love it or you hate it. I think a lot of it is down to a different approach and the energy and enthusiasm and the marketing, and that is what we bring to the lesson as well. For traditionalists used to one-to-one in-person grinds, it can feel very different and you can love it or hate it. 

The alternatives
There are plenty of alternatives, such as finding a local tutor or finding a tutor online. There are other providers as well who do group grinds and stuff. Specifically for maths though, there’s not really a dedicated provider doing math grinds to the same quality and scale that Breakthrough Maths does it.


So, is Breakthrough Maths worth it?

I think the thing to say here is you can try for free. People will only know once they try the free class and see for themselves. Our stats show that one in two students who try the free class stay and a lot of students might try the free class and come back a few months later. It’s definitely worth trying. It’s immense value. It’s a better way to learn maths, in theory, with the testing and really it’s about trying a class and seeing from the individual child’s perspective. Try it and see for yourself.


TJ