I’ve been out of school for decades, and I don’t spend my days solving equations (I’m more of a word person). Still, I like to think I have a solid grip on basic math: I can usually gauge whether a ...

Let’s keep things simple – this is basic math. Nothing scary. Just everyday calculations, a bit of geometry, some number patterns, and the kind of stuff you definitely learned in school at some point.

Diego Fonseca looked at the computer and took a breath. It was his final attempt at the math placement test for his first year of college. His first three tries put him in pre-calculus, a blow for a ...