Recently I learned that the General Curriculum math exams are exactly the same for the Massachusetts and North Carolina teacher certification exams.

EXACTLY. THE. SAME. Check out the practice exams: Massachusetts, North Carolina. Identical.

Since I have been helping prospective educators in Massachusetts how to pass this exam since 2008—a year before the actual exam was released—I figured that I should help those in NC as well.

I am frequently asked if the General Curriculum Math exam is hard.

The answer to that question depends on two things—Are you good at math? and Are good you are at taking multiple choice exams?

If math scares you, it can be a very difficult exam. If you aren’t confident in your math or test-taking skills, it is hard. If you had trouble with the SAT-like math, it will be tough to pass.

The level of the math on the General Curriculum MTEL isn’t particularly difficult hard. It’s about 10th grade-level. When I did SAT prep back in the mid-90s, I taught exactly the same stuff as I teach for this test. I even use SAT-like problems for practice.

Why makes it so hard? The math is disguised. The General Curriculum Math exam is a test of logical reasoning and not just math. The questions aren’t structured like they were when you were school. The test-makers mess with your head. Instead of asking something like what is

They will give you something like this:

They won’t ask you to
“Covert the following percent to a fraction”
They will ask you to:
If 37.5% is expressed as the reduced fraction A/Z what is the value of A * Z ?

In short, the math on the General Curriculum Math is disguised.

If you need someone to walk you through basic math concepts like:
Number theory
Fractions, decimals, precents (operations and conversions)
Ratios and proportions
Algebraic reasoning and equations
Functions
Statistics
Probability
Geometry

…or if you have difficulty understanding what math to even do when asked a question like those above,
you probably need a prep course to ensure you pass.

ETI’s General Curriculum Math program not only teaches the basic math concepts above but critical test-taking skills and strategies are embedded in every lesson. You will learn how to untangle the confounding questions and get to the basic math you need to understand in order to get the problem correct.

We’ve been preparing people for this exam since before this exam even existed. We have had a program for the General Curriculum MTEL since the exam was created when it was morphed from the Elementary MTEL in the early 2000s. The Massachusetts DESE announced in 2008 that they would be splitting the General Curriculum exam into two parts, the Multi-Subject and the Math, so I went to work designing our program. Since March 2009, when this MTEL was first given, I have worked with hundreds, if not thousands, of students who have taken it

A better program does not exist—I guarantee it. Whether a Zoom class, self-paced recorded program, or one-on-one tutoring, ETI’s GC Math programs are second to none.

If you need help, consult joinETI.com. We’ve been guaranteeing success for prospective educators since 1999. You should find out why.