Brilliant.org thoughts and review will cover the online STEM courses and style of learning offered through the program as well as the costs for a subscription.
Brilliant is a problem-solving-based website and app with a hands-on approach.
No lectures, just hands-on, interactive lessons that are more fun.
Change the way you feel about STEM subjects.
Learn math, science, and computer science.
An excellent way to build understanding.
Learn To Think And Problem Solve
Unique, interactive
courses designed by teachers
and professionals from MIT,
Caltech, Microsoft, Google, and
more.
See Math And Science In A New Way
See technical concepts in a new
way — visual and interactive —
and start developing the
analytical skills you’ll need to
succeed.
Excel In Math And Science
Learning new
quantitative skills has never been so easy (or fun). Don’t just memorize formulas and facts – see them, interact with them,
and make the connections
that’ll stick.
Unlock Key Ideas Through Problem Solving
Build up
new concepts visually and
intuitively while solving
challenging interactive
problems from the start
Best of all, there’s no age limit – Brilliant is for ambitious and curious people aged 10 to 110.
With active learning, you will see it, do it, understand it, and excel!
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How Does Brilliant.org Work?
Classroom learning is traditionally a teacher-centered model where the teacher is lecturing in front of the class and the students sit and listen.
Brilliant.org wanted to provide students with a deeper understanding of subjects, improved critical thinking, and develop new skills for learning. The capacity to think is Brilliant’s goal for their students.
How does Brilliant grow the capacity to think?
They show you it is important to try difficult things and sometimes fail.
- You will start with simple questions to ensure you understand the base concept.
- Then the problems progress to challenge your ability.
- Finally, they show you different ways to solve those problems which improve your capacity to think and learn.
This is all done in an active style that is engaging, fun, and sparks your curiosity.
New users to Brilliant can start with a free trial. You select the coursework you are most interested in and the interactive questions will be tailored to you. As mentioned above, Brilliant has over 60+ courses in the STEM field and is available on any device, including the Apple iOS app and Android app.
As they say, their program is for learners “10 to 110”.
Their program is for students, parents, working professionals, and even teachers. The goal is to have you master the subject, not just memorize the information. This is done through interactive problem solving paired with instant feedback.
Brilliant makes it clear that it is okay to struggle with new concepts and ideas. This is a perfectly normal part of real understanding in the learning process. In fact, this idea is very much in line with a growth mindset.
A growth mindset tells students they are capable of developing their minds instead of a fixed or static belief in their intelligence.
What Courses Are On Brilliant?
Brilliant has 60+ courses available across the STEM field. The table below lists them according to their learning path topic.
| Brilliant Learning Path | Brilliant Courses |
|---|---|
| Foundational Math | Pre-Algebra, Geometry Fundamentals, Mathematical Fundamentals, Algebra Fundamentals, Geometry I, Algebra I, Algebra II |
| Software Development | Computer Science Fundamentals, Algorithm Fundamentals, Programming with Python, Data Structures, Introduction to Neural Networks, Computational Biology |
| Science | Scientific Thinking, Classical Mechanics, Electricity and Magnetism, Special Relativity, Quantum Objects, Quantum Computing, The Chemical Reaction, Computational Biology, Solar Energy |
| Foundational Logic | Logic, Joy of Problem Solving, Knowledge and Uncertainty |
| Data Science | Scientific Thinking, Computer Science Fundamentals, Knowledge and Uncertainty, Introduction to Neural Networks, Algorithm Fundamentals, Data Structures, Random Variables & Distributions, Statistics I, Machine Learning |
| High School Math | Algebra Fundamentals, Algebra I, Algebra II, Geometry Fundamentals, Geometry I, Geometry II, Probability Fundamentals, Statistics Fundamentals, Random Variables & Distributions, Pre-Calculus |
| Engineering | Trigonometry, Pre-Calculus, Scientific Thinking, Calculus in a Nutshell, Classical Mechanics, Differential Equations I, Multivariable Calculus, Electricity and Magnetism, Solar Energy, Computational Biology |
| Statistics and Finance | Probability Fundamentals, Statistics Fundamentals, Applied Probability, Perplexing Probability, Casino Probability, Random Variables & Distributions, Math for Quantitative Finance, Cryptocurrency |
Here’s what the introduction to the Logic Course page looks like:
How Much Does Brilliant.org Cost?
Brilliant offers a premium plan which provides access to all their courses and the Daily Challenges. There is also a free preview that gives you access to the Daily Challenges.
- The annual subscription plan costs $12.49/month($149.88) paid in full in one payment.
- The monthly subscription plan costs $24.99/month paid each month and can cancel at any time.
- The annual group subscription plan costs $299.88/year for groups of 3 to 50. Each user has their own account.
So, what do you get with the premium subscription? You get access to all the courses, practice tests and answers, the Daily Challenges, offline mode, and the guided courses.
What about the free trial of Brilliant?
You can join Brilliant and start a 7-day free trial with access to all the courses for you to explore. This is a great idea if you are interested and want to see their teaching style in action.
If you are not satisfied during the free trial period, just click the ‘end-trial’ button to quit. You won’t be charged anything.
Pros
- User friendly, great user experience.
- Free trial for new users.
- Interactive/engaging style of learning.
- Available for the Computer and App.
- Good customer support.
Cons
- The program is STEM subjects only.
- Paying a year-long subscription can be expensive for some.
Trustpilot.com gives Brilliant.org an excellent review with 4.6 out of 5 stars.
Is Brilliant.org Worth It?
It is definitely worth it if you spend the time and work on the interactive courses. They make it fun and engaging with the gamification style learning of the problems, but like everything else you also have to put in some time. Brilliant realizes this which is why their Daily Challenges are so addictive. You want to keep coming back each day to see the new challenge and try and solve it.
STEM subjects are important to learn today and Brilliant has found a way to deliver them to students in an innovative and fun way.