Brilliant.org Review: Is It Worth Brilliant Premium?

Last week, I visited a good friend’s house in Virginia after a long time owing to the Covid-19 epidemic. Catherine is a homemaker with two children, Betty (13 years old) and her brother Brian (15 years old). Catherine inquires whether I know about Brilliant.org and if it is worthwhile to obtain the Brilliant.org Premium for her children’s education. Because both of Catherine’s children are following the homeschooling techniques, she also would like to take part in Brilliant.org with her children as well as acquire new knowledge about the STEM system. This is the first reason why I write this Brilliant.org Review. 

Do you have children the same age as Catherine’s and wish to provide a platform for them to learn online at home?

According to National Home Education Research, there were approximately 3.7 million homeschool students in grades K-12 in the United States in 2020-2021 and roughly 6 percent to 7 percent of school-age children). In the spring of 2019, around 2.5 million homeschool pupils or 3% to 4% of school-age children. Furthermore, it is increasingly important to be well-versed in both scientific and social areas. Brilliant.org, as previously said, has built an online platform where everyone, from computer experts to curious individuals, may improve their brains and acquire essential skills.

As a result, in the Brilliant.org Reviews today, we will study Brilliant.org courses to ascertain whether Brilliant.org Premium is truly worth purchasing. Furthermore, I hope that my friend Catherine and other readers will make an informed decision after this extensive study.

What is Brilliant.org?

Brilliant.org, established in 2012, is a community-driven online learning platform that provides online education in various STEM areas. Their course catalog presently includes more than 60 courses on foremost topics such as Math, Software Development, Logic, Data science, and Statistics Finance. The platform is supported by Social+Capital, a venture capital fund dedicated to advancing humanity by tackling the world’s most complex challenges. These courses are claimed to be designed by award-winning professors, researchers, and professionals from MIT, Caltech, Duke, Microsoft, Google, and other prestigious institutions. All lessons include interactive activities, quizzes, and daily challenges to keep the students engaged with the materials. 

These are, of course, only a few examples. In the next paragraph, we will go through everything taught on Brilliant.org.org in detail.

Brilliant.org Review – How does it work?

When you sign up for Brilliant.org, you must select the category that best describes you — A student, a professional, an amateur, or a parent (Teacher). Based on this, the system suggests the best options for your goals. Brilliant.org can be accessed through a computer or smartphone since the company’s app is available on both Google Play and AppStore.

There will be lessons varying from basic to advanced in a subject. A lesson includes four parts: Introduction, Main lessons on the subject with extensive explanations and graphics, Review including a quiz, and an explanation of the solution. It follows the steps in the official educational method that includes 

• Start with simple questions and stories that build your foundation and intuition.
• Ramp up to solving problems that seemed beyond your ability.
• Study different ways of solving the issues that are out of your grasp.

In addition, to deliver the topic lesson, there will be an activity and explanation for the learner to thoroughly comprehend the core of the lesson.

Apart from the official method, one of the most notable trends in E-learning is gamification. Brilliant.org is one of the learning platforms that has wholly integrated this principle into its teaching style. Gamification of education is an emerging strategy that combines game design elements to boost learners’ motivation and engagement in educational environments.

This, in my opinion, is an efficient approach for you to learn methodically and practice with exercises for long-term memory. The description is also quite clear, including illustrations to help you visualize the process. 

Brilliant.org Review – Who is the creator?

The creator of Brilliant.org is Sue Khim. As introduced in Wikipedia, Sue Khim is an American education entrepreneur. In 2012, she was one of Forbes’ 30 Under 30 in education.

Sue Khim, the founder of Brilliant.org, had a personal eureka moment in her youth that inspired the creation of Brilliant.org. Khim and her father have a tradition. During long car rides, Khims’s father would provide her with various math tasks. Young Khim was stymied by a challenging task. When her father noticed her mental battle, he recommended “trying to solve the puzzle from the outside in.” Khim still views STEM disciplines as intriguing and enigmatic rather than opaque or terrifying. According to the statistics, many people wish to pursue STEM courses in the same way.

When it comes to social media, Sue also shared her thoughts, daily story on her LinkedIn account: 

or, some updates on Twitter: 

She also had a famous video with TedTalks about problem-solving in mathematics and science:

Given the above, we can see that Sue is a great woman who has achieved great success in her studies, research, and profession. Depending on her passion for STEM and the hardships she went through to create Brilliant.org, she put a lot of effort into creating a platform for better STEM education for people worldwide. As a consequence, she deserved Forbes’ award, and she is a reliable educator.

Brilliant.org Review – What subjects can you learn?

Brilliant.org is primarily about teaching mathematical and scientific concepts for various audiences of varying ages and degrees of competence.

For new Brilliant users, the platform provides an algorithm that determines the optimum learning routes for the new user. You can choose between being a student, a professional, a hobbyist, or a parent/teacher. Brilliant then selects the greatest courses and challenges for your unique needs.

Here are a few of the most popular learning paths on Brilliant.org:

In addition, below is a breakdown of all of the primary courses taught on Brilliant.org:

• Logic and deduction
• Mathematical thinking
• Algebra
• Geometry
• Statistics and probability
• Contest math
• Calculus
• Advanced mathematics
• Scientific thinking
• Classical physics
• Quantum mechanics
• Applied science
• Foundational computer science
• Applied computer science

Don’t worry if any of those topics piqued your attention but made your brain shrivel. You are precisely Brilliant.org’s intended audience. After all, the fundamental basis of our platform is learning about tough subjects in an enjoyable way.

Brilliant Review – Who Brilliant.org for? 

Brilliant’s platform is designed for students, professionals, and lifelong learners. 

Students 

First, Brilliant allows students to do it at their own pace, whether that pace is quicker or slower than the curriculum at their institutions. Many brilliant young mathematicians have utilized Brilliant to discover a challenge because they believed their schools were progressing too slowly. Also, Brilliant allows them to revise material at a pace that is more appropriate for their understanding.

Second, Brilliant’s classes are created to make challenging math and science topics in a more approachable way. For STEM students, lectures are often inefficient. Brilliant’s lessons skip lectures in favor of problem-solving and active learning.

Lifelong Learners

Brilliant’s theoretical lessons and active approach to teaching are excellent ways to expand the mental toolbox.  Learn about Newton’s laws, problem-solving, and thermodynamic laws, all of which have far-reaching implications outside STEM applications. However, some STEM topics are somehow limited. 

Professionals

From my perspective, Brilliant.org is not the best option for career-focused learners for two reasons. 

First, courses tend to be more theoretical or academic as opposed to applied practical learning. Also, Brilliant does not offer any certifications, and courses are unaccredited.

What’s Inside The Program – My Learning Experience

To give you a fair overview of Brilliant’s academic programs, I have completed my learning process. I finished some first lessons in each course over a few days, spending around 30-45 minutes per day working through the difficulties and obstacles.

After finishing, I believe that if this learning technique were made mandatory in schools, all students would love math!

Overall, each course has about 18 to 22 quizzes/problems. Each one took me between 5 and 12 minutes to complete, depending on the complexity. I will make it more explicit by analyzing the two below examples in more detail. 

For example, the course Probability Fundamentals will teach us how to compare intuition with reality, prevent typical intuitive mistakes, and then recognize the connection between counting and probability problems. Next, we learn the fundamental mathematical principles that control probability. After that, we can determine if the game is fair or not. The course is for: Anyone with basic math abilities who want to place their decision-making on a more secure footing. Young or inexperienced mathematicians might benefit from studying the principles of probability in many engaging scenarios.

Or another example, in this course Logic, you will learn how to improve your critical thinking abilities. Next, you know how to visualize relationships to solve issues. Finally, you arrive at the truth, employ a variety of strategies to remove the impossible. The course is for: Anyone who wants to improve their abilities to analyze data and solve challenges. It’s also helpful in honing your persuading skills and creating reasonable arguments.

I have to admit that there are some good points after experiencing the whole course here:

• Quizzes that are interesting and have clear graphics
• Craps, roulette, and shut the box games are used to explain ideas.
• If you make a mistake, provide detailed explanations
• Positive messaging will keep you engaged.
• Builds skills gradually yet requires your brain to work hard.
• Concepts reviewed to shed light on them in various contexts.
• Shows the percentage of persons who appropriately  respond
• Learning games and puzzles that are both visual and kinaesthetic
• Visual solutions and explanations aid in the understanding of faults.
• Hints to help you find the most obvious path to a solution
• Highlighted vital insights and concepts for examination and reflection

I acquired some necessary skills, such as being patient in any situation to find the solution for the problems and learning from my mistakes.  An entertaining and beautifully designed course with loads of images, animations, and games to make abstract topics approachable. Again, I did not find it simple and made several mistakes as the obstacles became more difficult. However, I was inspired to persist in completing the tasks with full accomplishment and satisfaction. 

In short, Brilliant’s target audience is diverse. It is for ambitious learners aged 10 to 110, according to its developers.

However, here are a few more particular examples of people I believe Brilliant might suit those who:

• Aspires to improve their critical thinking and problem-solving abilities
• Those who are eager to flex their cerebral muscles
• Enjoys quizzes and challenges.
• Wants to keep their brain in shape and is looking for a way to study STEM topics that is intuitive, engaging, and free of fear of failure.
• Aspires to instill in their children a love of learning

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Brilliant.org Review – What do I like?

• Strong visual aids help explain complex concepts: Brilliant.org uses visual aids to demonstrate complicated issues, which we consider one of the platform’s finest aspects. A color-coded step-through image, for example, aids in illustrating the logical flow of a recursive sorting process in Brilliant’s computer science basics course.
• The courses are self-paced and flexible: Brilliant.org courses are easily adjustable, making it simple to study around a hectic schedule. You can complete the courses at your speed. There is no time limit to complete, and you can view information at your own pace. Because the courses aren’t video-based, you can take as much time as you need on a single question. Each course will include 20-30 lessons, with each session lasting around 15 minutes. 
• Your progress is synchronized across devices: Brilliant has the advantage of being a multi-device platform. Brilliant offers apps available on the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store, and a browser-based desktop experience. You can switch between devices as you go through a course and effortlessly start up where you left off. It is ideal for late-night studies on your iPad in bed.
• Every day, new problems are presented: Every day, Brilliant presents a further difficulty to tackle. It not only implies that there is always something new to attempt, but it also demonstrates a consistent dedication to engaging with and developing the platform.
• Gradually develops abilities while also providing stretch and challenge: Brilliant handles this exceptionally effectively, allowing users to put new ideas into reality in a range of varied and progressively tricky scenarios. If you are already acquainted with the topics being taught, you can move through to subsequent sessions that give the greatest (but still manageable) degrees of challenge.
• A free 7-day trial: You can access Brilliant and experience in 7 days before purchasing it. 
  

  Brilliant.org Review – What I don’t like?

• Only focus on STEM subjects: Brilliant.org focuses on STEM subjects, which is a good thing in some ways. They are well-versed in their target audience. However, because the platform is only for teaching math and science, many students may not discover a course that meets their needs.
• Instructors are faceless & there is no place to ask questions: Brilliant’s instructors are more like silent partners in that they develop the courses and produce the problems/visuals. However, there is no way to communicate with the teachers if you get stuck on a topic or if an idea just doesn’t make sense.
• You don’t own a course forever: Brilliant’s concept is that you must exercise skill to keep it. As a result, Brilliant’s platform is regularly updated with new courses, modules, and tasks to complete. However, to continue accessing a course (and any future updates to that course), you must continue to pay for a membership. Other sites allow you to download course content for life, but Brilliant does not.

Brilliant.org Review – What do other customers talk about?

Because the platform and the app – Brilliant.org were established a long time ago, there are thousands of comments and feedback from customers on different online websites. 

Although there is both positive and negative feedback, Brilliant.org has received mostly good feedback online. Brilliant.org is frequently praised for two features. In particular, the well-executed gamification of all courses and the platform’s excellent customer care.

Brilliant has a 4.7 rating on TrustPilot that surprised me. Trustpilot consumers like the customer service’s professionalism such as quick replies, helpfulness, flexibility regarding customer requests, etc. 

Sabine Pirchio has her kids love studying Brilliant.org, and they are active in practicing visual reasons and solving the problems actively. Meanwhile, Jumawan acquired many new experiences and knowledge by studying with Brilliant.org for years. Also, on Quora, Mr. Kevin used it to remember some university knowledge that he might forget. At the same time, Mrs. Shankar indeed recommends Brilliant.org for Mathematics enthusiasts. What great feedback! 

Additionally, The users also highly appreciate the content offered by Brilliant.org. The diversity of courses, the gamified nature of the learning materials, and the accessibility for a broad user base are some of the most appreciated features of Brilliant’s content. On App Store Preview, the app Brilliant.org also got 4.8 out of 5 stars with more than 9.7K ratings, while on Google Play App Store, the app got 4.3 stars out of 5. 

As can be seen, they found a new exciting way to learn and improve themselves every day with Brilliant.org and even more special with Mr. Kim Tru – a 54-year-old learner. The compliments vary by customers with different experiences and opinions. Half of them like the design and professional customer service, while the rest highly appreciate that their quizzes and content are pretty tricky. Besides, practicing their brain with Brilliant.org everyday is an excellent way to learn complex theoretical ideals and process the range of information. 

Brilliant has also received a favorable rating from Common Sense (the leading source of technology and entertainment recommendations for parents/schools).

Emily Pohlonski (2021 Michigan Science Teacher of the Year) commended the platform as a terrific resource for high-achieving students to challenge each other and learn from their classmates.

Although the advantages of Brilliant.org outweigh its disadvantages, I still need to present some flaws of this online platform. Also,  there is a detailed essay on evaluating Brilliant.org on other online reviewing platforms to help Brilliant improve its features and upgrade the systems. Firstly, some individuals experienced minor issues canceling their memberships:

Regarding this problem, I have found a public post on the official website of Brilliant.org to instruct you to unsubscribe: You can cancel your subscription at any time by clicking the “cancel” button on your subscription settings page. In this case, these above users might not pay much attention to their subscriptions. They might sign up for a year. However, you need to think carefully about the annual subscription. 

There are also complaints about some errors in the explanation and systematic mistakes such as:

The most concerning problems are the lack of careful explanation for the quizzes and some mistakes in spelling and grammar in presenting concepts. Personally, the developers of Brilliant.org should take these comments seriously to improve the website and the app. Regarding the explanation and information, Brilliant.org should have a more specific in-depth way to make the answer clear by the “real person”. 

Any platform, not only Brilliant.org, is striving to improve everyday. Therefore, both positive and negative comments from the customer are also good for the developers to improve their service.

Brilliant.org Pricing

Brilliant.org gives you three offers:

• It is available every month for $24.99 a month.
• Alternatively, you can purchase an annual membership for $149.88, which comes out to $12.49 per month (saving just over 50%). This works out to less than 40 cents every day, which is far less than the price of a cup of coffee.
• An yearly group subscription (3+ people) for $299.88 per year. The group subscription will provide each individual user independent access to the Brilliant Premium account.

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Remember that new content is provided daily to keep you engaged and learning. If the benefits and drawbacks we discussed above seem appealing (e.g., superb learning experience and course design, interesting problem solving, seamless cross-platform experience, etc.), then upgrading to premium is well worth the cost. A yearly membership will cost you around $150 in total, or closer to $120 if purchased during one of Brilliant’s 20%-off deals. We suggest the yearly plan over the monthly membership, which costs $25 per month (a total of $300 for the year). 

Brilliant.org Review – FAQs

What is the price of Brilliant?

Brilliant membership costs $24.99 per month, while a yearly membership costs $149.88 ($12.49 per month savings of over 50%). A group of three members will get the price of $299.88 per year. 

Is there a refund policy at Brilliant?

No, Brilliant does not have a refund policy. However, if you email support@brilliant.org, they will examine your request on an individual basis.

What is the total number of courses available on Brilliant?

Brilliant has approximately 60 courses accessible, and new issues are uploaded daily.

Is Brilliant.org Free? 

Yes, Brilliant provides a 7-day free trial.

Brilliant.org Review – My advice to you 

If you are still unsure about Brilliant, we will recommend you to sign up for a 7-day free Brilliant.org account to gain access to daily challenge issues as well as the introductory lessons for each of Brilliant’s 60+ courses. The daily challenge problems help keep your abilities strong and pick up some new knowledge on the side.

The image below is what you’ll see if you try to view a course using Brilliant’s free application. You have access to the first introductory lessons of a particular class, but not the more meaty sessions.

However, I still recommend you to get the 7-day free trial to experience the lessons and challenges from Brilliant.org and decide if you want to get a full membership.

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Refund Policy

Brilliant does not have a return policy, but they would consider specific requests if you email support@brilliant.org. Furthermore, because there is a free trial, you may try the risk-free product. 

Brilliant.org Review – Is Brilliant.org worth purchasing?

I appreciate your patience till the end of this Brilliant.org Review. 

Brilliant provides carefully chosen, short, snappy interactive courses that help students develop abilities in a range of real-world scenarios. The topics addressed are diverse, and the teaching style is enjoyable, participatory, and increasingly demanding. STEM subjects that might be dry and abstract, now comes to life in front of your eyes in a captivating and entertaining way. And errors are parts of the learning process, which helps to develop confidence and perseverance.

Aren’t you looking for yourself or your children to learn and grow?

Try the free daily challenges – if you enjoy them, you can sign up for a 7-day free trial. And if you fall in love with Brilliant, you can subscribe for less than 40c a day – what do you have to lose?

To me, Brilliant.org brought a great experience with its challenges and interest quizzes. I have to admit that all of us need to study and practice to be better every day. Furthermore, this review may help my friend – Catherine to make her decision to supplement her children’s courses with intriguing quizzes from Brilliant.org. 

I hope you found this Brilliant.org Review helpful for you to make your decision confidently. If you have any comments or wish to share your experience, please leave them in the space below! We would appreciate hearing from you. We hope to see you again in our next posts.

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