RekenTest

Editors' ReviewDownload.com staffApril 9, 2012Let's be clear and up-front about RekenTest: It's a math test. Not only that, it's a math test you take deliberately, without anyone making you. That adds up to two important facts: 1) Your ability to think up excuses to get out of the test will be strained like never before; and 2) You'll learn math. This simple but effective freeware will see to that.RekenTest's ultrasimple interface opens in full-screen mode with an optional wizard. Unfortunately, the program only offers full-screen or fully minimized modes. The true full-screen, fully maximized mode showed our toolbar but couldn't be resized. When we clicked on the standard Restore Down or Minimize Window icons, the program minimized to a tiny, solid bar in the bottom left corner. We could drag this bar around the desktop but not resize it; we could only double-click it to restore the full window. Furthermore, clicking the program's taskbar icon didn't maximize a minimized window, it opened a new instance of RekenTest. We chose Start Session, which opened the program's wizard. We quickly set our preferences and started our session, which involved typing in the answers to a series of progressively harder problems of addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division (we started simple). When our session ended, RekenTest presented a summary of our results. We could pause and resume our lesson; however, we were unable to minimize the paused program's window at all and had to use the Show Desktop button to see the rest of our desktop. Not only that, but clicking on a program's taskbar icon also maximized RekenTest, though it didn't obscure the top window. RekenTest is fun to use and effective at helping you study math and as a quick brain tune-up in general. It's widely customizable, too. We understand the value of full-screen views for maintaining focus, but many people prefer to decide such things for themselves. While it's a bit clunky as software, RekenTest is certainly effective as a free math tutor and tester.