Impact Stories

Understanding Over Memorizing: Aarjav's Advanced Score on the Grade 3 Ohio Math Test 2026

Cuemath

30 Jun 2026 — 3 min read

Aarjav, Grade 3 Ohio State Math Test Advanced score, Cuemath, US

Aarjav does not just want the answer in math. He wants to know why it works.

That habit recently paid off for Aarjav, a Grade 3 student in Ohio, US, who scored 818 on his Ohio State Test in math, reaching Advanced, the highest of the test's five performance levels. Behind that result is his Cuemath tutor, Neha Jain. Through weekly online math tutoring, she taught him to chase the "why" behind every problem rather than memorize the steps.

Meet Aarjav

Grade: 3
Country: US (Ohio)
Tutor: Neha Jain
Ohio State Test, Grade 3 Math: 818, Advanced (highest of 5 levels)
Category Ratings: Above Proficient in all 5 areas

Aarjav came to Cuemath from a Montessori classroom, where curiosity and independent thinking were the whole point, and his parents wanted to keep that spark alive. It is a real worry for the parent of a curious child: somewhere in the early grades, math can quietly turn into a race to memorize steps, and the questions that make it fun get left behind.

Neha Jain taught the opposite way. Instead of handing Aarjav steps to copy, she let him wrestle with each new idea until it clicked into place on its own. That patient, why-first approach turned hard concepts into moments Aarjav could own, the quiet satisfaction of a child who has just worked something out for himself.

"I still remember my first class with Arjav, a very enthusiastic child, and with having so much curiosity about how things work in Maths, I could see that sparkle in his eyes, his hunger to learn more keeps me highly motivated. He’s a gifted child with great ability for logical thinking . Every time we learn something new,, He’ll say that , This makes sense now …and that shows I have succeeded as a teacher. His smile and continue effort to learn challenging concepts set him apart from other students, I can see him doing really well in Maths and becoming a Math Fit child."

~ NEHA JAIN, CUEMATH TUTOR

Ohio's State Test is the state's yearly measure of how well a student has mastered 3rd grade math, sorting scores into five levels with Advanced at the top. Aarjav did not just reach it; he cleared it with room to spare, scoring well above the averages for his school, his district, and the state, and earning an Above Proficient rating in every area the test covers, from fractions and geometry to multiplication, division, and reasoning.

"Aarjav has been learning with Cuemath for some time now, and it has been a wonderful experience. Coming from a Montessori background, he was fortunate to have teachers who encouraged curiosity, independent thinking, and a love for learning. As parents, we wanted to continue nurturing those qualities, and Cuemath has been a perfect fit.

Ms. Neha Jain is an exceptional teacher who makes math engaging, approachable, and enjoyable. She explains concepts clearly, encourages logical thinking, and helps students understand the “why” behind the solution rather than simply memorizing steps. Her patient and encouraging approach has helped Aarjav become more confident in tackling challenging problems and thinking through them independently.

What we appreciate most is that Cuemath focuses on building strong problem-solving skills and a deep understanding of concepts. We have seen noticeable growth in Aarjav’s confidence, mathematical reasoning, and willingness to take on new challenges. Most importantly, his curiosity and enthusiasm for learning continue to thrive.

We are truly grateful to Ms. Neha Jain for her guidance, support, and dedication. She has played an important role in helping Aarjav grow not only in math but also as a confident learner."

~ AARJAV'S PARENT

Aarjav will probably forget his exact score before long. What stays with him is the way he got there, asking “why” until a concept makes sense and trusting himself to work a hard problem out rather than memorize his way past it. That is what being MathFit looks like in a Grade 3 student: a curious child who understands why the math works and trusts himself to find out. Curiosity like that is easiest to protect early, before school has a chance to trade it for memorized steps.