Free help · Forums & discussions
Ask economics &
econometrics questions
Free economics, econometrics and mathematics learning resources, plus links to Dr Nicky Grant's academic profiles, teaching materials and research.
Econometrics & statistics
Where to ask
technical questions
r/econometrics
Reddit's most active econometrics community. Good for OLS, IV, time series, panel data, ARMA, GMM, R and Stata questions. Students, practitioners, and researchers all active. Dr Grant answers questions here.
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Cross Validated (Stack Exchange)
High-quality Q&A. Answers are cited and voted. Best for rigorous statistical questions where you need a verifiable answer with sources. Strong on regression, hypothesis testing, time series, machine learning.
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Economics Stack Exchange
Economic theory and empirical methods. Good for microeconomics, macro, game theory, and applied econometrics questions where the economic context matters as much as the statistics.
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r/statistics
Broader than econometrics, useful for probability, statistical inference, distributions, hypothesis testing, and questions that cross between statistics and econometrics.
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For complex or ongoing problems
Free 30-minute
initial consultation
Forums are good for single questions. If you are working through a dissertation, struggling with a whole topic, or preparing for exams, a direct conversation is more efficient. No charge, no commitment.
Book consultationA-Level & GCSE
For school students
and Oxbridge applicants
TheStudentRoom. A-Level Maths
The UK's largest student forum. The Maths board is active for A-Level Maths, Further Maths, GCSE questions. Exam board specific threads for OCR, Edexcel, AQA. Good for past paper help and checking working.
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TheStudentRoom. Oxbridge
Active threads on Oxford and Cambridge applications, interview experience, admissions tests (TMUA, PAT, TSA). Economics applicants share interview questions here.
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r/alevel
Reddit community for A-Level students. Good for subject choice advice, revision strategies, sharing resources, and specific exam questions. Active around exam season.
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r/6thForm
UK sixth form students. Broader than A-Level content. UCAS, personal statements, subject choices, university preparation. Active Oxbridge thread.
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Undergraduate economics
For university students
and graduates
r/AskEconomics
Moderated economics Q&A. Answers must be substantiated. Good for economic theory questions, policy analysis, and understanding empirical research. Undergraduate through postgraduate.
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r/GradSchool & r/EconPhD
Graduate school preparation, PhD applications, and postgraduate econometrics discussion. Useful for students considering research careers in economics or finance.
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TheStudentRoom. Economics
UK undergraduate economics discussion. Exam questions, degree choice, module advice, dissertation ideas. Active for university economics students.
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Mathematics Stack Exchange
For the mathematical aspects of economics: calculus, optimisation, linear algebra, proof-based questions. Useful for mathematical economics, constrained optimisation, and the maths behind econometric theory.
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Getting good answers
How to ask
a good question
Show your working, not just the answer you need
Forum members help most readily when they can see where your thinking went wrong. Paste your OLS output, show your regression equation, or write out the steps you've already tried, even if they're incorrect. "I get a negative R-squared but I don't know why" gets better answers than "how do I fix my regression."
Name the specific test or concept you're working on
Search terms matter. "Breusch-Godfrey test R" finds better resources than "serial correlation help." "Weak instruments F-statistic" is more searchable than "my IV isn't working." Naming things correctly also signals to knowledgeable responders that you've done the groundwork.
State the context: course level, software, data
An undergraduate time series question requires a different answer than a PhD dissertation question. Stata code looks different from R. A 50-observation dataset has different diagnostics than a 5000-row panel. Provide enough context that someone who doesn't know you can give a useful answer.
Still stuck after
asking the forum?
A free 30 minute consultation with Dr Grant will usually identify the problem faster than a forum thread. No commitment, no charge.