It depends. If your child is preparing all sections of standardized test (like the SAT or ACT), they’ll likely meet once a week for 90 minutes. If your child has a separate tutor for the Verbal and Math/Science sections, they will likely meet twice a week for 60 minutes. For academic support, the tutor will coordinate with you to determine a schedule that makes sense. In all cases, Private Prep tutors will tailor the schedule and frequency of their meetings to your child’s individual needs.

In most cases, our tutors will come to your home to work with your child or work with them at one of our offices. Your child can also meet with their tutor at a mutually agreed upon spot (such as a library or quiet coffee shop) or online via video conference and a shared screen!

If a Private Prep tutor is coming to your home to work with your child, we request that you, or another adult over the age of 18, be present in the house and that the tutoring takes place in an open space in the house. That said, we tend to find that students get distracted when a parent is in the actual room in which the tutoring session is occurring. Your child’s tutor will likely set aside some time at the beginning and end of each session to check in with you and your child (especially early on), at which point you can ask any questions you may have. Tutors will also write lesson summaries detailing what happens in each lesson so that you are kept in the loop.

As often as you feel is necessary. At Private Prep, we value open lines of communication, so you’re always welcome to check in with your child’s tutor in between sessions. You’ll receive written lesson summaries after each session, detailing the work that your child completed (as well as any homework the tutor has assigned). If you have any questions specifically about the work done in session, don’t hesitate to reach out to your child’s tutor. For any other questions, your director will be your best point of contact. Your child’s tutor will also be in constant communication with your director.

We pride ourselves on hiring dynamic, personable tutors who are capable of working with a wide range of student types. That said, we recognize that sometimes a student simply won’t connect well with a particular tutor. If you have any questions or concerns, you can reach out to your director to discuss whether a re-assignment is necessary.

We approach tutoring as a multi-level partnership between you, your child, your child’s tutor, and Private Prep’s support systems. Collaborate and help your tutor challenge and drive your child. Many students will be self-motivated, but some will need a little extra help from you to stay on task. It can be daunting for a student to add another time commitment to their already hectic schedules, so they’ll likely need some positive reinforcement. You can always check with your child’s tutor if you have questions about how best you can help in any given situation.