What are the options on the registration form for tutoring?

In-Person Individual Tutoring: We offer in-person individual tutoring in the greater Columbus, Ohio area. We meet students in public locations, such as libraries. Individual tutoring is $90/hour with an Associate Tutor and $180/hour with Brian.

Online Individual Tutoring: Online tutoring offers maximum scheduling flexibility and convenience. Using the latest video conferencing and shared whiteboard technology, we replicate the in-person tutoring experience with students across town or across the globe. Individual tutoring is $90/hour with an Associate Tutor and $180/hour with Brian.

In-Person Small Group Tutoring – 2 Students: Must already have group members. In-person small group tutoring is offered in the greater Columbus, OH area. We meet students in public locations, such as libraries. Small group tutoring with two students is $63/student/hour with an Associate Tutor and $126/student/hour with Brian. We do not match students in groups. For groups of more than two students, please email us for a quote.

Online Small Group Tutoring – 2 Students: Must already have group members. Online tutoring offers maximum scheduling flexibility and convenience. Using the latest video conferencing and shared whiteboard technology, we replicate the in-person tutoring experience. Individual tutoring is $63/student/hour with an Associate Tutor and $126/student/hour with Brian. We do not match students in groups. For groups of more than two students, please email us for a quote.

How do I register for tutoring?

Use our secure online registration form found on this link: https://bwseducationconsulting.mypaysimple.com/s/bws-education-consulting-tutoring-registration. For all options, please leave the quantity at 1.

How much is the tutoring per hour?

Tutoring with one of our associate tutors is currently $90 per hour, and tutoring with Brian Stewart is currently $180 per hour.

What if we want to work in a group of two students?

Associate tutors can work with pairs of students, and would charge each student $63 per hour ($126 total for the hour for both students). Brian can work with pairs of students, and would charge each student $126 per hour. ($252 total for the hour for both students).

How do I login for online tutoring with the Socrates platform?

Using the login information you received in an email, go to this link:

Log in to your Socrates online account

Do you have a list of students who would like to join my child in a small group session?

We do not have students waiting to join with others in a small group. If you form a small group, we can create a customized tutoring package for you. Students should have similar ability levels and goals.

How many hours of tutoring do you recommend?

Students should generally do approximately 10-30 hours of tutoring prior to a major test like the ACT or SAT depending on their personal situation. Students with ambitious goals often like to schedule weekly meetings over the course of several months. Academic tutoring in math, science and writing can be done on a regular basis—students often meet weekly. We do not do long-term contracts, so if a student needs more or less tutoring, we are very flexible.

How long should a tutoring session be?

Tutoring sessions that are between 1-2 hours are most effective. Less than an hour is not enough time to go in-depth, and after 2 hours, most students lose focus.

What if my child has a busy schedule and we need certain dates/times/locations?

We strongly advise you to schedule as far in advance as possible. Tutors typically fill up the weeks before a test. The more flexible you can be with your schedule and location, the more likely we can accommodate you. For students who need a flexible option, online tutoring via our Socrates online learning platform can work quite well.

Should my child take a class or do individual tutoring for the SAT or ACT?

Either or both can be beneficial. Tutoring is at a higher per-hour instructional rate, but the teaching will be much more customized to your child’s needs and can fit in your child’s schedule. Tutoring is also better for students with more unique learning needs and who are able to complete homework independently. Group classes represent a better value for students who want in-depth reviews of the content and strategies for the tests. Group classes are also preferable for students who do better in the structure of a class. Often, students begin with a group class and follow up with individual tutoring to focus on their unique situation.

What is covered in your classes?

We cover educational content and test-taking strategies for the ACT and SAT. For more information, please read about our group classes for the ACT and SAT/PSAT from the menu above.

What is your tutoring method?

Please read about our tutoring method and educational philosophy here.

What can I expect in an initial tutoring session?

Prior to meeting a student, it is difficult to say precisely what we will cover because each student is different and we customize our instruction based on the needs of each person. An initial tutoring session for the ACT or SAT may look like this: We will begin with a dialogue about where the student is at based upon their past test score report(s). Next, we will ask the student to tell us about their testing experience (what went well vs. what gave them the most difficulty), their past math and science classes, and their learning style. Then, the student and the tutor will co-construct a game plan for tutoring going forward based upon their testing goals. After our plan is created, we begin working through content (using prep books) by prioritizing the sections the student wants to work on most.

How do we get started?

Please visit our Contact Us page and get in touch. The earlier you contact us and the more flexible you can be with dates, times and locations, the more likely we will be able to accommodate you.

I signed up for tutoring, and I am still waiting to hear from someone. What should I do?

After successful completion of the tutoring registration, make sure your registration was received by checking for an emailed receipt. When you register for tutoring, we carefully evaluate your registration information so that we can match you with the best tutor for your overall situation. After registering, you should receive an initial email from your tutor within three business days. If you do not, please check your junk mail folder to make sure the email was not marked as spam. If you have waited more than three business days with no response, please let us know.

My child has to miss part of a class—can he or she make it up later?

Please email us for a quote with the particulars of your situation and we can do our best to accommodate you. If you let us know well in advance, we can often make something work.

What does my child need to bring to a tutoring session?

Depending on the test, we recommend Brian’s Barron’s ACT Guide and The Official ACT Prep Guide or Brian’s Barron’s SAT and The Official SAT Study Guide. For academic tutoring, please bring your class materials: textbook, worksheets, notes, and past tests.

Do you tutor students from out of town?

Absolutely—we have worked with many students from across Ohio and beyond. Some students come to Columbus for one of our classes, but many choose to meet us online via our Socrates online learning platform or using Zoom. We are able to share screens with students using our Bamboo Tablets and Screen-sharing features, so online tutoring is about as close to meeting a tutor in person as you can get.

Would only 1 or 2 hours of tutoring be worth it?

Yes. While we are of course able to have more of an impact if we can meet with a student for a longer period of time, we have been able to help students quite a bit in short time periods. A shorter time period can make quite a bit of sense for students with weaknesses in a single area, or students whose main obstacle is test anxiety rather than test content.

My child already took one of your classes—will he or she benefit from additional individual tutoring, or taking another class?

All of our classes use different materials and have different areas of emphasis. The classes can all be done independently or as part of a sequence. If a student has already completed a Basic Class, the Advanced could make sense. If a student has already done a class or two, tutoring can be a great way to continue in-depth preparation.

How do payments work?

When you register, you provide us payment information, and we charge a small registration fee (applicable as a credit towards tutoring). Once a week we bill your account for the time your child has tutored. (This will probably not be on the same day that your child was tutored.) The time is based on a sign-in sheet that both the tutor and you or your child sign. If you need to cancel or reschedule a session, we require at least 24 hours notice or we will charge for the entirety of the scheduled session.

How do I manage my PaySimple account or change my billing information?

If you created an account, you can log in here:

https://payments.paysimple.com/PaySimple/Login/Buyer/31314.

Do you have a score improvement guarantee? How much can my child expect to improve?

What we guarantee is this: we will give our students all of the energy and test preparation expertise that we have so that when they walk into that test room they will have the confidence in their strategies and abilities to do the best they can on their high-stakes assessment. Students with more extensive preparation, higher motivation, and fewer outside distractions are more likely to improve. That being said, we have documented average score improvements in our 4 hour ACT Turbo Workshop of 2 points (based on direct feedback from guidance counselors of the schools who tabulated before and after results on actual ACTs). This is far, far above what the National Association for College Admission Counseling has found as the average impact of test prep in general:

“Over the past 10 years evidence has emerged from three large-scale evaluations of coaching that point to a consensus position about its average effects on admission exams. This consensus is as follows: Coaching has a positive effect on SAT performance, but the magnitude of the effect is small. The effect of coaching is larger on the math section of the exam (10–20 points) than it is for the critical reading section (5–10 points). There is mixed evidence with respect to the effect of coaching on ACT performance. Only two studies have been conducted. The most recent evidence indicates that only private tutoring has a small effect of .4 points on the math section of the exam.”

National Association for College Admission Counseling

Do you have any partners you would recommend for additional services?

At The Core was founded by my colleague, Beth Probst, to help students with self assessment, career exploration, and educational path planning as they prepare to make the decisions that surround their journey through middle and high school to college and their future. Their free weekly newsletter is a valuable resource for parents: www.gettingatthecore.com

My colleague Joe Messinger is a Certified Financial Planner who has a great blog on college financing: www.capstonewealthpartners.com/blog/.

Keystone College Planning, founded by my colleague Ryan Fleming, provides holistic college planning and financial advisory services to help parents plan and pay for college. They guide students throughout the financial aid and admissions process, and assist parents with developing a customized plan to pay for college and prepare for retirement. You can learn more at: http://keystonecollegeplan.com.  

My colleague Dr. Julie Taylor Henzel offers a wide array of mental health and evaluation services to teens and children.  She specializes in the evaluation and treatment of Autism and ADHD and brings two decades of experience working in educational and clinical settings. Her services include therapy, evaluation/testing, and educational consultation for ages 3-25. You can learn more at https://www.neuroconverge.net/