Tutoring FAQs
- What subjects and exams do your tutorials cover?
- How long should a tutorial last?
- How important are standardized exam scores?
- What distinguishes your tutorials from those at other companies?
- Do you train your tutors?
- How long do the individual sessions last?
- How much homework do the tutors assign?
- Is the tutoring all done one-on-one?
- Where do the tutorials take place?
- Why do your tutorials cost less than those at other companies?
- Sounds great! How do I sign up?
What subjects and exams do your tutorials cover?
We offer tutoring for all high-school and college subjects, all standardized exams and admissions counseling. These include, but are not limited to:
| High School | College & Beyond | |
|---|---|---|
| Exams: | SAT | GRE |
| ACT | GMAT | |
| PSAT | MCAT | |
| AP | LSAT | |
| SAT Subject | CBEST | |
| GRE Subject |
Subjects:
- Verbal (Reading Comprehension, English, Expository Writing, Creative Writing, Literary Analysis, Public Speaking,etc...)
- Mathematics (General, Algebra I & II, Geometry, Trigonometry, Statistics, Calculus, Multi-variate Calculus
- Sciences (Astronomy, Environmental Biology, Molecular Biology, Chemistry, Organic Chemistry, Physics)
- Social Sciences (Sociology, Psychology, Economics)
- Philosophy
- History
- Business (Accounting, Marketing)
How long should a tutorial last?
Tutoring packages come in different sizes. At Swyft Learning, we promise you that we will never encourage you to purchase anything you or your child do not need. That said, we understand that you will no doubt need to budget accordingly for your tutoring. You should thus keep in mind the following time frames:
- High School Courses:
- Usually last the entire academic year, with material building from one week until the next. Tutorials for these courses tend to last longer and typically emphasize homework, concept review and final exam preparation.
- College Courses:
- Usually last 10 to 15 weeks, depending on the institution, and are typically much more focused and fast-paced. For this reason, these tutorials tend to be shorter and more intense.
- PSAT, SAT, GRE & GMAT exams:
- Usually demand at least eight weeks of preparation. Ideally, of course, 10-14 weeks is even better. Students typically need this much time in order to fully integrate the appropriate strategies techniques into their test-taking approach.
- That said, tutorials longer than 14 weeks often prove detrimental, since many students experience a decline in their practice scores and motivation levels after they reach their “plateau.” This has nothing to do with a student’s intelligence or dedication, but rather with the psychology of long-term test-preparation. Any company that urges you to enroll in a year’s worth of test-preparation is thus not interested in your success, but rather their own.
- LSAT, MCAT and GRE Subject exams:
- Demand a more intensive commitment than other standardized tests. While preparation can take place in the 8-14 week period, it usually requires many more hours per week. In the case of the MCAT, for example, students must learn not just a copious amount of raw data, but also the laws and mathematics inherent to the biological, chemical and physical sciences. Students thus often take extra time to prepare.
- As discussed above, however, most students eventually experience a decline in their practice scores and motivation levels after they reach their “plateau.” This usually occurs between weeks 15-20. This has nothing to do with a student’s intelligence or dedication, but rather with the psychology of long-term test-preparation. Any company that urges you to enroll in a year’s worth of test-preparation is thus not interested in your success, but rather their own.
How important are standardized exam scores?
We won’t lie. They are very important, especially since the college and graduate admissions processes have become so competitive in the last decade. SAT, GRE, GMAT and MCAT scores, to name just a few, have increasingly become “go to” indicators of a student’s potential. Many schools, despite their official claims, still use scores as a baseline cut-off for applicants.
Luckily, of course, tests like the SAT and GRE are exceptionally teachable tests. A properly trained tutor can help you or your loved one achieve a higher score by providing a rigorous tutorial that covers not just the integral information, but also test-taking techniques, motivational strategies and learning style tips.
What distinguishes your tutorials from those at other companies?
Every student has unique needs. Unlike other companies that demand tutors follow a rigid curriculum, we thus encourage our teachers to adapt their materials, custom-tailoring their approach for each student.
Only the best teachers, of course, have the skills to do this, which is why Swyft Learning only selects the most qualified applicants to join our network of tutors and instructors. Selected from thousands of applicants, the members of our team may come from diverse backgrounds, but they all have something in common: experience, expertise and a passion for education.
Indeed, almost all of our employees have advanced degrees or are pursuing them; in addition, we only hire instructors with previous teaching or tutoring experience. This, when combined with our training program, ensures that every tutor has the skills to confidently teach students.
Apart from the quality of our instructors, Swyft Learning also boasts considerable resources, curricular frameworks and a committed no-nonsense administrative staff. When students enroll in tutoring services, they also gain access to the Swyft Online Learning Center, a portal to additional resources and materials.
Do you train your tutors?
Yes! We consider our tutors and instructors our greatest asset, which is why we devote so much time to selecting and training them. When a tutor joins the Swyft Team, they participate in an extensive training program that teaches them how to merge their knowledge and expertise with Swyft’s learning priorities, code of ethics, and pedagological approach.
We teach every tutor how to adapt their materials to the strengths and weaknesses of any student they might encounter. Throughout the training, we thus emphasize the fundamentals of educational psychology, in particular learning style assessment and motivational thinking.
How long do the individual sessions last?
Tutoring sessions usually last 1.5 to 2 hours, though we can also arrange longer or shorter sessions in certain cases. Experience has taught us that tutors need this much time to cover the necessary material, especially since it usually takes students fifteen to twenty minutes to “switch mental gears.” This is especially true for SAT, GRE and other test-preparation tutorials, since most students do not practice these specific thinking and learning strategies in everyday life.
How much homework do the tutors assign?
In our experience, most students receiving tutoring are already overwhelmed with work. Carelessly adding to this workload often produces resentment between student and tutor when the assignments are not completed. For those students receiving assistance on a high-school or college course, we thus advise our tutors to give no more than an hour’s worth of homework, if at all. We also train our tutors to assign homework that overlaps with the student’s own projects, thus ensuring that they develop a deeper appreciation of their school work (and better grades).
When it comes to test-preparation, on the other hand, tutors typically assign students very focused homework assignments that might include vocabulary review or sample questions. Excluding practice exams, the time required for this homework can range anywhere from 2 hours between sessions (for the SAT) to 15 hours (for the MCAT).
Is the tutoring all done one-on-one?
Most tutorials are done one-on-one. While tutorials can be arranged for multiple students, we have often found that instruction occurs best when a tutor can respond to the needs of just one individual. All it takes is one student who really understands one concept and one student who really doesn’t to throw off the small group dynamic. That said, small groups populated by similarly scoring students can prove extremely effective, so please contact us if you’d like to arrange a small group as we consider them on a case-by-case basis.
Where do the tutorials take place?
We prefer that tutorials with high school students take place at the student’s home, and that those with college-age and older students take place in public places such as university campuses.
Since most of our tutorials take place in the Los Angeles area, we understand the difficulties posed by both traffic and expensive gas. With that in mind, we prefer to match students up with tutors who live or work near them so that neither have to drive far.
Why do your tutorials cost less than those at other companies?
Our tutorials cost less than those at companies such as Kaplan or Princeton Review because we know tutoring and test-preparation don’t have to wipe out your bank account, especially if you’re a college student working multiple jobs just to make ends meet. We also know that most companies overcharge their clients. Companies such as Kaplan and Princeton Review take advantage of our inherent belief that the higher the price tag, the higher the value. This, however, is not always the case.
At Swyft, we are able to charge less because of how we have structured our company. Unlike larger companies that must contend with the overhead resulting from renting commercial space, staging national advertising campaigns or paying multi-million dollar executives, Swyft can afford to provide students with top-notch instructors. As you can see here (rate sheet), we charge based on the tutor’s qualifications, with each tutor making more based on those qualifications.
Sounds great! How do I sign up?
We would love to connect you with someone from our network of experienced and professional tutors and instructors. For more information or to schedule an initial phone consultation, call 310.869.1573 or email info@swyftlearning.com.
If you already know what kind of tutorial package you'd like to purchase, feel free to click the Enroll Now! link below. We look forward to serving you!
