How do we set up science tutoring?
Please use our secure registration form to sign up for tutoring. (If you are registering using a mobile device, review the tutoring options on our FAQs page.) Based on your registration information, we will match you with the best tutor for your needs, schedule, and location. We also offer online science tutoring to students anywhere in the world. Please click here for extensive details about our online science tutoring.
How much is science tutoring?
Our hourly rate is currently $90 with one of our associate tutors.
What science subjects do we tutor?
We provide individual tutoring for the following science classes and science topics:
- Biology
- Chemistry
- Physics
- AP Chemistry
- AP Physics
- AP Biology
- ACT Science
- IB Biology
- IB Chemistry
- IB Physics
Who provides the science tutoring?
Please read our instructor biographies here. Our science tutors are the best in the area, some with degrees in engineering. They not only understand the material, but they know how to explain difficult concepts in a way that makes sense to students who are struggling.
What can we cover in a science tutoring session?
We customize our instruction based on your individual needs. Ultimately, we want to make sure you have the skills and confidence you need to excel on your school assignments and tests, as well as perform at the highest possible level on standardized science assessments. We often schedule weekly meetings with students where we can help them with the following activities:
- Studying for upcoming science tests
- Composing lab reports
- Completing science homework assignments
- Developing science projects
- Reviewing key science concepts for final exams and the ACT/SAT
- Working through practice AP and IB science problems
Where do our science tutors teach?
Our science tutors are available to meet students at a variety of locations throughout the Columbus, Ohio area. You and your tutor will determine the best place to meet, such as a library or a coffee shop. Students who are more easily distracted may prefer a library, and students who need to relax in order to think through the science problems may prefer a coffee shop. We have worked with students from Dublin, New Albany, Bexley, Upper Arlington, Hilliard, Worthington, Westerville, Powell, Grandview Heights, Granville, and Columbus, Ohio. For students who live farther away, or prefer maximum flexibility with scheduling, we are available for online science tutoring from the convenience of your home via our Socrates online learning platform. The more flexible you can be as far as times and locations, the more likely we will be able to accommodate you. Powell and other Delaware County families are welcome to meet us at a library in northern Franklin County, such as Dublin or Worthington, or to work with us online.
Why do many students struggle with science? How can our tutors make a difference?
- Students will not see a point in studying scientific material if they see it as being nothing more than a random collection of facts. We can help students see how the material they need to learn for a test relates to the big picture.
- Mathematics is the language of science. If students have difficulty with algebra, geometry, and trigonometry, physics will be nearly impossible to comprehend. Our tutors can remedy the weak areas from math that science teachers will not have time to review.
- Science, especially chemistry and physics, is sequential. If a student fails to grasp the fundamentals of balancing an equation or a free-body diagram, later material will be incomprehensible. We can make sure students are standing on a firm footing with the basics so they can be confident with more difficult concepts.
- Often, students know the material, but they can’t demonstrate their knowledge when it comes time for the big exam. We are specialists in test-taking strategy. We know the approaches that teachers and test-makers use when they are composing difficult test material, and we use this insight to empower struggling students.
- A science teacher might be doing a great job for many students in a class, but what if your child’s learning style doesn’t match the way a teacher teaches? That’s where we can help. No matter how your child prefers to learn, we can customize our instruction to teach him or her as effectively as possible.
Chemistry Tutoring
We tutor middle school physical science, high school chemistry, Honors Chemistry, AP Chemistry, IB Chemistry SL and HL, and college General Chemistry. We also work with some students in Organic Chemistry.
The topics that come up most often in our chemistry sessions are stoichiometry and mole conversions, gas laws, equilibrium, acid-base chemistry and titrations, thermochemistry, and electrochemistry. We help students write and revise lab reports. For AP and IB students, we work through released free-response questions so they know what the graders are looking for.
Our chemistry tutors’ backgrounds include pharmaceutical sciences, biology, and mechanical, nuclear, and civil engineering. All of them also tutor math, so when a chemistry problem is really an algebra problem, the same tutor can fix it. If math is the bigger issue, we may suggest Columbus math tutoring instead of or alongside chemistry.
Physics Tutoring
We tutor high school Physics, Honors Physics, AP Physics 1, AP Physics 2, AP Physics C (Mechanics and Electricity & Magnetism), IB Physics, and college physics.
Students who have always done well in science often struggle in physics because it requires a way of working through problems, not just knowing the material. We teach students to draw the situation, set up a free-body diagram, pick the right equation, and carry the units through the algebra. We also review the math that physics depends on, from trigonometry for vectors to the calculus in AP Physics C, and we practice AP free-response questions so students understand how the points are awarded.
Our physics tutors have backgrounds in mechanical and civil engineering, mathematics, and pharmaceutical sciences, and several of them tutor calculus, which matters once a student reaches AP Physics C or a college course.
Biology Tutoring
We tutor high school Biology, Honors Biology, AP Biology, IB Biology, Anatomy & Physiology, and college introductory biology.
Biology tests, and especially the AP and IB exams, ask how things work rather than what things are called, so our sessions concentrate on the processes: cellular respiration and photosynthesis, DNA replication and protein synthesis, genetics, natural selection, and the body systems covered in Anatomy & Physiology. We spend a lot of time on reading graphs and experimental data, since that is what AP and IB exams emphasize, and we practice AP Biology free-response questions using the College Board scoring guidelines.
Our biology tutors’ backgrounds include biology and biomedical sciences. Some are in graduate programs in veterinary medicine and pharmaceutical sciences, and some have done laboratory research, which helps when a student is stuck on a lab write-up or an experimental-design question.
Honors, AP and IB Science Support
We prepare students for the AP Chemistry, AP Physics 1, AP Physics 2, AP Physics C, and AP Biology exams and for IB Chemistry, Physics, and Biology, and we support their coursework during the year. Classroom support follows the teacher’s syllabus and the next test. Exam prep works backward from the released exams, so we spend more time on free-response technique, timing, and how the College Board and IB award points. Students in these courses usually meet with us weekly during the school year, and some add sessions in the spring to review for the exam. We do not require long-term contracts, so a student can do more or less tutoring as the year goes on.
Where We Meet
We meet science students in person across Columbus and Franklin County, most often in Dublin, Upper Arlington, Bexley, New Albany, Worthington, Hilliard, and Grandview Heights. Our tutors have worked with students from Dublin City Schools (Jerome, Coffman, and Scioto), Upper Arlington High School, Bexley High School, New Albany High School, Worthington Kilbourne and Thomas Worthington, Hilliard, Grandview Heights, Columbus School for Girls, Columbus Academy, Wellington, St. Charles, and Bishop Watterson.
Sessions usually take place at a library branch (Dublin, Upper Arlington Tremont and Lane Road, Bexley, New Albany, Worthington, Hilliard) or at a coffee shop. Families in Powell, Lewis Center, and elsewhere in Delaware County, including Olentangy students, are welcome to meet their tutor at the Dublin or Worthington library, or to choose online tutoring through our Socrates platform. The same tutors teach both ways. You can read about our tutors on the staff page.
Science Tutoring FAQ
How much does science tutoring cost? Science tutoring is $90 per hour with one of our associate tutors and $200 per hour with Brian Stewart. There is a small registration fee that is credited toward your tutoring, and there are no long-term contracts.
How are tutors matched? When you fill out our registration form, we match your student with a tutor based on the course, the student’s needs, your schedule, and your location. You should hear from your tutor within three business days.
Can my student get help with lab reports? Yes. Lab reports are one of the most common reasons families contact us for chemistry and biology help. We help students organize their data, analyze error, and write a clear discussion section. The work remains the student’s own.
Do you tutor college students? Yes. We work with college students in General Chemistry, introductory physics, and introductory biology, and with some students in Organic Chemistry, both during the school year and when students are home for the summer.
Is online science tutoring as effective as in person? For most students, yes. Our Socrates platform includes video conferencing and a shared whiteboard, so the tutor can work through problems with your student just as they would at a library table. Which format works better is an individual choice: some students focus best in a quiet room at home, away from the distractions of a public meeting place, while others do better with a tutor across the table. Many families use a mix of both.
Register for Science Tutoring
To get started, complete our secure registration form, and we will match your student with a science tutor. Many of our science students also work with us on test prep; see our Columbus SAT tutoring and Columbus ACT tutoring pages.