Tutoring can be really helpful for students, but it can be even more beneficial when the student prepares themselves for the session.

When a student shows up to a tutoring session with the expectation that the tutor is there to do their homework for them, the student won’t learn a thing and the session will be all for nothing.

Here are 5 simple things students should be doing before a tutoring session to get the most out of their time.

Read the chapters

Believe it or not but knowing what material you’ll be discussing in a tutoring session is going to help students by leaps and bounds.

Set time aside to actually read the chapter you’re currently going over in class. Prepare yourself to have a basic understanding of the material, then, a tutor can help fill in any gaps that lectures or professors may have missed.

Set aside time and read the chapter. Trust us, you’ll be better prepared. Not to mention, you’ll likely have a better understanding of the material.

Look over the homework prior to meeting with a tutor

Don’t just expect the tutor to tell you what the homework is. Do your part! Go over the homework by yourself before meeting with a tutor and see if there are any problems you can take a stab at yourself.

Even if you can only get through part of the problem, that’s great! It helps give the tutor an idea of where your understanding stops and where they can pick up and help you.

It may seem daunting, but try it yourself first, see if you can figure it out with the knowledge you learned in class and from your reading.

Write down questions

As you look over your homework or go through your reading, jot down any questions or concepts that don’t make sense to you.

You may think you’ll remember your question later when you meet with your tutor, but trust us, it’s best to just write it down. 

If you don’t have specific questions, you can write down concepts that are confusing to you. This will give the tutor a good starting point and they can better know how to help you.

Saying something like ‘I don’t get it’ is way too vague for tutors. They need a starting point to gauge your understanding so they can better help you.

Choose Your Problem

You and the tutor likely won’t have time to go over every single problem on the homework. It’s a good idea to pick only a few different problems to look at with a tutor.

Try picking problems that have different concepts behind them. That way, you can go back and look at how you solved a problem when you’re stuck on one similar to it.

Once the tutor has shown you how to do one problem, try solving a similar one with the tutor there as a guide but you explain the process to them. This will help ensure you’re grasping the concept and fully understand how to do the problem.

Be ready to take notes

Have your notebook and writing utensil ready to work when you meet with a tutor. If you take good notes, you’ll have a great reference to go back to for studying and completing other homework assignments. 

Don’t forget to write notes in the margins of the homework assignment too. Doing this can help you remember how to solve different problems and the process you went through with the tutor to get to the solution. 

Bonus Tip: For Teachers

As a teacher, it’s not a bad idea to have a network of tutors to suggest to your students when they are ready to get help. Do some research to find tutors that have a wide range of knowledge they can offer to your students.