Work with THAT DUDE

Contact

Phone/Text: 614-TDKNOWS (614-835-6697)

Got questions or want to get started? Don't be shy!

One-on-One Tutoring Rates

Rates are $200/hour for admissions essay consulting and all tests other than SSAT, which is $120/hour.

What About Groups?

One-on-one tutoring is, by far, the most effective (SSAT Verbal might be the exception, as it is heavy on content knowledge and light on technique, strategy, and psychology). Each student is different and has different strengths and weaknesses. With a focus on learning to think like a test-taker and like a test-writer, the nuanced ways that different brains work really matters. If you have a strong preference for group sessions, we can talk details on a case-by-case basis. Shoot me a text (614-TD-KNOWS) or email (thatdude@thatdudeknows.com) with a number to reach you, and I'll call to discuss.

Payment and Cancellation Policies

Payment is due prior to the start of each session, ideally via either Venmo, Zelle, CashApp. If you prefer to provide a credit or debit card, that also works, and it will be charged after each session.
Sessions start on time every time. Apologies, but if you're late, session end time will not be extended, so you're only cheating yourself.
I make my living by selling my expertise and skill. And I do it by charging for my time. If I reserve a slot for you and then you cancel at the last minute or just don't show up, it means that I can't offer that slot to another student. So, if you cancel less than 48 hours before a session, I ask you to pay for it in full. Not fun, but fair.

Number and Frequency of Sessions

There's no requirement for number or frequency of sessions, and you can stop at any time.

Most students meet once per week and the most common number of sessions is around 6-7 sessions for either math or verbal and around 10-12 sessions for full-test. Both number and frequency of sessions can vary meaningfully depending on starting score, goal score, how hard you work between sessions, how well you do or don't know the underlying subject material for your test, how many weeks you have before your test, and how quickly you master what we cover.

If your budget only allows for one or two sessions, I'd be happy to work with you to accomplish as much as we can in the limited time. However, my honest opinion is that you'd likely be better off allocating those resources to a tutor who probably (definitely) isn't as good but charges less. What you'll lose in quality just might be compensated for by quantity.

Session Length

Sessions are almost always two hours. Exceptions are uncommon except for SSAT prep, for which 90 minutes sometimes feels like a better fit given student age.

Location/Platform

Sessions are via Zoom with cameras on and using a whiteboard app. If you're in Miami and prefer to meet in person at least some of the time, we can figure that out, but you'll need to either come to me (I have locations in Coconut Grove, Coral Gables, and Pinecrest where I meet students), be close enough that it makes sense for me to go to you, or make it worth my while to spend time in the car when I could be meeting with students.

Materials

Over the years, I've compiled a ton of practice questions for each test type that I think are the best examples for learning various content, techniques, strategies, tricks, traps, and psychologies. We'll sprinkle these in throughout our time together in addition to materials published by other sources.

Which books and/or online resources we use for tutoring depends on test, what you may have already tried using in the past, and your individual strengths and weaknesses. As a general rule, we will focus on questions published by the official source for each test type, as there's no substitute for questions written and edited by the same people who do it for the actual tests. However, we will generally not put much weight in the explanations these sources provide for how to arrive at correct answers since they are typically riddled with examples of doing things the hard, time-consuming way and generally do a terrible job of addressing the psychologies they exploit (after all, why would they give away their tricks?).

Scholarship Program

THAT DUDE KNOWS isn't cheap. If I could do it, tutoring would be free for anyone who puts in the work to make it rewarding to teach. Alas, this is my full-time job and I have to put food on the table, so while I do offer some deeply-discounted or even free tutoring, it's certainly the exception (maybe 2-3 students per year). Here's how it works. I lean heavily toward students in Miami, but if you can make a really strong case, I'll consider it if you're not local. I lean heavily toward students who can demonstrate that they've taken their education seriously in the past and have an eye on excellence going forward. I lean heavily toward students who have a track record of doing nice things for other people. I lean heavily toward students who are willing to study hard during months of the year that are less busy in the test prep world: April and May. I'm open to one-on-one or very small group. I absolutely must believe that there is a true lack of financial resources (three kids in private school, huge mortgage and car payments hanging over your head, and supporting an elderly parent at a high-end retirement home does not qualify as financial struggles, it means you have the luxury of choosing how to allocate resources...if you have resources, please don't be greedy and try to take one of the very limited slots by being deceptive about your finances). Oh, and the first time I get the sense that you're not busting your butt to study as much as possible, we're done; no second-chances. If you think I should pick you, shoot me an email to thatdude@thatdudeknows.com making your case and I'll let you know. Make the best case you can, touching on each topic mentioned above, in one concise email (this isn't an iterative process, so make your full pitch in the first email).