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StudyPoint/PrepNow Review Summary
StudyPoint and PrepNow offer in-home and online tutoring respectively. US-based tutors are paid $15-$23/hr to deliver 1v1 support in K-12 subjects, test prep and admissions. A Bachelor’s degree, 2 years’ experience, and 6 weekly hours are required, though prep/admin is unpaid and student numbers are inconsistent.
| Pay (per hour): | $15-$23 |
| Location / language requirements? | USA / English-speaking |
| Degree / diploma required? | Bachelor’s |
| Teaching certificate required? | No |
| Teaching experience required? | 2+ years |
| Student age (Adults/Children)? | K-12 children |
| Class size: | 1v1 |
| Minimum hours (per week): | 6 |
StudyPoint/PrepNow Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Options for both online and in-home tutoring
- Students are assigned long-term
- Training, curriculum and tutoring materials provided
- Performance-based annual raises
- Referral incentive scheme
Cons:
- Requires 2 years of teaching/tutoring experience
- Must commit to 6 prime hours a week for 4-6 months
- Pay not the highest
- Unpaid prep and admin time
- Not enough hours to make this a full-time opportunity
- Some lengthy 2-hour sessions
Are StudyPoint and PrepNow Legit?
StudyPoint was founded in 1999 and is the parent company of PrepNow, launched in 2011, with both being legitimate tutoring providers focusing on in-home and online tutoring respectively. They have helped over 50,000 families to date, and their legitimacy is underlined by being recognized as among the ‘50 Most Engaged Workplaces‘ in the US, included in the Inc. 5000 list of fastest-growing companies, and featured by national media including The New York Times and Bloomberg Businessweek.
Here is a video introduction to PrepNow tutoring:
Tutoring with PrepNow and StudyPoint
PrepNow online tutoring is accessible across the United States, while StudyPoint in-home tutoring serves 21 major cities. They specialize in 4 main subject areas:
- Test Prep: For all major high school and college entrance exams, including the ACT, PSAT, SAT, ISEE, SSAT, and AP Exams.
- Academic Tutoring: Subjects including Chemistry, Physics, Biology, Math, Spanish, French, homework help, study skills, academic writing, creative writing, and college essay coaching.
- Math Tutoring: Covering Elementary (K-5), 6th Grade, 7th Grade, 8th Grade, Pre-Algebra, Algebra, Algebra II, Geometry, Trigonometry, Precalculus, Calculus.
- Admissions Support: college essay coaching, and consulting for admission to colleges, private schools, and boarding schools.
Both PrepNow and StudyPoint tutoring is delivered to K-12 children one-on-one. Curriculum resources are provided, with the company creating all lessons and homework assignments, though tutors are expected to customize these materials to improve individual student outcomes.
Below is a video showing a PrepNow online tutoring session in action:
StudyPoint/PrepNow Tutor Salary
StudyPoint and PrepNow tutoring pay starts between US$15-$19 an hour, though qualified candidates with formal experience teaching or tutoring the SAT/ACT or specialist subjects such as math and science, may be eligible for higher rates up to $23. This only covers hours tutored, not any prep or admin time.
Annual evaluations offer opportunities for performance-based raises, while there is also a referral incentive scheme for every student or tutor you refer who signs up or is hired.
PrepNow/StudyPoint Hours and Schedule
StudyPoint and PrepNow both require a minimum tutoring commitment of at least 6 hours a week, scheduled during prime-time periods after school and on weekends:
- 3pm-9pm, Monday to Friday
- 9am-9pm, Saturday and Sunday
Beyond this, you are free to decide your own schedule, though the more flexibility you can offer the greater chance you will match more students’ availability. Students are assigned for the long-term, not just one-off sessions, so any rescheduling has to be done in agreement with them.
Most tutoring sessions last between 60, 90 and 120 minutes.
When setting their timetable, StudyPoint tutors additionally choose how far they are willing to travel, while PrepNow online tutors will have to consider time zones as their students may come from anywhere in the country.
PrepNow/StudyPoint Tutor Requirements
To become a tutor with either PrepNow or StudyPoint, you must meet these criteria:
- Have a minimum of 2 years of teaching and/or tutoring experience in your subject
- A strong academic background, with a Bachelor’s and/or Graduate degree from an accredited 4-year program (top-50 colleges or universities preferred)
- Achieved either a composite 28 on the ACT or a 650 on the SAT Math and SAT Verbal/CR
- Confidence tutoring ALL sections of the SAT/ACT including both verbal and math sections (i.e. algebra I, algebra II, geometry, and some trigonometry)
- Available to tutor at least 6 hours per week
- Can commit for at least 4-6 months
- Able to adapt proven methods to engage individual students with different learning styles
- A fun, engaging and energetic personality when instructing and helping students achieve their goals
- Responsive and effective communicator with colleagues, students, and parents
Being a certified teacher or current/former college professor/instructor is an advantage.
PrepNow tutors will also require their own computer with a high-speed internet connection, while StudyPoint tutors need reliable car access to be able to travel to students’ homes.
PrepNow/StudyPoint Application Process
- StudyPoint jobs for in-home tutoring are listed through the StudyPoint careers portal (filter the ‘Team’ menu to ‘StudyPoint In-Home Tutoring Positions’)
- Online PrepNow Tutoring jobs can also be found here (filter the ‘Team’ menu to ‘PrepNow Online Tutoring Positions’)
Click on the particular position you are interested in, and then within the job description select ‘Apply for this Job’. You will then submit a PrepNow or StudyPoint application form, including the following information:
- Upload resume/CV
- Full name
- Email address
- Phone number
- Current company (if applicable)
- How many years of teaching and/or tutoring experience do you have?
- Describe any teaching/tutoring experience not specified on your resume
- Do you feel confident tutoring the VERBAL sections of the SAT or ACT (including English grammar and reading comprehension)? (Test Prep only)
- Do you feel confident tutoring the MATH sections of the SAT or ACT (including algebra I, algebra II, geometry, trigonometry)? Explain in 2-3 sentences. (Test Prep only)
- Which levels of your subject are you confident tutoring? (other subjects)
- Do you have regular access to a car? (StudyPoint tutors only)
- What is the highest level of education you have attained?
- List College/University Attended for Undergrad.
- List Undergraduate Major(s)
- List Undergraduate Minor(s) (if applicable)
- List College/University attended for Graduate School (if applicable)
- List Major/Concentration for Graduate Program (if applicable)
- Are you a certified teacher? (This is NOT required) If so, please list the subjects/grades you are certified to teach.
- Please select the US State where you are located.
- What is your zip code?
- Why are you our next super tutor? Use 2-3 sentences to describe why you are our next super tutor.
- Are you willing to travel to students’ homes for in-person tutoring sessions? (StudyPoint tutors only)
- How did you hear about the position?
- Can you be contacted by text message?
- What is your preferred method of communication?
- Are you open to other opportunities?
- Additional information (e.g. cover letter)
You may apply to both PrepNow and StudyPoint (should your location and flexibility allow it). There is no non-compete, so you may also work for other tutoring companies concurrently.
PrepNow/StudyPoint Interview Questions
Prospective tutors will often go through a fairly-straightforward 2-stage interview process, involving an initial telephone screening followed by a mock lesson over Skype. These are questions that have previously been asked of StudyPoint and PrepNow candidates:
- Tell me about yourself.
- Why do you want this job?
- What is your tutoring experience?
- Why do you like tutoring?
- Tell me about your teaching style.
- How do you maintain focus from students?
- What are some strategies for motivating an unmotivated student?
- How might you teach [example ACT-style question]?
- Do you have any questions?
Successful hires will receive training in the company’s test prep curriculum, be assigned a manager and mentor, have access to resources, and the opportunity to attend peer-led workshops.
StudyPoint and PrepNow Reviews
The StudyPoint Glassdoor page gives the company an overall rating 4.2 out of 5, with 83% willing to recommend them (at the time of writing). Below is a summary of these StudyPoint tutoring reviews, which praise the management, responsiveness, and training, but with most complaints being about the pay and unpaid prep time:
Recent StudyPoint tutor reviews also mention how it can be difficult to get students:
There is a separate PrepNow Glassdoor page, with an average score of 3.7 out of 5 and similar recommendation rate of 82%. PrepNow tutoring reviews are fewer and not as recent but generally offer comparable comments, praising the supervisors, training and tutoring resources/materials, with the added flexibility of online working, but with the same criticisms about pay, unpaid duties, and waiting for students:
Conclusion – Are PrepNow and StudyPoint Good Tutoring Options?
StudyPoint and PrepNow are worth considering for tutors diversifying their options by building a portfolio of companies they can draw students from. They are well-established and support tutors with training, materials, and mentorship, however, the pay isn’t the highest and the number of students/hours can’t be relied upon. They will not provide you with a full-time job, and are best utilized as a part-time supplement or side hustle.
You can apply through the StudyPoint and PrepNow careers pages. Other test prep companies you might consider are PrepScholar and Revolution Prep.
A full list of other online teaching companies can be found here.
