Services & Policies

Recommended Lesson Duration:  For most students, my recommended lesson length for private tutoring is 1 hour (60 minutes).  However, I also offer lessons that are 30 minutes and 90 minutes in length.

For my group courses, I recommend 1.5-hour classes for groups of 2 students, 2-hour classes for groups of 3-5 students, and 2.5-hour classes for groups of 6-8 students.   (As a general rule, the more students in the class, the longer the session needs to be to cover the same amount of material.)

Location:  All lessons are now conducted exclusively online via Zoom, Skype, FaceTime, phone, or the chat application of your choice.  (I recommend Zoom due to its online whiteboard capabilities.)

Scheduling:  I try to be as flexible as possible when it comes to lesson times.  I understand that many students have very busy schedules, and am happy to accommodate each student's needs.  I schedule lessons on a first-come, first-serve basis, and am available for lessons Monday-Thursday, 9 am to 7 pm MT and Sundays 10 am - 4pm MT.  (I keep a shorter schedule in the summer.)

Payment:   Although I never require that you buy more than one lesson at a time, all lessons must be paid for in advance.  I accept all major credit cards, PayPal, Venmo, Zelle, Wise (for international payments) and personal check.  I also offer up-front package discounts: for every 5 hours of tutoring you purchase, you will receive approximately 5% off the total cost of tutoring, all the way up to 25% off for 25 hours.  Pre-paid packages are not refundable.

Rate Changes and Notifications:  I will honor your original rate for as long as you need tutoring, even if I have since raised my rate.  If you ever discover an error in your billing, then I will be happy to adjust your account accordingly.

Study Materials: An extensive folder of digital preparation materials (including official tests and other materials not publicly available anywhere) will be shared with all private clients.  This large folder of PDFs serves as the source of most homework assignments and practice exams.

I am available during business hours to answer any other questions you may have.  You can email me directly at mcelroy@post.harvard.edu, call me toll-free at 866-584-8886, extension 4, or call/text me directly at 619-889-2935.