McGill Graduate Offering Tutoring for Math and the SAT

Andrew X.

Hey everyone! My name is Andrew, and I'm a 2024 McGill University graduate with a degree in Economics and Mathematics. I've spent many years tutoring students in Mathematics and test prep, with a particular focus on the SAT; I've worked with students at Varsity Tutors, Mathnasium, and Best in Class Education, both online and in person, and I've helped numerous 11th and 12th graders significantly raise their SAT scores — one student I worked with went from a 1380 to a 1500 thanks to our sessions together. I also host an independent podcast where I interview economists and journalists, and that has sharpened a skill that carries directly into tutoring: taking a dense idea and finding the clearest possible way to explain it to someone hearing it for the first time.

My approach centers on figuring out exactly where a student's understanding breaks down, rather than re-explaining material they already know. I rely heavily on the Socratic questioning method: instead of walking through a solution, I ask questions that guide students to find the answer themselves, because that process of reasoning it out is where real understanding sticks. I also use what I call "rubber duck explaining" — having a student explain a concept back to me in their own words almost always reveals the precise point where their understanding gets fuzzy, which is usually the most efficient use of a session. I'm patient, direct about what's working and what isn't, and genuinely invested in getting students to a place where they can trust their own problem-solving instincts, rather than constantly needing to rely on me.