What to Expect From Your First Chemistry Tutoring Session

Most students — and parents — come to the first session not quite sure what’s supposed to happen. That uncertainty is completely normal. I want to clear it up.

Here’s what actually happens when you work with me, starting from the very first call.

The free Chemistry Check-In (before anything is scheduled)

Everything starts with a 20-minute Zoom call. No prep required. No forms to fill out beforehand.

I’ll ask a few questions: What course are you in? What’s the specific problem right now — a unit, a test coming up, grades in general? What have you already tried?

By the end of the call, I’ll have a clear picture of where things stand. I’ll tell you honestly whether I think I can help. If I can, I’ll recommend which package makes sense based on the timeline and what’s going on. If I don’t think I’m the right fit, I’ll say that too.

The Check-In is for both of us. I want to make sure I can actually help before either of us commits to anything.

What the first actual session looks like

The first session isn’t about covering content. It’s about figuring out exactly where the gaps are.

I’ll usually start by asking you to explain something back to me — a concept from the current unit, or a problem from a recent exam. Not to test you. To hear how you’re thinking about it. The way someone explains their reasoning tells me far more than a score does.

From that, I build a picture of what’s happening:

• Are the conceptual foundations solid, or is there something earlier that’s shaky?
• Is it the math mechanics, or the interpretation of what the math means?
• Is there a specific unit that broke everything, or has it been a gradual drift?

The goal of session one is clarity. You leave knowing exactly what we’re working on and why.

How sessions work after that

Before each session, I send a prep note — a short outline of what we’re covering and anything I need you to bring (problem sets, exam questions, specific topics your class just covered).

During the session, we work through problems together. Not me explaining while you watch — you working, me asking questions, both of us figuring out where your thinking holds and where it doesn’t.

After each session, you get recap notes: what we covered, what to review before next time, what to focus on going forward. If you’re in a Semester Partnership, you can send me questions between sessions and I’ll give written feedback before your next class — no waiting until Saturday.

One thing I want to be clear about

I don’t run sessions on autopilot. Every session is prepared specifically for you, based on where you are right now. If your class moves on to a new topic, we move. If an exam is coming up, we shift focus. If something from three weeks ago is still shaky, we go back to it.

The point is always progress, not coverage.

Some students come to me in crisis mode — one week before an exam, not sure how they got here. Some come at the start of the semester with a clear goal. Both are fine starting points. What matters is knowing where you are so we can figure out where to go.

Adrianne Penullar, M.S., M.Ed.

AP Chemistry teacher with 10+ years in the classroom, college adjunct professor, and EdD candidate (graduating 2027). I’ve tutored AP Chemistry students through every kind of struggle — and I know exactly where the exam catches students off guard.