When should I start?
The best time to start meeting for private instruction is at the very beginning of the semester. No single action will make a bigger difference to your grades than this! We will schedule any student at any time during the semester, but those that start at the beginning do much better overall. Some wait until after they receive an unfortunate first test grade to contact us, making it much more difficult for themselves. We can even schedule your appointments for the semester before the semester begins. If you have any feeling that an upcoming course is going to cause you trouble, contact us today!

Visit our Forum page with more resources for the life of a PSU student.

Why should I pay for private instruction?
Unlike tuition, our rates have remained capped and will continue to be so for years to come. A semester with us does cost considerably less than a single class tuition. Meeting with us will benefit you in many ways:
You will not have to take the class again.
You will not have to pay for the class again.
You will not have to be stressed out by the class again.
You will not have to fall behind in your course curriculum.
You will not have to see a withdraw or worse grade on your transcripts.
You will not have to consider changing your major because of the class.
Instead, you can make it through the first time, often with a good grade.
This helps build your confidence and your GPA.

Should I meet alone or with a small group?
It is entirely up to you whether you meet with us individually or in a small group. Some students prefer the individual attention. Forming a small group to be taught at PSUKnowHow is a great way to receive the same amount of instruction, yet pay a lower rate. With our new Partner Program, we may able to put individuals into existing groups or form a new group. Just leave us a message on the Contact Us page that you wish to meet with a group, and we will do our best to fit you in. Due to scheduling conflicts, it is sometimes better for the students to form the groups before beginning with us. Use our Forum page, Facebook, or email the class through ANGEL to form a group. While we only show the rate schedule for a group of at most 6, we are willing to accommodate larger groups if the need arises. Please let other students know about us!

What is your availability?
PSUKnowHow normally operates between the hours of 9AM-6PM Monday through Friday. Special extra hours from 6PM-10PM Monday through Friday and occasional Sunday sessions are available around exam or final weeks. If you are looking for ESL, writing, editing, or speech help please visit the ESL, Speech, and Writing page for their rates and availability. We schedule each individual or small group with permanent hours on the hour in the 9AM-6PM M-F time frame. PSUKnowHow works with you to find the best times available. Once scheduled, you will meet for instruction at the same times each week throughout the semester. It is this constant weekly instruction that allows us to boast a near 100% success rate. Exceptions are provided for Penn State holiday breaks and Finals Week. PSUKnowHow does operate during Finals Week, (including the full weekend before Finals Week), but the schedule is changed to fit around your exam times.

How do I schedule?
PSUKnowHow typically schedules in one or two hour blocks on the hour within our normal operating time. Please refer to the Courses page and click on your specific courses to view the recommended weekly hours. These recommended hours may be put together in a single block, but it is more advisable to spread them throughout the week. That way you will avoid too much material at one time. If you are taking multiple courses know that you may meet for any and all courses within any time slots. Our instruction will be individualized for your specific needs. When scheduling on the Contact Us page, be sure to list all available times as well as your preferred times for us to help schedule you. If you plan to meet as a small group, be sure each member fully reads all details on this website, then find common times to list under available times. If you are looking for ESL, writing, editing, or speech help please visit the ESL, Speech, and Writing page for their rates and availability.

Note: We strongly urge you to follow the recommended hours for each course. If you are able, you should take the maximum recommended hours. The minimum recommended hours will usually only allow us to teach a small portion of each chapter/section.

What should I expect during a session?
A typical session begins with an instructional overview of the section(s) and/or chapter(s) followed by working out assigned or selected homework problems. If you have any questions, feel free to ask them at any time during the session. Of course you may also bring any additional materials such as labs, notes, practice exams, etc. We know it all!

What do I need to bring with me when I meet?
For each session bring your textbook(s), homework, assignments, and possibly practice exams or labs. Also, please bring a calculator, preferably a graphing calculator for most courses. We do keep our textbooks as up-to-date as possible, but with new ones coming in each semester we cannot guarantee to have them all. We also carry extra calculators should you forget yours, but it is best if you work with one you are more familiar with. We have our own wireless Internet network, so bring a laptop for any online courses!

What if I need extra help?
You are not alone! We do occasionally meet out of our regularly scheduled hours, if you feel you ever need extra help on top of your permanent hours, (test weeks, etc.). These are not permanent hours, but one-time extra hours, usually between 6PM-10PM M-F and/or evenings Sunday. Let us know in advance when you feel you may need them and we will usually be able to accommodate you.

Do you offer FREE review sessions?
Yes we do! You should never, ever have to pay any amount of money for large group review sessions! In keeping up with the PSUKnowHow Tradition of Excellence, we offer free review sessions every semester for most of the classes that we teach. These review sessions are free and available to all PSU students, even those that do not meet with us on a regular basis. Note that these review sessions are not a suitable replacement for individual or small group instruction, but for supplemental instruction purposes only. If you wish to be a part of our free review sessions, mention this in your message on the Contact Us page.

Visit our Forum page with more resources for the life of a PSU student.

Do I have to meet on a regular basis?
This is very important to your grades and our success with you! We will never make you sign a contract, or force you to meet here. Our students continue to return to us because they want to. If you wish, you may come the first week and try our services before scheduling permanent hours. We charge the regular or promotional rates, but you can let us know at the end of the week whether you wish to schedule permanent slots. Once you have time slots scheduled you should plan to meet the same times each week. If you have to drop the course or run into financial difficulty, we will not expect you to meet here any longer.

What if I cannot make it to a session?
Please let us know in advance if circumstances (illness, unavoidable commitment) will cause you to miss a session, and we will reschedule them for you. If you come late to a time slot, we will wait for you. However, we do have to end the session at the regularly scheduled time. If Penn State cancels classes for any reason, (snow days, etc.), we may still be operating normal hours. If we do not contact you to reschedule, plan to meet at your regular time slots.

PSUKnowHow is a PROUD sponsor of THON !