Prep101 vs. TutorLyft

Prep101 doesn't list its university exam-prep prices on its course pages; you see them at checkout. Its FAQ says a session works out to about $10 an hour or less. That buys a seat in a group cram session for one course, taught to the whole class before a midterm or final. It isn't tutoring: there's no 1-on-1 time and no help with your homework. The price includes a course booklet, solutions to past exams and email follow-up from the instructor. You get at most one discount, and it offers a limited number of need-based bursaries.

MCAT is priced separately. Its courses list at CA$1,795 (Self-Paced), CA$2,995 (Live Online, 154 hours of live classes) and CA$4,995 (515+), with sale prices shown on the site. Private MCAT tutoring starts at CA$3,400 for 12 hours, about $283 an hour, and goes up to CA$8,440 for 48 hours.

Not for university courses. Its FAQ answers the question with "Sorry, no," and it doesn't help with homework or essays either. Its exam prep is group sessions only. For the MCAT, it sells private tutoring in packages of 12 to 48 hours. On TutorLyft every lesson is 1-on-1, you pay per lesson, and you can bring your own questions, assignments and practice exams.

For classroom and live online sessions, Prep101 refunds you if you cancel at least 48 hours before the session starts. Its university pages also promise a full refund if you leave before or during the first break. Otherwise, cancelling within 48 hours, during or after the session isn't refunded, and on-demand sessions aren't refundable at all. Missing part of a session doesn't lower the price, unless it clashes with an exam or another Prep101 session. Its CA$4,995 MCAT 515+ course has a score guarantee if you finish its milestones. On TutorLyft you can cancel a lesson for free up to 24 hours before it starts.

Ten: Calgary, Dalhousie, Guelph, McGill, McMaster, Ottawa, Queen's, U of T, UBC and Western. At each one it runs sessions only for the courses on its list, and it says it isn't affiliated with any of the universities. TutorLyft tutors help with university courses at any school, online or in person.

It depends on what you need. If your course is on Prep101's list and you want a few intensive hours with past-exam practice right before a midterm or final, a group session is a cheap way to get that. If you're behind for the whole term, your course isn't covered, or you want to work through your own questions with someone, a 1-on-1 tutor is the better fit, and on TutorLyft you choose who it is.

Yes. Almost every tutor offers a free phone consultation, so you can ask about their approach and your goals first. There's no subscription or sign-up fee, and if the first session isn't the right fit, we refund it and give you your next hour free with a new tutor.