Some students just have the ability to sit longer than others, and forcing them to try could cause more damage than good. When trying to determine how long a tutoring session should be, take into account the age of your student, as well as their attention span. Students younger than ten may tend to get restless after a half hour or so, while many high school students may be able to stay focused for up to two hours.

Beyond these considerations, though, it is important to be aware of the material that is being taught and the methods being employed. For example, if your tutor is there to support your student in memorizing times tables, probably a half hour of drills at a time is sufficient. On the other hand, if your student is working on writing, reading comprehension, or social studies, it is important that there is time to read, write, discuss, and practice. Up to an hour and a half is a reasonable time for these types of sessions.

If you are still unsure, try out a few different arrangements and settle in to the one that seems to work best. For example, you can try a couple weeks of one-hour sessions three times a week; then, follow up with two, one-and-a-half hour sessions per week. Hopefully, your tutor will be flexible enough to accommodate such a trial phase.