Tutoring Center Boosts Student Success

Intro: Google Survey Couldn’t Tell Us What Students Needed to Learn

As the director of a tutoring center in Chicago, we want every student to get the help they need—whether it’s math, English, or test prep. But google survey was failing us: we asked “Did you like your tutor?” and got “yes” answers, but no details on what topics students struggled with. A google poll for “Favorite Subject” missed “SAT essay prep”—a service students begged for, but we didn’t offer. We had a student drop out because “the tutor didn’t cover algebra word problems”—but google survey never asked about specific topics. Then we found SurveyMars’ free survey maker, and now we tailor tutoring to exactly what students need.

Why Google Survey Fails for Tutoring Centers

Google Poll Can’t Ask “Topic-Specific” Feedback

Students don’t just need “math help”—they need help with “algebra 2 factoring” or “geometry proofs.” Google poll only lets you pick broad subjects, so we couldn’t pinpoint gaps. We once assigned a math tutor to a student who needed help with calculus—but the tutor only specialized in algebra. The student wasted 3 weeks before switching.

Free Survey Tools Are Too Intimidating for Teens

Most of our students are 13-18—they don’t want to fill out a long, formal google survey. We sent one to 50 students, and only 8 completed it. They said it “felt like a school assignment,” not a way to share what they needed.

SurveyMars: AI Questionnaires for Tutoring Centers

AI Builds Student-Friendly Surveys Fast

I typed “Tutoring Center Student Feedback” into SurveyMars’ survey maker, added a prompt (“Ask about tricky topics, tutor style, and what to add”), and picked 7 questions. The AI generated a questionnaire with a voting poll for “Hardest math topic (algebra, calculus, geometry)” and casual open-ended questions like “What’s one thing your tutor could do to help more?” It’s short, uses simple language, and even has emojis (teens love that!).

Anonymous Option = Honest Feedback

Unlike google survey, we added an “anonymous” checkbox. Teens are more likely to say “My tutor talks too fast” if they don’t have to put their name. Response rate jumped from 16% to 85%—we finally heard what students really thought.

Student Test Scores Rose 25%—Here’s How

The survey, paired with Kano analysis, helped us prioritize which student needs to address first: 60% of students struggling with “SAT essay writing” was flagged as a “must-have” (critical for their college apps), while “more practice tests” ranked as a “delighter” (valuable but not urgent). This clarity kept us from spreading resources too thin—like adding niche “advanced physics help” that Kano data showed only 5% of students needed.

We hired a specialized SAT essay tutor (tackling the Kano-identified “must-have”) and later added weekly test prep sessions. A 10th grader said (anonymously) “I don’t understand chemistry equations”—another pain point Kano highlighted as a “must-have” for her grade progress. We switched her to a tutor who uses visual aids, and her grade went from a C to a B+. Google poll never would’ve given us that level of detail, let alone helped us rank which needs mattered most.

Tutoring Centers—Try SurveyMars for Free

If you’re guessing what students need with google survey or google poll, SurveyMars’ survey maker helps you boost success. Build free questionnaires to tailor tutoring to every student.