Calculus support for SFU students
SFU Math Tutor for Calculus I and II
Learn4Less helps SFU students through the first-year calculus sequence — MATH 150 and 151, MATH 152, and the life-sciences and social-sciences streams — working from your own assignments rather than a generic worksheet.
SFU calculus
Course-specific help for SFU math
SFU's calculus sequence moves faster than high school, and it tests whether you understand why a rule works rather than whether you can follow the steps. Most students who reach out can follow a lecture example and then stall on an assignment question worded differently.
These sessions start from the problem actually blocking you — a specific assignment question, a quiz you did not finish, a topic from three weeks ago that never quite landed — and work outward to the method, so the next question of that shape is one you can start alone.
Who this is for
Students who benefit most from this support
The best sessions usually start with a specific point of friction: a lecture topic, assignment set, midterm date, or recurring mistake.
- Students in MATH 151 finding the pace a large step up from Calculus 12.
- Students in MATH 150 who want the pre-calculus review to actually stick.
- Students in MATH 152 stuck on integration techniques or series convergence.
- Life-sciences students in MATH 154 or 155 working through applied models.
- Social-sciences students in MATH 157 or 158 who need the interpretation as well as the calculation.
- Students repeating a course who want to find the gap that caused the first attempt to go wrong.
Common problems
Common SFU calculus problems students bring to us
The difficulty is rarely the arithmetic. It is usually deciding which idea a question is asking for, and how much reasoning to write down.
The pace is a real step up
One lecture can cover what high school spread over two weeks. We help you find the earliest topic still causing trouble and connect it forward to this week's material, rather than starting from scratch.
Understanding why, not just how
SFU exams ask familiar ideas in unfamiliar wording. We work on reading a question for its structure so an unseen setup is recognisable rather than alarming.
Related rates and optimization need translating
These questions are a language problem before they are a calculus problem. We practise drawing the situation, naming variables, writing the relationship, then differentiating.
Integration techniques blur together
In MATH 152, substitution, parts, partial fractions and trigonometric substitution all look plausible at once. We build a way to decide which to reach for before committing to the algebra.
Series convergence feels like a list of tests
We connect the tests to what each one is actually measuring, so choosing between them stops being guesswork.
Our approach
Understanding first, then speed
SFU calculus tutoring here is direct and practical: your course, your assignments, and the exam pressure you are actually under.
- 1Start with the exact assignment, quiz, or exam problem that is blocking you.
- 2Explain the reasoning behind each step so the method survives a change of wording.
- 3Find gaps in algebra, functions, trigonometry, and earlier calculus before they spread further.
- 4Use SFU-style practice questions and past-paper problems when they fit the session.
- 5Leave each session with a cleaner way to study and a short list of problems to try next.
What we can help with
What we can help with in SFU math
Why this helps
Why course-specific SFU tutoring is worth it
The goal is not just to finish one problem. The goal is to make the next assignment, tutorial, or exam question less confusing.
Tutoring options
One-on-one and group support
One-on-one support is $65/hour. That suits students who want focused help with their own assignment questions, midterm preparation, final exam review, or gaps in earlier math. If you are studying with classmates in the same course, a group block is $25 per hour for each additional student — two of you pay $45 each instead of $65, and three pay about $38 each.
Location and online
Online across BC, or in person in Vancouver
Online tutoring is available to SFU students anywhere in British Columbia, which is how most SFU sessions run. In-person tutoring is available in the Vancouver and UBC area depending on tutor schedule and availability — we do not currently offer in-person sessions on the Burnaby campus.
First-Session Fit Guarantee
A clear way to make sure the session fits
We want your tutoring session to feel useful from the beginning. For your first session, if you feel within the first 30 minutes that the support is not the right fit, we can stop there and you will not be charged. If you choose to continue past the first 30 minutes, the full session is billed at the regular rate.
Not sure what to book?
Ask first, book when it makes sense
Not sure if tutoring is the right fit? Send us your course and the topic you are struggling with, and we'll suggest the best option.
SFU courses we cover
Keep the next step close
Each SFU course has its own page with the topic list, the usual sticking points, and what to bring to a first session.
SFU MATH 151
Calculus I — limits, derivatives, and applications.
View pageSFU MATH 152
Calculus II — integration techniques and series.
View pageSFU MATH 150
Calculus I with a built-in pre-calculus review.
View pageSFU MATH 154
Mathematics for the life sciences I.
View pageSFU MATH 157
Calculus I for the social sciences.
View pageAll SFU and UBC courses
Every course page we have, filterable by university.
View pageFAQ
Questions students ask before booking
Do you tutor SFU math courses?
Yes. We cover the SFU first-year sequence, including MATH 150 and 151 (Calculus I, with and without review), MATH 152 (Calculus II), MATH 154 and 155 for the life sciences, and MATH 157 and 158 for the social sciences. We also have pages for MATH 100, 110, 113, 125, 126 and 130.
Are sessions online or in person?
Most SFU sessions are online, which works anywhere in British Columbia. In-person tutoring is available in the Vancouver and UBC area subject to tutor availability; we do not currently run in-person sessions on the Burnaby campus.
What is the difference between help for MATH 150 and MATH 151?
MATH 150 covers the same Calculus I material as MATH 151 but at a slower pace with pre-calculus review built in. Sessions for MATH 150 usually spend more time on functions, algebra and trigonometry alongside the calculus; MATH 151 sessions move at the faster pace the course sets.
Can you help with MATH 152 integration and series?
Yes. Integration techniques and convergence tests are two of the most common reasons MATH 152 students contact us. We focus on how to choose a method before committing to the algebra, which is usually where the marks are lost.
I am repeating a course. Can that work?
Often it works well, because we can look for the specific gap that caused the first attempt to go wrong instead of re-teaching the whole course. Bring your old assignments and exams if you still have them.
How much does SFU math tutoring cost?
The current one-on-one rate is listed in the Tutoring Options section above. Group tutoring may be available when two or more students are in the same course or preparing for the same exam.
What if I am not sure tutoring is the right fit?
For your first session, we include a 30-minute fit check. If the session does not feel helpful within the first 30 minutes, we can stop there and you will not be charged. If you choose to continue past the first 30 minutes, the full session is billed at the regular rate.
Need help before the next SFU midterm?
Book a session and bring the exact assignment, quiz, or exam problems that are slowing you down.