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Long-term online STEM mentorship for high-achieving students. 5+ years of personalized guidance in Math, Physics, Chemistry, Computer Science, and SAT prep. Build the habits a top AP score and competitive college admission actually require.
Palo Alto Mentor is the online private practice of Tae Hyun Nam — a long-term STEM mentor for high-achieving students across the US.
Wyzant, Preply, and Varsity Tutors are built around swapping tutors every 6–8 weeks. We work the opposite way: most families stay 3–5 years with the same mentor, through middle school, AP coursework, and competitive college admissions.
Verified reviews from current Palo Alto Mentor families — pulled directly from our Google Business Profile.
“We have had the pleasure of working with Tae for the past five years, and the impact on our son has been profound. Tae started out with us as academic help for our middle school aged son who was struggling in math and in school. That turned into a mentorship that has helped our now high school aged son excel academically, build his confidence and believe in his own abilities as he gets ready to apply for college. We truly appreciate all of his help and support over the years and are so grateful for everything he has done for our son.”
“I’ve been working with Tae for about 5 years and the results have been amazing. He has been able to help me with algebra, trigonometry, physics, chemistry, and computer science, and is always willing to extend sessions and help grow my confidence when I’m struggling. He makes learning challenging topics fun and less confusing which is so helpful in high school. He is also super funny and I definitely recommend him as a tutor!”
“Tae is an amazing math tutor! He explains things in a way that actually makes sense, and with his help, my math grades have improved a lot. I even got my first ever 100% on a math test! Even my math teacher noticed the difference and encouraged me to start trying more challenging math, which I never would have felt confident doing before. I’m really grateful for his help and would definitely recommend him!”
Each subject below has its own page with curriculum, exam strategy, and how it’s taught across the year.
Limits through Taylor series. The college-credit math credential for STEM majors.
Learn moreJava programming, FRQ strategy, Create Performance Task. Both A and Principles.
Learn moreAll 9 units. Stoichiometry, equilibrium, kinetics, thermo, acid-base, electrochemistry.
Learn moreHeart of Algebra, Problem Solving, Advanced Math. Score targeting from 600 to 800.
Learn moreFoundation classes built for AP Calc and SAT later. Algebra II, Pre-Calc, Geometry.
Learn moreThe habits and patterns that separate 5-scorers from 4-scorers — pulled from each subject’s full strategy guide.
Four habits 5-scorers share — the first is the one most students underestimate.
5-rate is just 14%. The unit-difficulty ranking tells you where prep time pays off.
AP Physics 1 has the lowest 5-rate of any AP exam (~10%). 5 habits separate the breakthrough scorers.
AP CS A FRQs follow exactly 4 templates. Study by type, not by year, and the patterns become reflexive.
At 750+ the math isn’t harder — the traps are. The last 50 points come from error elimination.
Step-by-step approaches Tae teaches his students for the highest-leverage AP problems. 15 guides across every subject.
The LIATE rule plus a worked example. Mechanical instead of guesswork — plus the 4 common mistakes that cost AP exam points.
The framework that handles every Kc, Ka, Ksp problem on the exam. Two worked examples showing exactly when to use the small-x approximation.
Read method signature first. Pseudocode before Java. Check boundary cases. Match against the rubric mentally before moving on.
Mechanics through a different lens. Map every rotational variable to its linear analogue and the equations write themselves.
Not algebraically complex — structured to reward students who recognize patterns. Five patterns to study, with the strategy for each.
Book a free 20-minute intro call with Tae. We’ll talk about the student’s current level, target outcomes, and whether multi-year mentorship is the right fit. No pressure, no obligation.
Book a free intro call