How to use Tutor on tap: ask better questions and get unstuck faster
Most of the time you lose while studying for the CFA® Program is spent stuck: a paragraph that will not make sense, a worked example where one step looks wrong, a question you answered incorrectly and cannot see why. Tutor on tap is built for those moments. It is an AI tutor attached to every learning outcome in Charta, and you ask it a question about the outcome you have open. This guide covers what it answers from, how to ask well, and how to keep it honest.
What it answers from
Tutor on tap works from the course material for the outcome you are on: the written note and the practice questions for that outcome. That is deliberate. It is told to answer from that material, to say so in a sentence when the material does not cover your question, and to point you to the nearest part that does. It is not meant to fill gaps from general knowledge, because a confident answer the course never gave is the thing to avoid.
Two consequences follow. If your question belongs to a different outcome, it will tell you which topic it sounds like and suggest you open that outcome instead. And it will not tell you what will be on any particular exam, or give investment advice. It is a study aid for the material in front of you.
When to use it
- After you have read the note. The note comes first. The tutor is for what reading it left unclear, not a replacement for reading.
- After a wrong answer. Every wrong option already explains itself, but sometimes you need the same idea said another way. Ask about the step you could not follow.
- When a worked example loses you. Ask why a particular step is done, not for the whole example again.
- Before you move on. If you can explain an idea back to the tutor in your own words and it agrees, you probably have it.
It is closed while a mock exam is running, as in the real exam you have no one to ask.
How to ask a good question
A specific question gets a specific answer. Compare these.
- Too vague: "Explain duration."
- Better: "Why does a longer maturity make a bond's price more sensitive to a change in yield?"
- Better still: "In the example, the second coupon is discounted by (1 + r)² and not (1 + r). Why the square?"
A few habits help:
- Ask why, not what. The note already says what a thing is. The gap is usually why it works that way.
- Say what you already think. "I chose B because the yield rose, so the price must rise. What is wrong with that?" lets the tutor answer your mistake rather than a generic one.
- Ask for a worked example. Tutor on tap can work a fresh example with its formulas, which is a good test of whether you can follow the steps.
- Ask it to compare. "How is this different from the money-weighted return?" is often clearer than two separate definitions.
- One question at a time. A question is limited to 1,000 characters, which is plenty for one idea and not enough for a pasted chapter.
Following up
It remembers the last few exchanges on the same outcome, for a couple of hours, so "explain that a different way" or "now use a 4% yield" works. After that the thread starts afresh, so restate the point if you come back the next day. Answers are short, usually under 180 words, unless a worked calculation needs more.
Check what it tells you
Tutor on tap is an AI. It can be wrong, and its answers are not reviewed in the way the rest of the course is. Use it like this:
- Read the answer, then find the matching sentence in the note. The answer says which outcome it was generated from.
- If they disagree, trust the note and the explanation on the practice question.
- Use the report button on any answer that looks off. It sends the question and the answer to a reviewer.
An answer is a prompt to check the note, not a substitute for it.
What it costs, and your data
Tutor on tap is part of the full course. The free trial includes a few questions, and the monthly and lifetime plans include it with a fair-use limit, shown beside the question box, that starts afresh each month. A question that fails before it is answered is not counted. The plans page has the current figures.
Your questions and its answers are sent to Anthropic's model to produce the reply and are deleted after 90 days. The privacy notice has the details.
A routine that works
- Read the note for the outcome, then try the practice questions.
- For each question you miss, read the explanation on every option.
- If one idea is still unclear, ask Tutor on tap one specific question, with what you think the answer is.
- Check its answer against the note, and report it if it is wrong.
- Come back to the idea in your spaced review a few days later.
For the wider plan, see how to study for CFA Level I, and for formulas in particular, how to memorise CFA formulas.
Common questions
What is Tutor on tap?
An AI tutor built into every outcome in Charta. You ask a question about the outcome you are studying and it answers from the note and practice questions for that outcome.
Is Tutor on tap a person?
No. It is an AI model. It works from Charta's own material, can make mistakes, and every answer has a report button.
Can I use it for free?
The free trial includes a few questions. After that it is part of the monthly and lifetime plans, with a fair-use limit.
Can I use it during a mock exam?
No. It is closed while a mock is running, so that the mock is like the real exam.
Will it tell me what is on the exam?
No. It gives no investment advice and says nothing about what will appear in any particular exam. It explains the material for the outcome you have open.
What if it says the material does not cover my question?
That is it working as intended. It will point to the closest part of the outcome, or suggest opening the outcome the question belongs to.
Sources
- CFA Institute, The CFA Program: the exam format and the curriculum the learning outcomes follow.
Charta Learning is independent of CFA Institute. Check the current curriculum and exam format on the CFA Institute website.