Award-Winning ACT Tutors

What follows is an overview of what your student can expect on the ACT:

ACT Topics (non-comprehensive)

• English Test
  • Logical organization of text
  • English grammar usage
  • Word choice
  • English mechanics
• Math Portion
  • Real and complex number systems
  • Linear equations
  • Polynomials
  • Logarithmic functions
  • Trigonometric ratios
• Reading Portion
  • Author's purpose
  • Summarizing readings
  • Sequential relationships
  • Facts vs opinions
  • Connecting concept between similar texts
• Science Portion
  • Recognizing relationships in data
  • Extrapolating information from provided data
  • Interpreting experimental results
  • analyzing scientific information
• Written Portion (Optional)
  
  • Developing an argument
  • Understanding a viewpoint
  • Drawing relationships with another viewpoint
  • Using supporting evidence
  • Written English skills

What kinds of advantages can an ACT tutor near me provide for my student?

The ACT covers an extensive amount of material, including material related to reading, writing, science, math, and English. As such, it can seem overwhelming to prepare for at times. Thus, it may be helpful for your student to work with an ACT tutor. ACT tutors can help your student work through material that may wind up on the test. Studying in a group or classroom setting may not work for every student. One of the disadvantages to working in a group or classroom setting is that the group may not go over the material that a student is having the most difficulty comprehending. The group may choose to spend the majority of the study session going over material that a student already understands while hardly spending any time on the material a student needs to study the most. This can lead to students feeling frustrated because they may feel like they are wasting their time.

One of the major advantages to having your student work with an ACT tutor is that it provides your student with personalized attention. It can be difficult to stay on track when studying on your own. As such, it can be helpful to have a guide, like an ACT tutor, to act as a guide. Additionally, it can be difficult to know where to start when studying for a test of the magnitude of the ACT. ACT tutoring can help in this regard because ACT tutors can help your student come up with a study plan.

Additionally, ACT tutoring can help your student in terms of and ACT tutor working with them on a personalized level to figure out what their exact learning style is and adapting the way they teach to match with that. In addition, a private ACT tutor can find which content your student is having the most trouble with and spend as much time as they need to to fully comprehend it. Private ACT tutoring can also help with finding their strengths and weaknesses and developing a study plan that will take advantage of their strengths and minimize their weaknesses as much as possible.

What follows is an overview of some of the specific areas your student may need to be proficient in to be prepared for the ACT:

ACT College and Career Readiness Standards

• Standards for the following criteria in each test determine the score and college/career readiness of a test taker
• English
  • Topic Development in Terms of Purpose and Focus
  • Organization, Unity, and Cohesion
  • Knowledge of Language
  • Sentence Structure and Formation
  • Usage Conventions
  • Punctuation Conventions
• Math
  • Number and Quantity
  • Algebra
  • Functions
  • Geometry
  • Statistics and Probability
• Reading
  • Close Reading
  • Central Ideas, Themes, and Summaries
  • Relationships
  • Word Meanings and Word Choice
  • Text Structure
  • Purpose and Point of View
  • Arguments
  • Multiple Texts
• Science
  • Interpretation of Data
  • Scientific Investigation
  • Evaluation of Models, Inferences, and Experimental Results
• Writing
  • Ideas and Analysis
  • Development and Support
  • Organization
  • Language Use and Conventions

How can ACT tutors near me help my student finish the exam in time?

While a major part of ACT tutoring involves reviewing content that may show up on the exam, an ACT tutor can also help your student with time management. Standardized tests are much different than the types of exams your students are used to taking. The ACT covers a lot of material and each section is strictly timed. As such, it is important for your student to pace themselves.

An ACT tutor can assist your student with time management strategies that may be helpful when taking the example. For example, if your student is having trouble distinguishing between multiple answers, they are better off making an educated guess and moving on to the next question. ACT tutoring often involves having students taking full-length practice tests so that your student can determine whether they have any major issues with timing on any of the sections. Working with an ACT tutor offers them the chance to correct any issues they might have before exam day.

What follows is an overview of the various sections included on the ACT:

ACT Overview

• Required Sections
  • Scores are averaged for a final ACT composite score
  • Multiple-choice
  • Scoring Range
    • 1-36
  • English Test
    • 45 minutes
    • 75 questions
    • Content Areas
      • Production of writing
        • 29-32% of English test
      • Knowledge of language
        • 13-19% of English test
      • Conventions of standard English
        • 51-56% of English test
  • Math Test
    • 60 minutes
    • 60 questions
    • Content Areas
      • Preparing for higher math
        • 57-60% of Math test
      • Integrating essential skills
        • 40-43% of Math test
  • Reading Test
    • 35 minutes
    • 40 questions
    • Content Areas
      • Key ideas and details
        • 55-60% of Reading test
      • Craft and structure
        • 25-30% of Reading test
      • Integration of Knowledge and Ideas
        • 13-18% off Reading test
  • Science Test
    • 35 minutes
    • 40 questions
    • Content Areas
      • Interpretation of data
        • 45-55% of Science test
      • Scientific investigation
        • 20-30% of Science test
      • Evaluation of models, inferences, and experimental results
        • 25-35% of Science test
• Optional
  • Writing Test
    • 40 minutes
    • 1 writing prompt
      • 1 issue with 3 perspectives
        • Write about your perspective and draw relationships with at least one provided perspective
    • Scoring Range
      • 2-12

How can ACT tutoring near me help my student improve their test-taking skills?

As mentioned previously, while a lot of your student's study time with their private tutor will be centered around reviewing material, an ACT tutor can also help in terms of developing test-taking strategies. One area ACT tutors can assist with is with reading directions carefully. Not every question on the ACT is going to be the same in terms of directions. As such, it may be useful for your student to go through practice tests to get more familiar with the question design. Some of the questions on the ACT are specifically designed to be challenging. and confusing. Your student's ACT tutor can go over examples of questions that may be confusing and offer your student enough practice to feel comfortable with those types of questions.

It can also be useful for students to answer the easy questions first to ensure that they have time to answer the questions that they know. If they still have time, they can go back and work on the challenging questions and hopefully have extra time to logically work their way through them. It is also important to note that your student should answer every question on the exam because they will not be penalized for guessing. So even if they are really not sure about a particular question, guessing at least gives them a chance at getting it right.

Can ACT tutors near me help my student understand questions worded in a confusing way?

It is common for students to feel like there are questions on the ACT that are designed to trick them. As such, students may benefit from working with ACT tutors who can offer tips on how not to be led astray by questions that are designed to be misleading. Some of the tips a tutor can provide may seem obvious, but it can be helpful to have a reminder to carefully read every word of a question so that your student doesn't miss a key component.

It can also be helpful for student to understand how much time they have to complete each section so that they're not tempted to rush through any of the questions. When a student feels like they need to rush, they are more likely to miss key components of the question. Missing any portion of a question can make the difference in whether a student gets a question correct or incorrect. Working with ACT tutors can help your student get more familiar with how much time they have on the exam.

What follows is an overview of average ACT scores over a six year period:

ACT National Average Scores

How can studying with an ACT tutor near me help my student in the long run?

As mentioned previously, the ACT is used as a part of the admissions process by many colleges and universities. As such, performing well on the ACT may give your child a boost in terms of getting into the college or university of their choice. Additionally, competitive programs like honors programs or pre-med programs may require your student to achieve a particular score on the ACT.

Gaining admission to a particular college or university or a particular program can have a major effect on your student's future. This can affect everything from the quality of the education they receive to the types of jobs they can get after college. Having your student work with an ACT tutor may be a quality investment in your student's future as you provide them with the resources they need to work towards obtaining a competitive score on the ACT.

Varsity Tutors is committed to working with you to connect your student with ACT tutors who can work with you and your student's schedule. Many students are busy with after school jobs or extracurricular activities. As such, it can be challenging to find time to study. Setting aside time for them to work with an ACT tutor can ensure that they are actually spending time preparing for this important exam.

Varsity Tutors offers a Live Learning Platform, which enables your student to meet with their private tutor online. This may help in terms of schedule flexibility. This can help with scheduling because your student can meet with an ACT tutor within the comfort of your home. This ensures that your student doesn't have to travel and can meet with their ACT tutor at any time that works best for them.

If you are interested in having your child work with an ACT tutor, contact Varsity Tutors today so that we can help you connect with an ACT tutor that can meet your needs.