Award-Winning HSPT
Tutors
Award-Winning
HSPT
Tutors
Private 1-on-1 tutoring, weekly live classes for academic support, test prep & enrichment, practice tests and diagnostics, and more to elevate grades and test scores.
Based on 3.4M Learner Ratings
UniversitiesSchools & Universities
DeliveredHours Delivered
ProficiencyGrowth in Proficiency
Who needs tutoring?
No obligation. Takes ~1 minute.

I love to help students to do well on the SAT and ACT Verbal, Reading, and English sections. I have tutored these areas of standardized tests for more than 3 years. My approach is not "standardized" because I enjoy working one-on-one with clients to tailor learning experiences that address each person's unique needs. As a former professor of communication, I also have the skills to help professionals and graduate students with their research and writing. I am currently helping a doctoral student with her dissertation.

I am a graduate of Cornell University and received a Bachelor of Arts in Music. Currently, I am working as an Assistant Director at a preparatory school managing and teaching students simultaneously. In the recent years at the school, I have been focusing more on the Reading portions of standardized tests but have at times assisted students in the math and science portions as well usually one-on-one. I strongly believe that every students has their own style of learning and must learn at their own pace. Although, sometimes giving them too much leeway may not always be the best solution, I am there to also provide encouragement and challenge to make the learning process enjoyable and beneficial. Apart from work, I do enjoy reading, jogging, exploring New York City, and playing the violin during my spare time.
I am originally from the San Francisco Bay Area, where I attended Menlo School, one of the top private high schools in California. Given my educational background, I am no stranger to the pressures facing today's students--from schoolwork to extracurriculars to college applications and test prep, it's easy to feel overwhelmed. That's why one of my main goals as a tutor is to ease the stress in students' lives. I'm here to help your workload feel manageable (and hopefully fun!) and to encourage you to do your best work. I take this attitude and my teaching style and adapt it to the needs of each individual student. We'll work together to figure out how YOU learn best, what approaches work well for you, and ultimately, how we can achieve your goals. Whether you're a struggling student who needs a patient and a new way of explaining concepts, or a star student who wants a tutor who will challenge you at new levels, I can help you get there. I am passionate about making every student feel confident and prepared, no matter the academic situation.
I'm patient, personable, and have an incredible gift for explaining things in a way that makes sense. I majored in Math Education (with a minor in Computer Science), and I have more than eight years of experience teaching math and other STEM subjects.
I am a mathematics instructor at Tarrant County College and I am interested in helping math and engineering students achieve success!
I like helping students. I am very patient. I have experience teaching Calculus classes at the University of Miami. I have done private tutoring for all levels of math up to Calculus, as well as Statistics, Business Math, and Math Finance. I have worked in the actuarial field. I have an undergraduate degree in mathematics from Michigan State University and a Master's degree in mathematics from the University of Miami. I worked for The Princeton Review as a tutor for the SAT. I did very well on both the SAT and ACT, and like teaching students how to do better on those. I like history, too, and always find it fun to tutor history.
I am a patient, intellectual, and calm college student at the University of Michigan passionate about tutoring others to improve their proficiency in a wide variety of subjects. I teach students by creating individualized plans that cater to the strengths and weaknesses of the student. I work hard and as long as it takes to ensure that the student derives maximum benefit. I love teaching a wide variety of subjects, and have a speciality in standardized tests.
I'm well acquainted with many of the schools in the area. I attended Skidmore College as an undergraduate, where I studied the intersections of philosophy, government, religion, and history. Skidmore was also where I began to gain formal experience working with young students, specifically by working as a Classroom Assistant. After graduating from Skidmore with honors, I began to work on my MA at The New School for Social Research, where I am focusing on Ancient, Modern, and Contemporary political, legal, and moral philosophy. While at graduate school I have begun to tutor a number of students, many of whom I have now been working with for over a year. My greatest assets as a tutor lie in my mastery of the english language, skills in logic and conceptual organization, and versatile ability to explain to students complex ideas with which they find themselves frustrated and struggling. My goal is to restore students to a thoroughly self-sufficient status in their academic endeavors, an aim which pursue by focusing on the identification of students' advantages and disadvantages, and attempting to develop a unique plan for each student as to how we might capitalize on their strengths so as to neutralize their difficulties. I can be flexible about hours, and would be happy to receive email inquiries from any interested parents or students.
Karin McKie, MFA, compiles curriculum and personalizes teaching for a broad spectrum of students. I know there is no better, nor more crucial, calling than helping learners communicate their voices and realize their educational dreams. I specialize in tutoring all standardized tests, including the LSAT, SAT, PSAT, ACT, GRE, HSPT, ISEE, Accuplacer, STAAR, TOEFL/IELTS, ASVAB, all AP/IB English and history classes, and more. I also created and published a simple reading annotation system and related strategies specifically to tackle timed tests, as well as teaching critical reading, comparative literature, public speaking, and theater. As a professional writer and editor, I coach students in persuasive writing for schoolwork, college application and supplemental essays, internship and job applications, and the like. For decades, I've taught and lectured at universities, schools, and with individuals in Chicagoland and the Bay Area, and to online students of all ages around the world. I customize study plans with learners and their advocates to utilize existing abilities and add new techniques to reach personal and scholastic goals. I have a BS in Communications and Theater, and an MFA in Creative Writing. I have completed Continuing Education courses at Stanford, Northwestern and DePaul Universities. I'm a professional features writer and culture critic. I've edited Perspective design journal and Reed literary magazine and have performed memoir essays I've written on Chicago Public Radio. I come from a family of teachers and was fortunate to grow up at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History, where my anthropologist mom was Education Director. Since early childhood, I've been immersed in multicultural and ELL education. I've devoted my personal and professional time to diversity and storytelling, starting at public TV station WETA in my hometown outside Washington, D.C., where I was certified as a trainer with Sesame Street's Preschool Education Project. I've also taught creativity and teambuilding through improvisation to all ages (as well as creating a kids summer camp), reading for the SAG Foundations BookPALS (Performing Artists for Literacy in Schools) program, plus reading and writing skills to at-risk students through the Park District's Kraft Great Kids Program. I've assisted many of my arts marketing clients, including Barrel of Monkeys and Kidworks Touring Theatre, with youth literacy programs at schools and libraries throughout the Windy City.
I am a passionate writer with a Bachelor's degree in English (Creative Writing) and Communications (Journalism) from the University of Washington. I have written professionally for nearly twenty years. I'm excited to work with middle school, high school, and adult students. My approach centers on building conversational relationships with students, allowing them to feel comfortable expressing their own ideas. I believe that writing is a collaborative journey; by engaging in open dialogue, I help students articulate their thoughts and craft their unique voices. I'm here to help students find their best ideas! My background as a Communications Manager for a large-scale company also allows me to help students with more structured writing assignments. Additionally, as an agented writer I am particularly excited to assist students with academic essays, personal statements for college applications and creative pieces. Crafting a story within set parameters is my specialty! I aim to empower students no matter their skill level. Writing is not just a skill, but a powerful means of self-expression. Every student is capable of writing success!
I love math and physics, particularly as it relates to geology. Ask me about rocks in my spare time! Also a casual American history and constitutional/political buff. APUSH Text: Henrietta Calculus Text: Stewart Physics Text: Knight
I am a medical student committed to helping your student succeed. I have been a tutor for 5+ years, and have experience teaching Math, Science, Spanish and Test Prep to students of all ages and ability. I believe every child has the potential to learn with positive one on one attention and I am committing to helping you student learn how they study best, and become a more independent learner. I look forward to meeting you, and helping you achieve your goals!
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Frequently Asked Questions
Pacing is one of the biggest challenges on the HSPT since you have limited time per question across all five sections. Tutors work with students to develop section-specific strategies—for example, in Verbal Skills, learning to quickly identify synonyms and analogies without overthinking, while in Math, recognizing which problems to tackle first and which to skip strategically. Practice with timed drills helps build automaticity so you're not spending precious seconds on easier questions, and working through full practice tests under real test conditions reveals exactly where you're losing time.
Reading Comprehension trips up many students because the HSPT's passages are dense and time is tight—you need to extract key information quickly without getting lost in details. Quantitative Skills also challenges students who haven't solidified foundational concepts like ratios, percentages, and word problem setup. Verbal Skills, while testing vocabulary and logic, can feel unfamiliar since it emphasizes synonym and analogy patterns that don't always appear in regular schoolwork. A tutor can identify which section is dragging your score and create targeted practice to address the underlying skill gaps.
The HSPT's Verbal Skills section uses synonym and analogy questions in a format you might not see in regular classes, requiring you to think about word relationships rather than just definitions. Reading Comprehension questions ask for main ideas, inferences, and detail recall under time pressure—different from classroom reading where you can reread. Quantitative questions mix basic arithmetic, algebra, and geometry in ways that test problem-solving speed, not just computation. Tutors break down each format, show you the patterns and tricks to recognize, and have you practice until these question types feel natural rather than surprising.
Score improvement depends on your starting point and how consistently you practice. Students who work with a tutor for 4-8 weeks with regular practice typically see 50-100 point gains, though this varies based on your baseline and the areas you're targeting. The biggest improvements come when you identify specific weak sections—say, Reading Comprehension or Quantitative Skills—and focus there rather than trying to improve everything at once. Consistent practice with timed drills and full-length tests, combined with targeted instruction on question formats and strategy, creates the conditions for meaningful gains.
Test anxiety often stems from unfamiliarity with question formats or uncertainty about timing strategy—both things tutoring directly addresses. When you've practiced the exact types of questions you'll see, worked through pacing strategies under timed conditions, and built confidence in your ability to recognize patterns, anxiety naturally decreases. Tutors also help you develop a realistic sense of which questions to prioritize, when to move on, and how to manage your mental energy across all five sections, so you feel in control rather than overwhelmed on test day.
Practice tests are essential because they reveal your actual pacing, timing, and weak areas under conditions that mirror the real exam. Rather than taking a practice test once and moving on, use them diagnostically: take one untimed to identify content gaps, then take several under timed conditions to work on speed and strategy. Between practice tests, focus on drilling the specific sections where you stumbled—for instance, if Reading Comprehension dragged you down, do targeted passages and timing work. Your tutor can review your practice test results to pinpoint patterns, like whether you're running out of time or making careless errors, and adjust your study plan accordingly.
A strong HSPT tutor understands the test's unique structure—the five sections, their different question formats, and the specific timing constraints—and can teach you strategies tailored to each. They should be able to diagnose exactly where you're losing points, whether it's vocabulary knowledge in Verbal Skills, conceptual gaps in Quantitative, or reading speed in Comprehension. Beyond content, they should be skilled at teaching you to recognize question patterns, manage time strategically, and build the confidence that comes from practicing under realistic test conditions. Look for someone who uses actual HSPT materials, tracks your progress across sections, and adjusts the approach based on what's actually holding back your score.
Most students benefit from 4-8 weeks of focused HSPT prep, though this depends on your starting point and target score. A typical weekly schedule might include 2-3 tutoring sessions focused on strategy and weak areas, plus 3-4 hours of independent practice with drills and timed sections between sessions. Starting with diagnostic practice to identify weak areas, moving into targeted skill-building, and finishing with full-length timed practice tests creates a logical progression. Your tutor can customize the timeline and intensity—if you're starting further behind or aiming for a very competitive score, you might need more time; if you're already strong in most areas, you might focus heavily on one or two sections.
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