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Award-Winning HSPT Tutors

Certified Tutor
2+ years
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 pe...
University of Pennsylvania
PhD

Certified Tutor
2+ years
Straley
I hold a Master's degree from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and a Bachelor's degree from Johns Hopkins University. I tutored GED math for 3 years in college, so I have experience breaking down concepts for students with a variety of learning styles. I've also informally tutored oth...
Johns Hopkins University
Master's/Graduate
Johns Hopkins University
Bachelor
Certified Tutor
2+ years
Sanjiv
Math has been my passion ever since high school - from earning 1st place nationally in Calculus and Linear Algebra, to competing on the AMC 10, AMC 12, and AIME exams. At Princeton, I tutored peers in Multivariable Calculus, and since then I've worked with middle school through college students in G...
Princeton University
BS
Certified Tutor
2+ years
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 undergradua...
University of Miami
MS
Michigan State University
MS
Certified Tutor
2+ years
I am a professional tutor and certified teacher with a Master's degree in Math Education. I specialize in 5th/6th/7th/8th grade Pre-Algebra, Algebra 1, Geometry and Algebra 2. I am engaging, enthusiastic, and keep communication a high priority. I also tutor SAT and ACT test prep as well as PSAT, SSA...
Ohio University-Main Campus
MED
Xavier University
MED
Certified Tutor
9+ years
Rithi
I am now a medical student at Robert Wood Johnson Medical School.
Johns Hopkins University
Masters, Biotechnology
Duke University
Bachelors
Certified Tutor
2+ years
I have had the opportunity to teach and to tutor thousands of students over my 33 year teaching career. I believe that each student is unique, and that academic skills and weaknesses should be assessed and targeted for the best results. I also hope that it can be a FUN learning experience! I love i...
Indiana University of Pennsylvania-Main Campus
MED
Misericordia University
MED
Certified Tutor
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...
Dartmouth College
Bachelors
Certified Tutor
2+ years
Susan
I am fortunate; I get to do the best job in the world. While teaching is my second career, it was always what I wanted to do. When I graduated from college, I was offered a position with my college's admissions and marketing office, where I had been working to put myself through school. It was a ...
University of Central Florida
Undergraduate Degree
Florida Institute of Technology
Undergraduate Degree
Certified Tutor
Reshad
I am a senior at Queens College majoring in Urban Studies. I am writing a thesis on South Asians living in New York City. I have spent the last two semesters mentoring kids from a local shelter every Saturday during the school year. My specialties are SAT prep, SHSAT Prep, English and Social Studies...
CUNY Queens College
Current Undergrad, Urban Studies
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Angelika
Middle School Math Tutor • +10 Subjects
Hello! My name is Angelika. I am a senior at Fordham University majoring in Biology and minoring is Disability Studies. I expect to graduate Spring 2023. I have tutored since the 7th grade and I love to help people understand concepts that they previously struggled with. I tutor in a variety of subjects but I am most passionate about Algebra, the SAT Grammar section, and the SAT Math Section. I believe that curating a unique approach for each individual is important in their advancement. Everybody is different and therefore their way of learning will be different too! This has helped many of my students raise their grades and confidence when it comes to their studies. In my free time, I enjoy watching cooking videos on YouTube and going to the gym!
Sheena
Pre-Algebra Tutor • +40 Subjects
I am pursuing an accelerated Master's Degree in Economics, and a Bachelor's in Chinese language at the Macaulay Honors College at Hunter College. I have been pursuing my passion for teaching and tutoring for over four years. I have taught both privately and in group settings on subjects such as Calculus, Economics, SAT, Math, and much more! I am great with any type of standardized testing: specifically, SAT, SAT II on Math 1 and 2, and HSPT. I genuinely love tutoring these subjects as well as math and writing. I believe strongly that my role as a tutor is to help my students approach the material with an anxiety-free, systematic approach. I know just how to make the testing environment one where a student feels both perfectly at ease and well equipped to succeed. I know first hand that testing and learning can be all too ridden with stress and have great techniques to reduce that. My approach to teaching is simple: kindness, calmness, clarity, and fun. I keep my students consistently engaged with questions. I know how to rephrase questions and bring them back in ways that each student is interested in to see maximum results. Most importantly, I find ways to make the material interesting and easily relatable to my students. A personal investment in material is a great way to see progress!
Karin
TOEFL Tutor • +40 Subjects
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.
Stephen
College Algebra Tutor • +6 Subjects
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
Kaitlyn
6th Grade math Tutor • +173 Subjects
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! Hobbies: writing, reading, music, art, books
Janet
Middle School Math Tutor • +15 Subjects
I graduated from Southwestern Illinois University in Edwardsville with a BS in Mathematics Education. My first job was teaching junior high school math in East St. Louis. Some of my students were nearly as old as I. It was quite an experience for a first year teacher. Very challenging. I moved to the northern part of the state and taught middle school and high school in a small district of 7000 students for 16 years. These experiences were varied. I team taught in a school with no walls. We had students working independently with no direct instruction. Each student was given independent tutoring and allowed to progress at their own pace. I also taught computer intro courses. I moved to Chicago in 1989. I taught high school algebra, geometry, and algebra 2 until I retired in 2016. I also tutored students who were prepping for the high stakes standardized tests they take as juniors. I taught after school programs and summer classes for students who were making up credits in order to graduate. I have learned to adjust my teaching approach for the students I have before me. I understand the concept of learning styles. I have experience with students who are bilingual and are struggling with English as a second language. I have worked with students of all skill levels. I have tried to remain healthy by running and going to the fitness center daily. I enjoy keeping current on the news and going out with friends. I am using this extreme stay at home time to enhance my online tutoring skills and to explore the technology that is being employed to bring education into students' homes. I have also explored the possibilities that this unprecedented time in history has caused some to contemplate a new reality for education. Education may never return to what it was before.
Ashwin
SSAT- Middle Level Tutor • +7 Subjects
Tutoring is about a lot more than studying, tests, and knowledge. I believe the interpersonal relationship involved with teaching greatly benefits both parties. Learning is fundamental to life- and turning otherwise cumbersome and difficult tasks like passing a hard class into a lightbulb moment is where I find my satisfaction. Turning such a familiar struggle into newfound realization and understanding is what I aim for.
Sarah
ISEE- Middle Level Tutor • +3 Subjects
I have been tutoring students of all ages for over 10 years. From SAT prep to algebra, critical reading skills to ISEE tips, I'm dedicated to ensuring that each of my students leaves our sessions with greater knowledge and a deeper love of learning. I believe in tailoring creative learning strategies to each individual student's needs. I specialize in ISEE, PSAT, and SAT prep, English, History, and German tutoring, and college essay coaching. Having worked in undergraduate admissions at a top 50 research university for 3 years, I know exactly what top colleges are looking for, and I'm ready to help you get into the school of your dreams. Whether you need tutoring in the Humanities, test prep strategies, or individualized essay assistance, I know that I can help you achieve your goals and reach academic success. Thanks for reading, and I look forward to working with you.
Yvan
AP Statistics Tutor • +55 Subjects
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.
Anna
Arithmetic Tutor • +48 Subjects
I am a graduate of the University of Kansas, with bachelor's degrees in biology and environmental studies. While I am fascinated by the natural world, I also have interests in other fields, such as literature, philosophy, and foreign languages. One of the reasons I like tutoring is because it allows me to use what I have learned in such fields to help others gain confidence in and become excited about a subject. I especially love to tutor in French, which I studied at the Universit du Havre and minored in during college. I believe that curiosity is the most important ingredient in learning. As a tutor, I ask questions to help students come to right answers on their own, and I show students how to ask their own questions as well. I believe in giving my students resources that help them continue learning after tutoring is finished and throughout their lives. In addition, using my knowledge of science, math, the arts, and the humanities, I make connections between different subjects to help my students see how what we're working on isn't so strange after all! Before beginning to work with Varsity Tutors in August of 2014, I worked in a K-8 school as an intervention math teacher. There, I tutored elementary- and middle-school students in math in small groups. Working in that setting taught me more about how to explain abstract concepts simply and creatively, and about how to use quizzes and evaluations to track student progress. During college, I helped my peers learn French both individually and in small groups; and most recently, I worked as an English language teacher in France, helping small groups of middle- and high-schoolers put their language learning into practice by organizing projects, conversations, and debates. In my free time, I like to read, write, draw, and learn about topics of interest such as Spanish and world literature.
Top 20 Subjects
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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