The biggest obstacles are pacing (running out of time before finishing all passages), distinguishing between similar answer choices, and understanding what questions are really asking. Many students also struggle with vocabulary in context and making inferences across longer passages. A tutor can help you develop strategies for each challenge type, practice efficient reading techniques, and build confidence in your approach before test day.

Your first session focuses on understanding your baseline. You'll likely take a diagnostic SAT Reading section or review a recent practice test to identify your specific weak areas—whether that's timing, question types, or passage comprehension. From there, a tutor can create a personalized study plan that targets your needs and fits your timeline before test day.

Practice tests are essential—they're how you build stamina, get comfortable with the format, and identify patterns in your mistakes. Most students benefit from taking full practice tests every 1-2 weeks while working with a tutor, then reviewing them together to understand why you missed questions and how to avoid similar mistakes. This cycle of testing and targeted review is what drives real score improvement.

Pacing is learnable. Most students benefit from strategies like previewing questions before reading the passage, identifying question types to prioritize, and knowing when to skip a difficult question and come back to it. A tutor can help you experiment with different approaches and find what works for your reading speed and comprehension style, then practice it repeatedly until it becomes automatic.

Confidence comes from preparation and familiarity. When you work through practice questions with a tutor, understand the reasoning behind correct answers, and see yourself improving over time, test anxiety naturally decreases. Tutors also help you develop mental strategies for staying calm under pressure and managing your energy during the full test.

Look for tutors with strong SAT scores themselves, experience teaching test strategy (not just English), and familiarity with the specific question types and passages the College Board uses. It's also valuable to work with someone who understands different learning styles and can adapt their teaching to how you learn best. Varsity Tutors connects you with expert tutors who have proven success helping students improve their SAT Reading scores.

Most students benefit from 8-12 weeks of focused preparation, though this varies based on your starting score and target score. If you're aiming for significant improvement, starting earlier gives you time to work through practice materials, identify patterns in your mistakes, and build test-taking stamina. Your tutor can help you create a realistic timeline based on your specific goals and current skill level.