Many students struggle with finishing all five passages in 65 minutes. Effective strategies include reading the passage actively (annotating key ideas rather than passively reading), previewing questions before diving into the passage, and learning to quickly identify which questions require detailed evidence versus those testing vocabulary or general comprehension.

A tutor can help you discover your optimal reading strategy—some students benefit from skimming strategically, while others need to build reading speed through practice. The goal is finding the approach that works for your brain, not forcing a one-size-fits-all technique.

Consistency matters more than cramming. Spacing out practice over several weeks—working on 1-2 passages two to three times per week—allows you to apply feedback and build skills progressively. This approach aligns with how learning actually works: repeated practice with breaks helps solidify strategies.

A personalized study plan typically includes: focused drills on question types you struggle with, full passages to build stamina, timed practice under test conditions, and periodic full-length practice tests to track progress. A tutor can monitor which strategies are working and adjust your schedule based on your improvement.

Beyond time pressure, the biggest issues are: misreading questions (especially tricky question wording), choosing answers that sound right but lack textual support, and overthinking simple vocabulary-in-context questions. Many students also struggle with inference questions—they either make leaps the passage doesn't support or miss what the author clearly implies.

Chicago students preparing for the SAT benefit from systematically working through these mistakes. A tutor helps you recognize your personal error patterns—do you rush and miss details, or do you second-guess yourself too much?—then targets practice to break those habits.

Varsity Tutors connects you with experienced tutors who specialize in SAT Reading and understand the specific challenges of the test. When you get matched with a tutor, look for someone who has helped other students improve their scores and can explain their approach clearly during an initial conversation.

The right tutor for you will assess your current level, identify your specific weak areas (difficult passages, particular question types, or pacing), and create a focused plan rather than generic test prep. Many students in Chicago benefit from personalized instruction that fits their schedule and learning style.

Test anxiety often stems from uncertainty—not knowing whether you're on track, worrying about running out of time, or doubting your answers. Reducing this anxiety starts with building confidence through practice and strategy mastery. When you've practiced passages dozens of times and know your approach, test day feels much less overwhelming.

A tutor can also teach anxiety-management techniques like controlled breathing, strategic time checks, and focusing on one question at a time rather than the overall test. Knowing what to expect from the question formats and having a solid game plan dramatically reduces test-day stress.

These questions require you to not only answer correctly but also identify the specific lines from the passage that support your answer. Many students can understand the passage but struggle to find textual evidence or second-guess which lines best prove their point. The skill here is different from standard reading comprehension—it demands precision and the ability to trace your reasoning back to the text.

Tutors focus on teaching you how to systematically locate evidence, eliminate answer choices that lack support, and understand why test makers include certain 'almost right' options. With targeted practice, this question type becomes much more manageable.