Award-Winning ACT Reading Tutors
serving Concord, CA

The ACT Reading section isn't about being a fast reader — it's about knowing where to look and how to eliminate answer choices efficiently across four dense passages in 35 minutes. Zhenrui, who earned a 36 composite, breaks down each passage type (prose fiction, social science, humanities, natural science) and teaches the specific retrieval strategies that keep students from second-guessing themselves.

I'm an affable chemistry-loving person whose joy come from delivering knowledge :D

The ACT Reading section isn't really about reading — it's about efficiently locating evidence under a tight time constraint. Jackie scored a 35 on this section and teaches a passage-mapping technique that cuts down on re-reading and keeps students from falling into the trap of "almost right" answer choices. She knows which question stems signal inference versus detail retrieval, and drills that distinction until it becomes automatic.

I am currently attending UCLA School of Dentistry. I have spent a big chunk of my life tutoring. I had 600 hours of volunteer experience tutoring 5th graders in language. I also was the Tutoring Head of the Science National Honor Society in high school and spent every week tutoring high school level biology and chemistry. I spent one summer working at Kumon tutoring children in basic math and reading. In college, I spent two years tutoring adults to pass their GED. I was also an Undergraduate Teaching Assistant (UTA) for a development and physiology biology class, as well as a Peer Tutor for other intro level biology classes. If you chose me as your tutor, I look forward to working with you and helping you be the best student you can be!

A drama background might seem unrelated to ACT Reading, but Michael's training at NYU's Atlantic Acting School built a habit of breaking texts apart — identifying a character's motivation, an author's argument, the shift in tone between paragraphs — that maps directly onto the prose fiction and humanities passages. With a 35 ACT composite and a 4.8 student rating, he teaches students to read passages like scripts: tracking who wants what and why, which makes inference and tone questions click faster.

Reading four dense passages in 35 minutes means students can't afford to read the way they normally do — they need a strategy. Sarah, who scored a 35 ACT composite and studies journalism at NYU, teaches active-reading techniques for each passage type, from tagging the author's argument in social science texts to isolating key data points in natural science excerpts.

I am a 2018 graduate of University of California Santa Barbara, with a B.S. degree in Biological Sciences through the Honors Program. I consider education to be tremendously important not just during development, but also throughout life. I believe it's critical to establish the right attitude toward learning; a feat that once accomplished can improve a student's long-term output in school. Education is an integral part of my career choice: I aspire to become a physician, a career intertwined with knowledge and education. However, teaching and learning are present in every career, and every part of life for that matter.

I am a recent graduate of Harvard University, where I received my Bachelor of Arts in English Literature with an emphasis on screenwriting. Although I love literature and writing, I am most passionate about tutoring math. I have five years of experience as a math tutor, during which time I helped students ages 3-17 with math ranging from basic arithmetic to pre-calculus. My favorite math topic is algebra, particularly because of its usefulness in solving real-world word problems. In addition to mathematics, I find joy in teaching/elucidating Shakespeare to high-school students. As a classically trained actor, I find it fun to tackle Shakespeare’s dense texts from a performance and character-driven perspective. In my spare time, I enjoy vegan baking and roller-blading.

I am passionate about living life to the fullest and making a difference in the lives of others.

Most ACT Reading mistakes happen not because students can't comprehend the passage but because they spend too long on it and rush the questions. Ben's English and philosophy background trained him to extract an author's argument and tone quickly — a skill he now breaks down into a repeatable method for tackling each passage type, from prose fiction to natural science. He scored a 33 composite on the ACT.

Christina's computer science training built a habit of reading precisely — catching the difference between what a specification actually says versus what you assume it says — which is the same skill that separates correct and tempting-but-wrong answers on ACT Reading inference questions. With a 34 composite and broad experience across both English and science subjects, she teaches students to isolate the exact sentence or phrase that justifies an answer choice, especially on the natural science and social science passages where technical language can make everything sound equally plausible.

I am a current undergraduate student at Occidental College, where I am majoring in Chemistry. I have a passion for teaching and engaging students with their education. There is little that is more rewarding than aiding a struggling student successfully. In high school, I was a member of the National Honors Society and relished the opportunities that organization provided me to tutor others. I love learning, and I love sharing that with others. What better way to engage others learning than tutoring?I enjoy video games and other computer related tasks, baseball, basketball, and I love to read.

I am currently a Junior at UCSB working towards a degree in Bio-psychology, following the Pre-Medical route! I have tutored both formally during high school and informally during my college years. I am comfortable teaching all ages and those who are eager to learn. I love tutoring in a more conversational matter and talking through problems rather than lecture and repeat. Each student has a different way they like to learn, so I adapt those ways and use it to the student's advantage. I love having the student be able to teach me the information we covered at the end of each session - if you can teach it, you have learned it! I am currently tutoring Middle school math, Algebra, Pre-Calculus, Biology, Chemistry, ACT Science, and writing college essays/editing papers. Although I love teaching the logistics of the sciences, especially in ACT format, I find passion in helping students perfect their writing skills and develop strong, academic papers. Outside of school, I love playing sports such as volleyball, track, basketball, and baseball as well as going on hiking trips and adventures. I am a huge traveler, love reading new books, and love meeting new people. Besides helping students learn, I want the student to have fun, enjoy the tutoring session, and actually find a love for the subject they are studying. I used to hate reading and now it is one of my favorite things to do! Let's learn!

I am a graduate of Southern Methodist University. I received my Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theatre Studies, with a focus on acting and directing. Since beginning high school, I have spent much of my extracurricular and summer time tutoring, mentoring, and counseling students elementary though high school age. While a tutor a fair amount of subjects, I sincerely enjoy exploring English, Literature, and French. I love the English and Literatue because both subjects connect deeply to my love for theatre, and I love French because I have lived in France twice; once when I was 7 in Paris, and again when I was 16 in the Nord Pas-de-Calais region. I would say my teaching style depends directly on the student, but generally, I love acting like I'm a student too and find fun ways to address the issues they're facing in practical ways. I always try to get my students to appreciate the skills they develop by showing them how they're useful in everyday life. When I'm not tutoring, I enjoy trying new restaurants, going for a swim, practicing my singing, and going to acting class.

I am a certified ESL instructor with bachelor's and master's degrees in linguistics. I received my Bachelor of Arts from the University of Illinois in 2006, and my Master of Arts from the Graduate University of Applied Linguistics in Dallas, Texas in 2012. My teaching experience includes one year of teaching elementary classes in South Korea (2009-2010), one year of teaching all ages at a private school in Japan (2013-2014), and one year of teaching adult classes in Pasadena, California (2014-present). I have also tutored students in a variety of subjects and grade levels. In addition to ESL, I offer tutoring in reading, writing, grammar, and test prep for the ACT, SAT, and TOEFL. I love teaching because it allows me to use my passion for language to help other people. I believe that we should always be learning, and that learning should be wonderful and exciting. I strive to inspire my students to curiosity and guide them towards independence in their education. In my free time, I enjoy reading, going out for coffee with friends, and occasionally going dancing.

Travis scored a 33 ACT composite and teaches across both English and social studies subjects, which means he's comfortable with every passage type the Reading section throws at students — from prose fiction to natural science. His approach zeroes in on answer elimination: identifying why three choices are wrong rather than hunting for the one that feels right, a mental shift that turns ambiguous questions into manageable ones.

I'm particularly passionate about chemistry, and am excited to share my enthusiasm for science with others. With the life sciences, I emphasize overall understanding in place of rote memorization. With math, I stress practice to best develop critical thinking and problem solving techniques. These are general strategies that can be adapted to meet the unique learning style of each student.

Reading four dense passages in 35 minutes means students can't afford to read passively — they need a method. Nicholas teaches an active annotation approach tailored to each ACT Reading passage type, from the prose fiction opening to the natural science closer, so students know what kind of questions to expect before they even start reading. He scored a 33 ACT composite and treats the Reading section as a skills problem, not a luck problem.

A self-described voracious reader of everything from science fiction to literary classics, Gabriel brings genuine enthusiasm for close reading to ACT Reading prep. He teaches students to identify passage structure — how a narrative builds, where an argument pivots — so they can locate evidence-based answers quickly across all four passage types. That combination of speed and comprehension is why his students have rated him 5.0.

I'm Katrina--a recent transplant to LA and also a recent grad of Yale University! Reading and writing have been integral to my life over the past few years as a Film and Media Studies and Sociology double major. I believe that crafting text can be a fun hobby and a very useful skill. Yet, it can often be challenging. I know what it is like to need help with schoolwork, and I know what it is like to provide that help for others. I believe that with patience and effort, we can solve any problem!

I am able to tutor in multiple science subjects, standardized tests (SAT, ACT) and social sciences (public health, political science). I would be happy to help with any age. I help students by getting to know their background and understanding of the subject and helping them build upon that knowledge base through the sessions.

Most ACT Reading mistakes come from running out of time, not from a lack of comprehension. Valerie teaches a structured passage-attack strategy — how to identify the question type, locate evidence efficiently, and avoid trap answers that sound right but distort the passage's actual claims. Her 32 ACT composite reflects the disciplined, methodical reading habits she passes on to her students.

Luke's decade of college-level teaching across subjects from sculpture to philosophy means he's assigned, graded, and dissected the same kinds of dense argumentative and narrative texts that show up in ACT Reading passages — and he knows where students lose the thread. He teaches a purpose-first strategy: nail down what the author wants you to believe in the opening lines, then use that as a filter so detail and inference questions become quick confirmations rather than full-passage scavenger hunts. His 32 ACT composite and 4.9 rating back up an approach built on real reading volume, not test-prep shortcuts.

Speed and precision define the ACT Reading section: four passages, 35 minutes, and questions designed to punish skimming. Patrick teaches students to identify passage structure quickly — how a narrative builds, where a scientist's argument pivots, what a social science author concedes — so they can answer with confidence instead of re-reading. With a 32 ACT composite and graduate-level training in literary analysis, he knows exactly what these passages demand.

I am available to tutor a range of middle school and high school subjects, but I am most excited about tutoring test prep. I remember how stressful preparing for college can be and I am eager to do my part in helping students fulfill their college goals. I believe that learning is a collaborative process and I am committed to being as actively involved in the student's learning as I can. In my spare time, I enjoy reading, going to the movies (I try to see each Oscar nominee before the ceremony every year.), and am a huge Michigan sports fan.

A government major at Harvard, Richard spent his coursework doing exactly what the ACT Reading section rewards: rapidly digesting competing political arguments, identifying an author's central claim, and distinguishing stated evidence from implied conclusions — skills that map directly onto the social science and humanities passages. His perfect 36 ACT composite means he's navigated every passage type under real testing pressure and knows which time-management habits actually hold up when the clock is running.

Mechanical engineering coursework at Harvard means Christopher reads the way the ACT Reading section rewards — extracting key claims from dense technical material fast and ignoring everything that doesn't answer the question in front of him. He applies that same efficiency to all four passage types, teaching students to map an author's argument structure in the first read so that inference and detail questions become quick lookups rather than guesswork. His 35 ACT composite and 4.8 student rating back up the approach.

I am an aspiring applied mathematician, with particular interest in image processing and climate science. I graduated in May 2017 from Washington University in St. Louis with a bachelor's in physics and mathematics, and am beginning a PhD program in September 2017 at the University of Chicago in Computational and Applied Mathematics. I've tutored introductory physics students for three years and enjoyed it thoroughly, as a chance to help other students while revisiting fundamental concepts to enhance my own knowledge. I'm eager to continue reaching out and helping students of math and physics to succeed and, furthermore, to appreciate the beauty and power of these subjects.

Reading dense, unfamiliar passages under time pressure is where most ACT Reading scores stall out. Austin's background in Classics and Philosophy means he spent years doing exactly that — pulling arguments from ancient texts and evaluating how authors build their claims. He teaches students to map passage structure before touching the questions, turning a 35-minute sprint into a manageable process.

Most ACT Reading struggles come down to time, not comprehension — four passages in 35 minutes leaves almost no room for re-reading. Danielle scored a 36 composite and teaches an active-reading method that captures main idea and tone on the first pass, so students spend their time answering rather than searching. She's especially effective at demystifying the paired-passage and natural science sections that tend to slow students down.

The ACT Reading section rewards students who can quickly identify an author's purpose, trace argument structure, and distinguish between what a passage states and what it implies. Liz scored a 34 ACT composite and draws on her history and humanities training at Washington University in St. Louis to teach the kind of close reading that makes 40-minute, four-passage sets manageable. Her background in special education also means she's skilled at adapting pacing and comprehension strategies to fit each student's processing style.

I'm a sophomore at Vanderbilt University, majoring in Physics and Classics and minoring in Mathematics and Computer Science. I'm qualified to teach a wide variety of subjects, but prefer to focus on the fields I'm studying in school listed above; I have a passion for those areas that I want to share with everyone, no matter the education level or confidence. I believe that no one is "bad at math," but many people haven't been taught math and science concepts in a way that matches how they best learn. As a result, I try to tailor my teaching style to be the best it can be for each individual student. With regard to math and physics, I myself prefer a physical, graphical understanding of different concepts, so I do best at explaining what seemingly abstract concepts actually mean in the real world and how they act on a graph.

I'm referring to math, of course, but I didn't always like the subject. Until about age 16, I thought of math as a boring, mind-numbing process of blindly memorizing formulas and then forgetting them after the test, but a series of wonderful teachers showed me the truth. I had thought that everything in math was invented arbitrarily just to torture students, but actually it all made sense in a deep way. When I caught a glimpse of what math really was, I found it irresistible and I ended up majoring in math in college at UChicago. I'm currently a Master's student in Computer Science at NYU.

Most ACT Reading mistakes happen not because students misunderstand the passage but because they misread what the question is actually asking — "main idea" vs. "the author suggests" require completely different retrieval strategies. Eileen, a Vanderbilt neuroscience major who scored a 36 composite, walks students through a passage-mapping technique that cuts rereading time dramatically and keeps evidence-based answers distinct from inference questions.

Reading four dense passages in 35 minutes forces a different kind of reading than most students are used to. Sugi's cognitive science training at Rice gives her a framework for teaching active reading strategies — how to map an argument's structure on a first pass so that inference and tone questions become straightforward rather than agonizing. She holds a perfect 36 ACT composite and a 5.0 tutoring rating.

Ryne earned a perfect 36 ACT composite, which means he knows firsthand how to handle the Reading section's brutal pacing — 40 questions in 35 minutes with no room for second-guessing. His political science training built a habit of quickly dissecting competing claims in dense texts, and he applies that to teaching students how dual passages and paired questions try to blur the line between an author's actual position and a tempting distortion. Rated 4.9 by students.