Many students struggle with managing time across multiple passages, distinguishing between what the text explicitly states versus what can be inferred, and understanding complex vocabulary in unfamiliar contexts. Additionally, students often find it difficult to identify the author's tone, purpose, and main ideas when passages cover unfamiliar subjects like classical literature or technical science topics. Personalized 1-on-1 instruction helps you develop targeted strategies for each of these specific challenges.

Tutors work with you to build active reading strategies, such as annotation techniques and question prediction, that help you engage more deeply with passages. They provide personalized feedback on your practice responses, identify patterns in the types of questions you miss, and teach you how to manage time effectively across the section. With targeted practice and expert guidance, you'll develop the critical thinking skills needed to tackle complex passages with confidence.

Your first session focuses on understanding your current reading level, identifying your specific strengths and weaknesses, and learning about your test timeline and goals. Varsity Tutors connects you with a tutor who will assess your familiarity with ISEE passage types, discuss your reading habits, and establish a personalized study plan. This foundation ensures that all future sessions are tailored to help you make the most progress.

You'll learn proven techniques like previewing questions before reading, active annotation to track main ideas and author's purpose, and systematic approaches to inference questions. Tutors also teach you how to distinguish between detail questions and big-picture comprehension questions, manage pacing so you don't rush through difficult passages, and use context clues to decode challenging vocabulary. These strategies are practiced repeatedly so they become automatic during test day.

Varsity Tutors connects you with expert tutors who specialize in ISEE preparation and have deep knowledge of the Upper Level format and question types. Your tutor will use official ISEE practice materials and create customized practice sets based on your performance, ensuring you're studying the most relevant content. This personalized approach is more effective than generic test prep because it targets your unique needs.

Most students begin noticing improvement in their reading speed and accuracy within 4-6 weeks of consistent, focused tutoring. However, the timeline depends on your starting point, how frequently you meet with your tutor, and how much independent practice you complete between sessions. Working with a tutor helps you make the most efficient progress by targeting your specific gaps rather than studying broadly.

Varsity Tutors makes it easy to connect with an expert tutor who specializes in ISEE preparation and reading comprehension. Simply tell us about your goals, timeline, and learning preferences, and we'll match you with a tutor whose expertise and teaching style fit your needs. You can start working together right away with personalized 1-on-1 instruction designed specifically for your success.