Most students see meaningful improvement in 2-3 months of consistent preparation, though the timeline depends on their starting point and current reading level. With personalized 1-on-1 instruction, tutors can identify specific weaknesses—whether that's vocabulary gaps, inference skills, or pacing—and target practice accordingly. Students who work with a tutor typically progress faster than those studying alone, because they receive immediate feedback on their approaches and can refine strategies in real-time rather than repeating ineffective habits.

Many students struggle with managing time across multiple passages while maintaining accuracy—rushing through text leads to missed details and incorrect inferences. Others face challenges with vocabulary in unfamiliar academic passages, difficulty distinguishing between main ideas and supporting details, or misinterpreting an author's tone and purpose. Some students also struggle with inference questions, which require reading between the lines rather than finding direct answers. A tutor can help diagnose which specific areas are causing trouble and develop targeted strategies to address them.

Building vocabulary for standardized tests requires more than flashcards—it means learning words in context and understanding how they function in challenging passages. Effective strategies include reading high-quality texts regularly, learning word families and roots to decode unfamiliar words, and practicing vocabulary within actual passage questions. Tutors often recommend using context clues strategically during the test itself, since you don't need to know every word to answer correctly. Personalized instruction helps you focus on vocabulary gaps that actually appear in ISEE-style passages rather than memorizing random word lists.

Comprehension is always the priority—a fast reader who misses details will score lower than a careful reader who works at a moderate pace. That said, pacing matters because you need to complete all passages within the time limit. The goal is building reading stamina and efficiency together, which means practicing with full-length passages under timed conditions to find your optimal speed. A tutor can help you identify where you're losing time—whether it's re-reading passages unnecessarily, getting stuck on difficult vocabulary, or overthinking inference questions—and adjust your approach without sacrificing accuracy.

Personalized 1-on-1 instruction allows tutors to identify your specific reading patterns and challenges in ways group classes cannot. A tutor can observe exactly where you lose comprehension, whether your issue is vocabulary, inference skills, or test anxiety affecting your focus. They provide immediate feedback on your thinking process, help you develop a personalized strategy based on your strengths, and create targeted practice with passages that match the difficulty and style of actual ISEE questions. This individualized approach means you're not wasting time on skills you've already mastered.

Effective strategies include active reading techniques like annotating passages, asking yourself questions as you read, and identifying the main idea before diving into questions. Many students benefit from previewing questions before reading to know what to focus on, while others prefer a full read-through first—your tutor can help determine which approach plays to your strengths. Other valuable tactics include reading for tone and author's purpose, using process of elimination on tough questions, and practicing with a consistent method until it becomes automatic. The key is finding strategies that match how you naturally process information and refining them through targeted practice.