Varsity Tutors connects you with tutors who specialize in identifying your specific weak areas—whether that's word problems, fraction operations, or geometry concepts—and building conceptual understanding rather than just procedural skills. A tutor can teach you efficient problem-solving strategies, help you manage time during the test, and build the confidence needed to tackle unfamiliar question types. With personalized 1-on-1 instruction, you get immediate feedback on your approach to problems, which accelerates learning far more effectively than working through practice tests alone.

Word problems require breaking down complex information and translating it into mathematical operations—a skill that often needs explicit practice. A tutor can teach you a systematic approach: identifying what you know, what you're solving for, and which operations connect them. Many students benefit from learning to sketch or diagram word problems visually, which makes the underlying math clearer. With regular practice on increasingly difficult word problems and immediate feedback on your reasoning, you'll develop the pattern recognition needed to approach unfamiliar scenarios confidently on test day.

The timeline depends on where you're starting and how much time you can dedicate to practice. Students preparing 2-3 months before the HSPT often see meaningful improvement with consistent tutoring sessions (typically 1-2 per week) combined with independent practice. However, if you're addressing foundational gaps in earlier math concepts, starting earlier gives you more time to build solid understanding. Many students notice improved confidence within 3-4 sessions, while significant score improvements often emerge after 8-12 weeks of focused work.

Varsity Tutors matches you with tutors experienced specifically in HSPT preparation, saving you the time of searching individually. When you tell us your needs, we connect you with a tutor who understands the unique skills the HSPT tests and has a track record helping students in the Chicago area. You can start with a consultation to discuss your current level, target score, and timeline, then begin personalized sessions designed around your pace and learning style.

Accuracy should come first. It's far better to solve fewer problems correctly than to rush through more problems and make careless mistakes. Once you've built solid understanding and consistency in your accuracy, a tutor can help you develop efficient strategies and time management techniques to work faster without sacrificing correctness. Many students find that understanding problems deeply naturally leads to faster solving over time, as you'll recognize familiar patterns and approaches more quickly.

Yes—many students experience math anxiety, and personalized tutoring is particularly effective for building confidence. When you work 1-on-1 with a tutor, you're in a low-pressure environment where it's safe to ask questions, make mistakes, and learn from them. A skilled tutor can help you see that struggling with a problem doesn't mean you're "bad at math"—it means you're learning. By celebrating progress, breaking problems into manageable steps, and helping you recognize your own improvement, tutors help shift your mindset from "I can't do this" to "I can figure this out." This confidence directly translates to better performance on test day.