Score improvement depends on your starting point and how consistently you practice. Students who work with a tutor typically see gains of 2-4 points on the ACT composite, with some improvement in Reading coming from better time management and question strategy rather than reading ability alone. The key is identifying your specific weak spots—whether that's inference questions, paired passages, or pacing—and targeting those areas systematically. Most students benefit from 4-8 weeks of focused preparation combined with regular practice tests.

The ACT Reading section gives you about 8-9 minutes per passage, which isn't enough time to read every word carefully. Effective strategies include previewing the questions first to know what to look for, reading actively for main ideas and structure rather than details, and marking key sections as you go. A tutor can help you practice these techniques on real passages and find the approach that works best for your reading style. Many students improve significantly once they shift from trying to read perfectly to reading strategically.

ACT Reading includes main idea questions, detail questions, inference questions, vocabulary-in-context questions, and function/purpose questions. Each type requires a slightly different approach—for example, main idea questions reward big-picture thinking while detail questions require you to locate specific information. A tutor can teach you to recognize each question type quickly, understand what it's really asking, and avoid common traps like choosing answers that are true but don't answer the question. Practice with real ACT passages helps you internalize these patterns.

Paired passages appear in one of the four Reading sections and require you to compare or contrast two related texts. The key is reading strategically—some students read both passages first, while others read one passage and answer its questions before moving to the second. There's no single "right" approach, so working with a tutor helps you test different strategies and find what minimizes confusion and maximizes accuracy. Understanding how the passages relate to each other and practicing with actual ACT paired passages builds confidence in this trickier section.

Most students benefit from taking a full-length practice test every 1-2 weeks during their preparation period, which gives you realistic timing practice and helps identify patterns in your mistakes. Between full tests, focus on timed practice with individual passages and question sets to build speed and accuracy. A tutor can review your practice test results with you, pinpoint which question types or passage topics give you trouble, and adjust your study plan accordingly. Consistent practice with real ACT materials is more valuable than memorizing strategies.

Look for tutors who have strong ACT experience, understand the specific structure and timing of the Reading section, and can diagnose whether your challenges are conceptual or strategic. Varsity Tutors connects you with expert tutors who know how to teach efficient reading strategies, help you recognize question patterns, and build the confidence you need to perform under pressure. A good tutor will use your practice test results to create a personalized study plan rather than using a one-size-fits-all approach.

Your first session typically focuses on understanding your current strengths and challenges. Your tutor will likely review a recent practice test or have you work through a passage under timed conditions to see how you approach the section, where you lose time, and which question types trip you up. From there, they'll create a personalized plan targeting your specific needs—whether that's building reading speed, improving inference skills, or managing test anxiety. This diagnostic approach ensures your tutoring time is spent on what actually helps you improve.