Most students see score improvements of 100-200 points with focused preparation and personalized instruction, though the amount depends on your starting score and how much you practice. Students starting around 1000 often reach 1150-1250 with consistent effort, while those already scoring 1300+ may gain 50-150 points by targeting specific weak areas. The key is identifying whether your challenges are in time management, content gaps, or test strategy—and addressing those directly with expert guidance.

Most students benefit from starting SAT prep during the spring of sophomore year or fall of junior year, giving you 6-9 months before taking the test. This timeline allows you to take a diagnostic test, identify weak areas, build foundational skills, and complete several full-length practice tests before test day. If you're already a junior or senior, starting immediately still gives you time to see meaningful improvement—many students gain 100+ points in just 3-4 months of focused prep.

Both tests are equally accepted by colleges nationwide and in Louisiana, so choose based on which format plays to your strengths. The SAT emphasizes reading comprehension and data analysis, while the ACT tests faster pacing and science reasoning. Many New Orleans students find success with whichever test they take first—consider taking a diagnostic practice test for each to see which aligns better with your skills, then focus your prep on that test.

The SAT has four main sections: Evidence-Based Reading & Writing (65 minutes, 52 questions), Writing & Language (35 minutes, 44 questions), Math without a calculator (25 minutes, 20 questions), and Math with a calculator (55 minutes, 38 questions). Most students struggle with time management on the Reading section, vocabulary in context, multi-step math problems, and interpreting data from graphs and tables. Personalized tutoring helps you develop specific strategies for each section and practice under timed conditions.

The Reading section is the biggest time challenge—you have 65 minutes for 52 questions, which requires efficient pacing. Effective strategies include previewing questions before reading the passage, identifying evidence-based answers quickly, and skipping difficult questions to return to them later. Working with an expert tutor helps you practice these strategies on real SAT passages, build reading speed without sacrificing accuracy, and develop a personalized approach that fits your natural reading pace.

Most students benefit from taking the SAT 2-3 times—once to establish a baseline, then again after focused prep to improve. Colleges see all your scores but typically consider your highest score, and many use score choice to let you submit only your best result. Taking it more than 3 times rarely produces significant gains unless you've addressed specific skill gaps between attempts. The key is using your first attempt diagnostically, identifying exactly where you lost points, and targeting those areas before your next test date.

SAT Math success requires mastering algebra, problem-solving strategies, and data interpretation—plus managing the transition between the no-calculator and calculator sections. Most students lose points by rushing through multi-step problems, misinterpreting graphs, or not checking their work. Personalized tutoring helps you practice with real SAT problems, learn time-saving strategies for complex questions, and build confidence on the sections where you're weakest, whether that's linear equations, word problems, or data analysis.