The English section gives you 45 minutes for 75 questions, which means you need to average about 36 seconds per question. Many students struggle because they spend too long on difficult passages or questions. A smart strategy is to read each passage quickly for general meaning, then tackle questions—the answers often contain clues that help you understand the passage better. If you're stuck on a grammar rule, it's better to make an educated guess and move on than to get stuck; you can always flag it mentally and revisit if time allows.

The biggest challenges are typically: (1) misunderstanding what a question is asking—especially rhetorical strategy questions—(2) overthinking grammar rules instead of trusting your ear, and (3) losing time on one passage and rushing through others. Many students also struggle with pronoun reference and verb agreement because the passages sometimes make these errors intentional. Working through real practice tests and reviewing every single mistake—not just the ones you got wrong, but understanding why the right answer is right—is the fastest way to improve.

For most students, 4-8 weeks of focused preparation works well. A typical schedule might include: one timed practice test section per week initially, then moving to full practice tests every 1-2 weeks in the final weeks before test day. Between full tests, spend 20-30 minutes daily on targeted practice—whether that's drilling specific grammar concepts, working through single passages, or reviewing mistakes from previous tests. The key is consistency and reflection: every mistake is data about what to study next.

Rhetorical strategy questions ask why the author did something, not what they did—and that requires you to think like the author. Students often pick the most obvious answer instead of the one that best explains the author's purpose. The trick is to look at the context: What idea comes before this sentence? What comes after? What is the author building toward? Practice reading passages with an eye toward understanding the author's tone and intent, then check your answers by asking, "Does this explanation match what I understood about the passage?" A tutor can help you develop this critical reading skill faster by showing you patterns in how the ACT structures these questions.

Not really—and that's actually good news. The ACT English section tests maybe 15-20 grammar concepts, and you likely already know them intuitively. Instead of memorizing rules, focus on recognizing patterns in how the ACT tests these concepts. For example, pronoun agreement questions almost always involve a pronoun whose antecedent is ambiguous or far away from the pronoun itself. Once you see the pattern, you can spot the answer quickly. Reading your answers aloud (especially on test day, silently) often helps too—your ear catches awkward phrasing that your conscious mind might miss.

A tutor's main advantage is personalization. While everyone could benefit from more practice tests, not everyone struggles with the same things—some students need help with grammar, others with time management, and others with reading comprehension. A tutor pinpoints your exact weak spots by analyzing your test results, then designs a study plan that targets those areas. They also teach you test-specific strategies that generic study guides don't cover, and they provide real-time feedback on your thinking, not just your answers. For Minneapolis students preparing for the ACT, connecting with an expert tutor can mean the difference between plateauing and breaking through to your goal score.