Award-Winning TOEFL Tutors
serving Queens, NY
Award-Winning
TOEFL
Tutors in Queens
Private 1-on-1 tutoring, weekly live classes for academic support, test prep & enrichment, practice tests and diagnostics, and more to elevate grades and test scores.
Based on 3.4M Learner Ratings
UniversitiesSchools & Universities
DeliveredHours Delivered
ProficiencyGrowth in Proficiency
Who needs tutoring?
No obligation. Takes ~1 minute.

I am an English language coach with 30 years of experience teaching ESL/EFL in schools, universities, and private settings. Since May 2022, I have tutored for Varsity Tutors, consistently earning high ratings. I hold a BA in English (Film and Communication) from McGill University and a diploma in Community Services from Centennial College. I help students improve English for academic, business, and social purposes, including exam prep and college essays. My diverse interests, multicultural background, and positive approach make lessons engaging and adaptable to individual learning styles.

Karin McKie, MFA, compiles curriculum and personalizes teaching for a broad spectrum of students. I know there is no better, nor more crucial, calling than helping learners communicate their voices and realize their educational dreams. I specialize in tutoring all standardized tests, including the LSAT, SAT, PSAT, ACT, GRE, HSPT, ISEE, Accuplacer, STAAR, TOEFL/IELTS, ASVAB, all AP/IB English and history classes, and more. I also created and published a simple reading annotation system and related strategies specifically to tackle timed tests, as well as teaching critical reading, comparative literature, public speaking, and theater. As a professional writer and editor, I coach students in persuasive writing for schoolwork, college application and supplemental essays, internship and job applications, and the like. For decades, I've taught and lectured at universities, schools, and with individuals in Chicagoland and the Bay Area, and to online students of all ages around the world. I customize study plans with learners and their advocates to utilize existing abilities and add new techniques to reach personal and scholastic goals. I have a BS in Communications and Theater, and an MFA in Creative Writing. I have completed Continuing Education courses at Stanford, Northwestern and DePaul Universities. I'm a professional features writer and culture critic. I've edited Perspective design journal and Reed literary magazine and have performed memoir essays I've written on Chicago Public Radio. I come from a family of teachers and was fortunate to grow up at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History, where my anthropologist mom was Education Director. Since early childhood, I've been immersed in multicultural and ELL education. I've devoted my personal and professional time to diversity and storytelling, starting at public TV station WETA in my hometown outside Washington, D.C., where I was certified as a trainer with Sesame Street's Preschool Education Project. I've also taught creativity and teambuilding through improvisation to all ages (as well as creating a kids summer camp), reading for the SAG Foundations BookPALS (Performing Artists for Literacy in Schools) program, plus reading and writing skills to at-risk students through the Park District's Kraft Great Kids Program. I've assisted many of my arts marketing clients, including Barrel of Monkeys and Kidworks Touring Theatre, with youth literacy programs at schools and libraries throughout the Windy City.
I am an interdisciplinary educator with an Ed.M. from the Harvard Graduate School of Education and a B.A. from Dartmouth College. My background is primarily in integrated arts learning and museum education and I specialize in visual arts, history and art history, and object-based learning. In all subjects, I take a creative, inquiry-based and learner-centered approach, designing opportunities for each unique individual to meet their learning goals.
I'm not tutoring or buried in my textbooks, you will either find me rock climbing at the Triangle Rock Club, playing Ultimate Frisbee, working on my car, or enjoying the great outdoors (beaches, mountains, forests--you name it, I love it). On rainy weekends I enjoy tinkering with computers and old electronics, playing Pokemon, or picking at my guitar.
I am a recent graduate from a masters program in biostatistics at Columbia University. I received my Bachelor of Arts in biological sciences, with a focus in neurobiology at Northwestern University. In August, I will be starting a doctoral program in biostatistics at NYU. I was a teaching assistant at Columbia University in my department and also have tutored graduate students and undergraduates privately as well. My primary areas of tutoring are math and statistics coursework in addition to math sections on standardized tests such as the GRE and GMAT. I am very passionate about helping students feel more confident and excited about math. In my spare time, I enjoy running, playing piano, and spending time with friends and family.
I am a graduate of Wesleyan University, where I received my Bachelor of Arts in Sociology with High Honors. With eight years of experience working in education, I've tutored students in math, science, history, and English, as well as helped students prepare for standardized tests. I've guided adults towards passing the US Citizenship Exam and taught English in India, where I lived for six months. Whenever I work with a student I personalize the lessons to fit their particular learning style, since I know every student is unique and having the right fit can make all the difference in making learning fun and effective. My strengths are tutoring the social sciences and humanities, as well as making math and standardized tests approachable to students that normally don't like those subjects. In my spare time I like traveling, spending time in the outdoors (climbing & backpacking), meditation, and playing soccer. Next fall I will be beginning my PhD in Education at Harvard University.
I am a rising sophomore at Harvard College and am about to declare as a Mechanical Engineering concentrator, working towards a Bachelor of Science degree. I've always enjoyed sharing my knowledge with my peers and those around me and have done so in both formal and informal settings. I've been a tutor for both Math and Spanish programs in high school and enjoyed the strides I made with students. I am willing to tutor any subject I have a background in, but am strong in mathematics, the sciences, Spanish, history, writing, and ACT prep. I enjoy teaching mathematics most due to the joy I can see in children once they master a topic and can answer even pointed questions meant to stump them, and maybe even put their knowledge to real world use. As a tutor, I like to give a strong foundation to orient my student, and then gradually grant them more freedom and independence until they can feel themselves grasp the concept, pointing out pitfalls or common errors along the way; teachers who used these methods on me always left the most lasting impressions. Outside of my studies, I really enjoy listening to music, both old favorites and new interests, reading classics, and gaming/playing basketball with my friends.
I'm Solange - a recent graduate from Harvard where I studied Sociology & Women's Studies. I've been tutoring for eight years now, and have worked with a wide range of ages and in a wide range of subjects. Some of my specialties are college prep/test taking II worked in the admissions office on campus); social sciences; and literature/writing.
I am a graduate of Washington University in St Louis, where I received my Bachelor of Arts in History with minors in Humanities and Anthropology. Since graduation, I have worked as a tutor, teacher, and director of tutors at a charter public middle school in Boston. During this time I also received my Masters in Mild to Moderate Disabilities from Simmons College. I have worked extensively with students with a range of abilities, including students with specific learning disabilities, emotional impairments, dyslexia, and ADHD. My teaching experience has given me a deep understanding of the knowledge and habits essential to academic success and has given me the opportunity to hone a variety of strategies that ensure students at each level can achieve their academic goals. While I tutor a broad range of subjects, my favorite ones are Reading, Elementary/Middle School Math, History, and Test Prep. In my experience, tutoring is the most rewarding when a student has that "aha!" moment and achieves a new level of understanding and confidence in his/her abilities. I am a firm believer in the transformative power of education, and I see my role to be that of a facilitator and coach who is there to help the student reach his/her goals through individualized support and rigorous practice. In my free time, I enjoy reading, running, practicing my Spanish, and discovering new music. I am also an avid traveler and just got back from a 3 month trip to South America. I look forward to the opportunity to work with you!
I am a junior Mechanical Engineering major at Yale, and I hope to become a Naval Aviator after college. I am also a varsity sailor, and enjoy playing music with friends when I can get some free time. I have been tutoring my fellow students throughout my entire academic career, and I would best describe my tutoring style as one that adapts to each students' needs. For example, I have always tried to frame questions in a different way so that the student can better understand the question. Some students need visual representations of numbers and systems to understand them, and others benefit more by understanding the concepts behind each formula. I prefer to tutor in math and physics, and especially with real world application problems. I hope to help students improve their standardized test scores and their understanding of the math and sciences so that they can achieve their academic goals!
I am proud to be a part of Varsity Tutors! I am originally from San Antonio, TX; I completed my undergraduate education at Rice University in Houston where I received a bachelor's degree in Biochemistry and Cell Biology. Currently, I am in my second year of medical school at Baylor College of Medicine.
I am an aspiring applied mathematician, with particular interest in image processing and climate science. I graduated in May 2017 from Washington University in St. Louis with a bachelor's in physics and mathematics, and am beginning a PhD program in September 2017 at the University of Chicago in Computational and Applied Mathematics. I've tutored introductory physics students for three years and enjoyed it thoroughly, as a chance to help other students while revisiting fundamental concepts to enhance my own knowledge. I'm eager to continue reaching out and helping students of math and physics to succeed and, furthermore, to appreciate the beauty and power of these subjects.
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Frequently Asked Questions
TOEFL score improvement depends on your starting point and engagement level, but students typically see meaningful gains within 8-12 weeks of consistent personalized instruction. The TOEFL exam is scored on a 0-120 scale, and many students improve by 10-25 points with targeted tutoring that addresses their specific weak areas—whether that's Reading comprehension, Listening accuracy, Speaking fluency, or Writing clarity.
Personalized tutoring is particularly effective because tutors can identify exactly which skills are holding you back (rather than treating all students the same) and create a customized study plan. For example, if you struggle with academic lectures in the Listening section, a tutor focuses intensively on that skill rather than spending time on areas you've already mastered.
This is actually a common pattern, and personalized tutoring excels in this situation. You can work with a tutor who focuses exclusively on your weaker sections—whether that's the Speaking section (which many non-native speakers find challenging), the Writing section, or specific Reading/Listening skills.
Rather than a generic prep course that reviews all four sections equally, a tutor can spend 80% of your session time on, say, Speaking practice while briefly maintaining your stronger Reading skills. This targeted approach saves time and boosts your overall score more efficiently than one-size-fits-all test prep.
Speaking anxiety is one of the most common TOEFL challenges, especially for students preparing for the exam for the first time. Personalized tutoring helps by creating a safe, low-pressure environment where you practice speaking repeatedly—building confidence through repetition rather than memorizing scripted answers.
A tutor can simulate actual TOEFL Speaking tasks, give you immediate, constructive feedback on pronunciation and fluency, and help you develop strategies for thinking quickly and organizing your thoughts under pressure. Over time, this practice makes the actual exam feel much less intimidating because you've already done the task dozens of times with a supportive tutor.
The timeline depends on your current English proficiency level and your target score. If you're aiming for a score around 80-90 (needed for many U.S. universities), most students benefit from 15-25 hours of focused tutoring combined with independent study. If you're targeting 100+, plan for 25-40 hours. The key is that your starting point matters: students already at an intermediate English level typically progress faster than those at beginner levels.
Personalized tutoring accelerates your timeline because tutors focus effort where it counts most. Rather than spending time on skills you already have, they pinpoint gaps and fill them efficiently—which is why many students see meaningful progress in 2-3 months with consistent 1-on-1 instruction.
Detailed feedback on TOEFL Writing essays is crucial—it's actually one of the most underutilized resources in test prep. The TOEFL Writing section requires two specific essay types (Integrated Writing and Independent Writing), and many students write essays that don't match the official rubric, which means they plateau in their scores despite effort.
With personalized tutoring, you get expert feedback that explains exactly what the TOEFL graders are looking for: appropriate essay structure, well-developed ideas, grammatical accuracy, and relevant supporting details. A tutor reviews your practice essays, identifies patterns in your mistakes (e.g., unclear thesis statements or weak transitions), and teaches you how to fix them before you take the actual exam. This direct feedback loop is far more effective than generic online scoring or self-grading.
TOEFL Reading requires both speed and comprehension—you need to read roughly 600-700 words per minute while understanding complex academic passages. Many students struggle because they either read too slowly (running out of time) or read quickly but miss important details. This is where personalized instruction makes a difference: tutors teach evidence-based strategies like skimming for main ideas, scanning for specific information, and reading strategically based on question type.
A tutor helps you practice with actual TOEFL passages, times your reading, identifies why you're missing questions (Is it vocabulary? Inference? Detail recognition?), and builds your skills in those specific areas. Over time, your reading speed increases naturally because you're reading more efficiently, not rushing.
TOEFL Listening includes extended academic lectures on unfamiliar topics (biology, history, art, etc.), and many students struggle because they're trying to both understand new content AND take notes AND answer questions—all in real time. A tutor helps by teaching you active listening strategies: recognizing signal words that indicate main ideas, anticipating what information will be tested, and taking efficient notes that help you answer questions later.
Beyond strategy, tutors expose you to the wide variety of lecture topics and accents you'll encounter on test day, helping your ear adjust to academic English. With repeated practice on authentic TOEFL listening materials, students build both comprehension and confidence, so the actual exam feels more familiar.
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