Many students struggle with managing time across longer, more challenging passages, distinguishing between similar answer choices, and making inferences from subtle textual clues. Others find it difficult to maintain focus through dense academic writing or to identify an author's tone and purpose. Personalized 1-on-1 instruction helps you target your specific weak areas and develop strategies to tackle these obstacles.

Varsity Tutors connects you with expert tutors who assess your current reading level and identify which question types and passage styles challenge you most. Your tutor creates a customized study plan that combines targeted practice with proven strategies like active reading, annotation techniques, and answer elimination methods. You'll work through real ISEE passages and receive detailed feedback on your reasoning and comprehension skills.

Most students benefit from 8-12 weeks of consistent preparation, though the timeline depends on your starting point and test date. With focused tutoring sessions 1-2 times per week, you can make meaningful progress in understanding passage types, building vocabulary, and mastering question-answering strategies. Your tutor will help you create a realistic timeline based on your goals and current performance.

Vocabulary is crucial—the ISEE tests words in context, so understanding sophisticated academic language directly impacts your comprehension and score. Rather than memorizing isolated words, effective preparation focuses on learning vocabulary through passage reading and understanding how word choice reveals meaning and tone. Your tutor can help you build a strong academic vocabulary while teaching strategies for decoding unfamiliar words during the test.

Explicit details are directly stated in the passage, while inferences require you to read between the lines and use textual evidence to draw conclusions. The Upper Level section heavily emphasizes inference questions, which challenge you to understand implied meanings, author's intent, and character motivations. Tutoring helps you distinguish between these question types and develop a systematic approach to supporting inferences with specific evidence from the text.

Official ISEE practice tests and materials from the test maker are essential—they reflect the actual format, difficulty, and question types you'll encounter. Your tutor can guide you through these materials strategically, helping you analyze mistakes and refine your approach rather than simply taking test after test. Supplementary passages from literature, history, and science can also build your comfort with diverse content areas.

Look for tutors with proven expertise in standardized test preparation, particularly the ISEE, combined with strong English or reading instruction backgrounds. They should understand the specific demands of Upper Level reading—complex passages, inference-heavy questions, and time management—and have a track record helping students improve their scores. Varsity Tutors connects you with experienced tutors who can demonstrate their knowledge and teaching approach during an initial consultation.