Your first session focuses on understanding your baseline and goals. A tutor will review your practice test scores, discuss which math topics feel shaky, and identify patterns in your mistakes—whether it's algebra, geometry, word problems, or test pacing. From there, they'll create a personalized study plan that targets your specific weak areas and fits your timeline before test day.

Timing is one of the biggest challenges on SAT Math—you have about 1.4 minutes per question, which feels rushed if you're solving every problem from scratch. A tutor teaches you which questions to tackle first, how to spot shortcuts and patterns, and when to skip and come back. With practice and strategy coaching, you'll learn to work smarter, not just faster.

The biggest mistakes are misreading questions (especially word problems), making careless arithmetic errors, and not checking work. Students also often overthink problems or waste time on difficult questions instead of moving forward. A tutor helps you develop a systematic approach—reading carefully, working through problems step-by-step, and using the answer choices strategically to catch mistakes before submitting.

Practice tests are essential—they're the best way to identify weak topics, get comfortable with the format, and build stamina for the full test. Most students benefit from taking a full practice test every 2-3 weeks, then reviewing mistakes with a tutor to understand what went wrong. This cycle of practice, review, and targeted instruction is what drives real improvement.

Absolutely. Test anxiety often stems from feeling unprepared or unsure about problem-solving strategies. When you work with a tutor to build genuine mastery of the material and develop a confident approach to different question types, anxiety naturally decreases. Tutors also teach calming strategies and help you practice under timed conditions so test day feels familiar, not scary.

Look for someone with strong math knowledge, proven experience preparing students for the SAT, and a track record of score improvement. They should understand the SAT's specific format and tricks, not just general math. Ideally, they've worked with students at your current score level and can explain their teaching approach clearly in an initial conversation.

Most students benefit from 1-2 sessions per week over 8-12 weeks, though this depends on your starting score and test date. If you're starting 4-5 months out, one session weekly with consistent practice between sessions works well. If you're closer to test day or aiming for a significant score jump, twice-weekly tutoring paired with daily practice is more effective.