Award-Winning ACT English Prep in Chicago
Award-Winning ACT English Prep in Chicago
Everything you need to crush the ACT English in Chicago, IL. Live prep classes, practice tests, 1-on-1 expert tutoring, and AI-powered diagnostics.
Who needs prep?
No obligation. Takes ~1 minute.
Instructors from
- YaleUniversity
- PrincetonUniversity
- StanfordUniversity
- CornellUniversity
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ACT English Prep Classes
Short-term classLiveFun With Phonics
Everyone loves to read their favorite stories–especially beginning readers. In this weekly series, young readers will learn to read, write, and spell with the help of their favorite superheroes, fairy tales, and classic stories. Each week will combine phonics lessons with a favorite story, blending purely-fun discussion with mostly-fun phonics instruction so that new reading superheroes can live happily ever after.
Short-term classLiveBuilding Blocks of 5th Grade Reading & Writing
The school year moves quickly, with so many skills to cover and even more opportunities for learning gaps to emerge. But reading and writing are building block subjects: not only are advanced skills built atop fundamentals, but a student’s ability to read and write is essential for their success in other classes, too. It is therefore critical for students to address and fill reading learning gaps quickly and to continually strengthen these foundations for future learning. That’s why Building Blocks of 5th Grade Reading & Writing meets weekly to give learners the instruction and repetition they need to master building block skills permanently. Each week, an expert instructor will lead students through engaging demonstrations and exercises designed to fill in learning gaps and solidify understanding of the 5th grade literacy skills–such as comparing and contrasting texts, using context clues to decode vocabulary, and conducting and using research in writing–most essential for success the rest of the school year and beyond.
Short-term classLiveAP Language & Composition: 4-Week Exam Review
The AP English Language & Composition exam covers a year’s worth of content in a single morning. So it pays to spend 4 weeks brushing up on concepts and getting the most important skills, formulas, and strategies top of mind to be ready for test day. That’s why this 4-week exam review class provides expert-led review of critical concepts along with strategic guidance on how to handle the question formats and time limits you’ll face on the exam. By the end of the course, you’ll be ready for multiple choice and free response questions on everything from the argument structure through rhetorical analysis.
Short-term classLiveBuilding Blocks of 7th Grade Reading & Writing
The school year moves quickly, with so many skills to cover and even more opportunities for learning gaps to emerge. But reading and writing are building block subjects: not only are advanced skills built atop fundamentals, but a student’s ability to read and write is essential for their success in other classes, too. It is therefore critical for students to address and fill reading learning gaps quickly and to continually strengthen these foundations for future learning. That’s why Building Blocks of 7th Grade Reading & Writing meets weekly to give learners the instruction and repetition they need to master building block skills permanently. Each week, an expert instructor will lead students through engaging demonstrations and exercises designed to fill in learning gaps and solidify understanding of the 7th grade literacy skills–such as distinguishing between connotations of similar words, determining and analyzing an author’s point of view, and writing argumentative essays–most essential for success the rest of the school year and beyond.
Short-term classLiveCreative Writing Workshop
Few things have more power than the written word. In these weekly sessions, young authors will learn to harness that power in all its forms, from poetry to journalism, from memoirs to plays and songs, and much, much more. Each week, learners will examine a different element and use of creative writing and then put it into practice as they build their own writing portfolio.
Short-term classLiveBuilding Blocks of 4th Grade Reading & Writing
The school year moves quickly, with so many skills to cover and even more opportunities for learning gaps to emerge. But reading and writing are building block subjects: not only are advanced skills built atop fundamentals, but a student’s ability to read and write is essential for their success in other classes, too. It is therefore critical for students to address and fill reading learning gaps quickly and to continually strengthen these foundations for future learning. That’s why Building Blocks of 4th Grade Reading & Writing meets weekly to give learners the instruction and repetition they need to master building block skills permanently. Each week, an expert instructor will lead students through engaging demonstrations and exercises designed to fill in learning gaps and solidify understanding of the 4th grade literacy skills–such as using context clues to get “unstuck” while reading, reading for the main idea of a text, and writing conclusions and clear event sequences–most essential for success the rest of the school year and beyond.
Short-term classLiveBuilding Blocks of 8th Grade Reading & Writing
The school year moves quickly, with so many skills to cover and even more opportunities for learning gaps to emerge. But reading and writing are building block subjects: not only are advanced skills built atop fundamentals, but a student’s ability to read and write is essential for their success in other classes, too. It is therefore critical for students to address and fill reading learning gaps quickly and to continually strengthen these foundations for future learning. That’s why Building Blocks of 8th Grade Reading & Writing meets weekly to give learners the instruction and repetition they need to master building block skills permanently. Each week, an expert instructor will lead students through engaging demonstrations and exercises designed to fill in learning gaps and solidify understanding of the 8th grade literacy skills–such as writing well-developed arguments and narratives, identifying and using rhetorical structures, and reading for theme and main idea–most essential for success the rest of the school year and beyond.
Short-term classLiveBuilding Blocks of 3rd Grade Reading
The school year moves quickly, with so many skills to cover and even more opportunities for learning gaps to emerge. But reading is a building block subject: fluency is necessary for comprehension, and comprehension is necessary for just about all other learning in a student’s life. It is therefore critical for students to address and fill reading learning gaps quickly and to continually strengthen these foundations for future learning. That’s why Building Blocks of 3rd Grade Reading meets weekly to give learners the instruction and repetition they need to master building block skills permanently. Each week, an expert instructor will lead students through engaging demonstrations and exercises designed to fill in learning gaps and solidify understanding of the 3rd grade reading skills–such as determining and describing text structure, understanding word relationships and nuances in word meaning, and using context clues to deduce vocabulary meaning–most essential for success the rest of the school year and beyond.
Short-term classLiveAP Literature & Composition: 4-Week Exam Review
The AP Literature & Composition exam covers a year’s worth of content in a single morning. So it pays to spend 4 weeks reviewing key skills and concepts from across the year and focusing on the concepts and strategies necessary to succeed on test day. That’s why this 4-week exam review class provides expert-led review of critical content and preparation for the question types you’ll face on the exam. From fiction to poetry and multiple choice to free response questions, you’ll cover everything you need to conquer the test.
Semester classLiveACT 8-Week Prep Class
Eight weeks. Four sections. One expert instructor. This comprehensive ACT prep course is built for students who are serious about maximizing their score and want a structured, proven path to get there. Each weekly session blends targeted test-taking strategy with the core content knowledge the ACT actually tests, so you're not just learning tricks, you're building real skills. Add in a full-length study schedule that keeps you accountable week over week, and you'll walk into test day feeling prepared, confident, and ready to perform at your best.
Short-term classLiveBuilding Blocks of 1st Grade Reading
The school year moves quickly, with so many skills to cover and even more opportunities for learning gaps to emerge. But reading is a building block subject: fluency is necessary for comprehension, and comprehension is necessary for just about all other learning in a student’s life. It is therefore critical for students to address and fill reading learning gaps quickly and to continually strengthen these foundations for future learning. That’s why Building Blocks of 1st Grade Reading meets weekly to give learners the instruction and repetition they need to master building block skills permanently. Each week, an expert instructor will lead students through engaging demonstrations and exercises designed to fill in learning gaps and solidify understanding of the 1st grade reading skills–such as reading to determine how characters respond to events, compare and contrast versions of stories, use context clues to determine word meanings, and understand and comprehend text–most essential for success the rest of the school year and beyond.
Short-term classLiveBuilding Blocks of 2nd Grade Reading
The school year moves quickly, with so many skills to cover and even more opportunities for learning gaps to emerge. But reading is a building block subject: fluency is necessary for comprehension, and comprehension is necessary for just about all other learning in a student’s life. It is therefore critical for students to address and fill reading learning gaps quickly and to continually strengthen these foundations for future learning. That’s why Building Blocks of 2nd Grade Reading meets weekly to give learners the instruction and repetition they need to master building block skills permanently. Each week, an expert instructor will lead students through engaging demonstrations and exercises designed to fill in learning gaps and solidify understanding of the 2nd grade reading skills–such as reading to determine main idea, understanding non-literal vocabulary and using context and root words to determine meaning–most essential for success the rest of the school year and beyond.
Top-Rated ACT English Prep Instructors in Chicago
Andrew's English Literature degree from the University of Chicago trained him to read sentences not just for meaning but for structural logic — exactly the skill ACT English rewards on its sentence fu...
Education & Certificates
University of Chicago
Bachelor of Arts in English Language and Literature and Theater and Performance Studies
ACT Scores
University of Chicago political science trains students to read arguments closely and identify exactly where reasoning breaks down — a skill that maps directly onto ACT English's rhetorical skills que...
Education & Certificates
University of Chicago
Bachelor in Arts in Political Science
ACT Scores
Jacob's dual literature degrees from Vanderbilt gave him something most grammar-focused prep misses: a reader's instinct for when a sentence undermines the argument it's supposed to support — the exac...
Education & Certificates
Vanderbilt University
Bachelors in Literature
ACT Scores
Karishma's dual background in English and Psychology at Northwestern gives her an unusual diagnostic lens for ACT English prep: she can identify not just which grammar rules a student is missing, but ...
Education & Certificates
Northwestern University
Bachelor in Arts
ACT Scores
Jack's double major in Theatre and Economics at Northwestern trained him to read text two ways at once — for meaning and for structure — which is exactly the skill ACT English rewards on its rhetorica...
Education & Certificates
Northwestern University
B.A. in Theatre and Economics
ACT Scores
Northwestern's MD/MBA program demands the kind of writing precision that ACT English tests directly — Anna reads every sentence for function, not feel, and that's the diagnostic lens she brings to pre...
Education & Certificates
Northwestern University
Bachelor in Arts, Anthropology
Northwestern University
Graduated (Honors Program in Medical Education)
ACT Scores
Alyssa's English and Psychology double background at Notre Dame gives her an unusual angle on ACT English prep: she diagnoses not just which grammar rules a student is missing, but why certain error t...
Education & Certificates
University of Notre Dame
Bachelor in Arts, English, Psychology
ACT Scores
Benjamin's economics training at the University of Chicago sharpened one skill that transfers directly to ACT English: reading a sentence for its logical structure rather than its surface sound. He co...
Education & Certificates
University of Chicago
Current Undergrad Student, Economics
ACT Scores
Alissa's law school training at Notre Dame built exactly the skill ACT English rewards most: reading sentences for structural correctness rather than relying on what sounds natural. She coaches studen...
Education & Certificates
Loyola University-Chicago
Bachelor in Arts, Political Science and Government
University of Notre Dame
Juris Doctor, Legal Studies
Industrial engineering at Northwestern trains you to find inefficiencies in systems — and Rushi applies that same diagnostic logic to ACT English prep, identifying exactly which question categories ar...
Education & Certificates
Northwestern University
Current Undergrad, Industrial Engineering
ACT Scores
Frequently Asked Questions
The most challenging areas tend to be punctuation rules (especially comma usage and semicolons), rhetorical skills questions that require understanding author intent and organization, and identifying sentence fragments versus run-ons under time pressure. Many students also struggle with verb tense consistency and pronoun agreement because these errors can be subtle. A tutor can help you recognize patterns in your mistakes and develop quick mental checks to catch these errors during the test.
The ACT English section gives you 45 minutes for 75 questions, which means you need to average about 36 seconds per question. Many students waste time by reading every word carefully; instead, focus on the underlined portions and immediately identify what's being tested (grammar, punctuation, or rhetoric). Practicing with timed passages helps you develop a rhythm and recognize question types instantly. A tutor can teach you which questions to tackle first and when to make educated guesses to stay on pace.
The ACT heavily tests comma usage, subject-verb agreement, pronoun-antecedent agreement, verb tense consistency, and sentence fragments. You'll also see questions on modifiers (misplaced or dangling), parallel structure, and apostrophe usage. Rather than memorizing every grammar rule, focus on understanding the core principles—like how commas separate independent clauses or how verbs must match their subjects. A tutor can prioritize these high-frequency rules and show you how to spot them quickly in context.
Rhetorical skills questions ask you to evaluate how effectively an author uses language, organizes ideas, or supports an argument—not just identify grammar errors. These include questions about word choice, sentence placement, paragraph organization, and adding/deleting sentences. They're harder because they require reading comprehension and critical thinking, not just rule-checking. Tutors help you develop a strategic approach: read for the author's purpose and tone, then evaluate whether each answer choice strengthens or weakens that purpose.
Rather than taking full practice tests repeatedly, focus on timed drills with individual passages (5-8 questions each) to build speed and accuracy without fatigue. After completing a passage, review every single question—not just the ones you missed—to understand why correct answers work and why distractors are tempting. Track which question types (grammar, punctuation, rhetoric) and topics (commas, verb tense, etc.) trip you up most. A tutor can help you analyze these patterns and create a targeted study plan that focuses on your weakest areas.
Score improvement depends on your starting point and effort level. Students who are consistently missing 15-20 questions often see 3-5 point improvements within 4-6 weeks by mastering high-frequency grammar rules and developing faster pacing strategies. Students scoring lower may see larger gains by building foundational grammar skills. Those already scoring 32+ often need deeper work on rhetorical skills and test-taking strategy. A tutor can assess your specific weaknesses and give you a realistic timeline based on your goals and availability.
Test anxiety often stems from uncertainty about grammar rules or feeling rushed through passages. Tutoring builds confidence by helping you recognize question patterns, master the most-tested rules, and develop a reliable strategy you can trust under pressure. When you know exactly what to look for and have a consistent approach to each question type, the section feels less overwhelming. Tutors also help you practice timing strategies in low-pressure settings, so the actual test feels familiar rather than threatening.
Look for tutors who understand both the grammar content and the test's unique format—someone who can explain why an answer is correct and why the ACT is testing that concept. They should be able to diagnose your specific weak areas (Do you struggle with commas? Rhetorical skills? Pacing?) rather than teaching generic grammar. Experience with timed practice and test-taking strategy is crucial. Varsity Tutors connects you with expert tutors who specialize in ACT English and can tailor their approach to your learning style and goals.
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