FAQ: What to look for when hiring an SAT Tutor

Not sure what to look for in your SAT tutor or what to expect? Here are some of my top frequently asked questions.

How many sessions will you need?

This depends on so many factors that it’s hard to give an answer until we start working together. How high or low are your PSAT or SAT scores coming into the process? How high do you want to see the scores rise? How much time do you have before the test date you are aiming for? How ambitious and persevering is the student? All these factors will go into the decision of how many sessions you’ll want, but the typical student I see engages me for one hourlong session per week for about 12 to 20 weeks.

What are the fees?

You might be surprised at how affordable it can be to hire someone who actually wrote the test you are preparing for. Please contact me for my current hourly rates.

What materials will we need?

You don’t need to buy any test prep books, since I exclusively use PDFs of real and recent SAT (or ACT) tests for the classes. I strongly prefer that students print these out, since they should get used to working with a paper test, using a pencil to make notations, cross out wrong answers, and so forth. Therefore, a functioning home printer, or access to a functioning printer, is very helpful.

Can we have a sample lesson before committing to tutoring?

I do not offer free sample lessons, but if you are skeptical about the value of hiring a former test writer to help you prepare for the SAT, I urge you to check out my 5-star reviews on my Google business page here.

Do you tutor siblings simultaneously, or small groups?

No, I only tutor one student at a time, because even small differences in skill level between multiple students will make the process less fruitful for students. One-on-one tutoring permits me to address the specific areas of weakness of the student, so that the student will always be engaged and learning—no time is wasted reviewing points that the student has already mastered.

What can we do on our own to help our son or daughter prepare for the test? Will reading books and articles improve his or her reading skills?

The short answer is no: it’s too late at this point to expect a program of reading books or newspaper articles to substantially improve your child’s reading skills before taking the SAT in a matter of weeks or months. The best thing for your child to do now is to become very familiar with the specific skills tested on the SAT, by practicing extensively with the test itself.