SAT tutoring for the Reading and Writing section

One-on-one SAT tutoring for the Reading and Writing section

The SAT's Reading and Writing section combines what used to be two separate sections — Reading, and Writing & Language — into one 64-minute, 54-question section delivered in two adaptive modules. About half of it tests grammar, punctuation, sentence structure, and rhetorical choices; the other half tests reading comprehension across short passages. Most students find the grammar half is where points come back fastest, because the rules being tested are a finite, learnable list rather than a matter of taste.

Reading on the digital SAT

The reading half of this section looks different from the reading most students have practiced. Instead of a few long passages with ten questions each, you get a lot of very short passages — often 25 to 150 words — with a single question attached to each one. That changes what's hard about it. There's less to hold in your head, but there's no warm-up either: every passage is a cold start, and the question is usually about one specific move the author made.

Most of the questions fall into a handful of recognizable types. Some ask what a word means in its context. Some ask which piece of evidence would support or weaken a claim. Some give you a set of research notes and ask which sentence best accomplishes a stated goal. Some ask for the main idea of a paragraph you've read exactly once. Once a student can name the type of question in front of them, the right approach usually follows — and building that recognition is most of what we work on.

There are two places students reliably lose points. The first is answering from memory, or from what sounds plausible, rather than from what the passage actually says — the wrong answers are written to reward exactly that. The second is pace: with a question for nearly every passage, there's no time to reread everything, so a student needs a way of reading once, deliberately, and moving on. Both are trainable, and both improve faster than vocabulary does.

If your student's reading score sits well below their math score, this is usually where the gap is, and it's usually a matter of method rather than reading ability.

The missing link to real improvement is usually conversation. There are plenty of videos online about SAT strategy, but being able to talk through the nuances of a particular question with a veteran tutor is what builds confidence: why is this choice wrong, exactly? Where's the proof that this one is right?

A few things that come to mind when I think about tutoring kids for SAT Reading and Writing.

1. You gotta play by the rules. A student's ear will sometimes help them pick the right answer, but will, at other times, lead them astray. We make sure students learn all tested English rules so they can precisely tell when things are right or wrong.

2. Use lots of realistic tests. Experience with official College Board SAT tests is essential; third-party tests aren't realistic. We use the most recently released SAT tests in our tutoring sessions so kids have the most current perspective.

3. Test-taking. Since all questions are worth the same on the SAT, we have to play the test-taking game intelligently to win as many points as possible. Strategies to avoid rushing, avoid careless errors, and guess intelligently are important for most people.

We also offer SAT Math tutoring, and most of our clients work on the whole test with us. We offer PSAT tutoring too.

HOW WE CAN HELP

Two things come to mind:

1. Experience. Working with all different kinds of students over many years has given us a deep database of strategies and tactics. It makes it easier for us to figure out effective ways to explain these tricky tests to students.

2. Patience and respect. Mastering the SAT is a process, and it's vital that tutors can not only explain the material well but also that they can be kind and encouraging along the way.

Meet SAT tutor Blake Jensen

Blake: I’m a native San Diegan, father, and an aficionado of basketball, vintage video games, pitchy karaoke, and lecturing my son on how much better Star Wars was "back in the day." I played college basketball at St. Mary’s College and Whittier College, where I earned my B.A. in Psychology in 2002.

Having been a full-time test prep coach for nearly 20 years, I have seen just about every type of student and tutoring situation. This allows me to give my students exactly what they need to reach their goals.

My years of experience have also led me to coach my students a little differently than most. A lot of test prep revolves around how to answer a question. While that is a necessary component, identifying what is needed to answer a question is at least as important, especially for timed tests like the SAT and ACT. I show my students how to look at the test the way I do, to the patterns and tendencies of the tests to make them faster and more accurate.

Though I still work with students of all types, these days I tend to specialize in students with ambitious score goals.

SAT / ACT tutoring with Blake is $380 for a single hour, or booked in packages: $2,250 for 6 hours, $4,200 for 12 hours, or $8,700 for 24 hours.

He meets clients in his Carmel Valley office, or online via Zoom.

Contact Blake