Score improvement depends on your starting point and effort level, but personalized 1-on-1 instruction typically helps students gain 1-3 points on the 1-5 AP scale. The biggest gains come from targeted work on your weakest areas—whether that's analyzing rhetorical devices, organizing arguments, or managing time during the timed essay portions. A tutor can identify exactly where you're losing points and build a focused study plan around those gaps.

Many students struggle with identifying and naming rhetorical devices under time pressure, especially during the multiple-choice section. Others find it difficult to write persuasive essays that go beyond surface-level analysis, or they run out of time trying to perfect their writing. Additionally, understanding the difference between analyzing a text's rhetoric versus summarizing its content trips up a lot of students—the exam rewards deep analysis, not plot summary.

Your first session focuses on understanding where you are right now. A tutor will likely review your recent essays or practice test results, discuss which parts of the course feel strongest and weakest, and talk about your goals for the AP exam. From there, they'll create a personalized study plan that targets your specific needs—whether that's building essay structure, mastering rhetorical analysis, or improving pacing on timed sections.

Practice tests are essential because they help you get comfortable with the exam format, build stamina for the 3-hour test, and identify which question types or writing tasks consistently trip you up. Taking full-length practice tests under timed conditions reveals pacing issues and weak areas that targeted studying can fix. A tutor can review your practice test performance with you, pinpoint patterns in your mistakes, and adjust your study strategy accordingly.

AP English Language essays should have a clear thesis that makes an argument about how a writer uses rhetoric to persuade, followed by body paragraphs that each analyze specific rhetorical choices and their effects. Rather than summarizing what the text says, you're explaining *how* and *why* the writer's techniques work on the audience. Strong essays integrate direct evidence from the text and use precise vocabulary to name the devices being analyzed—vague descriptions lose points.

Test anxiety often stems from feeling unprepared or uncertain about what to expect. Taking multiple full-length practice tests under timed conditions builds confidence and makes the real exam feel familiar rather than scary. Working with a tutor on test-taking strategies—like how to quickly identify the thesis of a passage, which essays to tackle first, or how to manage your 40 minutes per essay—gives you concrete tools that reduce anxiety. Knowing you have a solid plan going in makes a huge difference.

Varsity Tutors connects you with expert tutors who specialize in AP English Language and understand the specific demands of the exam. When you get matched with a tutor, they'll work with you on your schedule and focus on the areas where you need the most help—whether that's essay writing, rhetorical analysis, or test-taking strategy. You can start with a single session to see if the fit works, then build an ongoing study plan leading up to the May exam.