The ACT Reading section gives you 35 minutes for 4 passages and 40 questions—roughly 8-9 minutes per passage. Many students struggle with pacing and rush through, missing key details. Expert tutors work with students on strategies like previewing questions before reading, identifying question types to prioritize (detail questions vs. inference), and determining whether skimming or careful reading works best for each passage. Finding your personal pacing strategy through timed practice is essential, and a tutor can help you diagnose where you're losing time.

Start by reviewing your practice tests to see which question types—detail questions, inference, main idea, word-in-context, function of a paragraph—consistently trip you up. You might find that you excel at detail questions but struggle with inference, or that certain genres (science passages vs. humanities) are harder. Tutors help you analyze your test data to identify these patterns, then focus instruction on your specific weaknesses rather than generic test prep. This targeted approach is much more efficient than trying to improve everything at once.

Test anxiety often comes from feeling unprepared or unsure about what to expect. Working with a tutor builds confidence through familiarity—when you've practiced dozens of timed passages and seen every question type multiple times, the test feels less intimidating. Tutors also teach calming strategies like pacing yourself intentionally, skipping hard passages and returning to them, and reminding yourself that you don't need to be perfect to get a good score. Many students in Denver find that starting tutoring early (junior year) gives them plenty of time to build mastery without cramming.

A good schedule depends on your timeline and starting score. If you're preparing over 3-4 months, aim for one full ACT practice test every 2-3 weeks, then review your reading section mistakes in detail. In the final 4-6 weeks before test day, increase to one full practice test per week. Between full tests, do focused practice on specific passage types or question formats—you don't need to take the entire test every time. Tutors help you choose which practice materials to use and ensure you're reviewing mistakes properly, since taking tests without analyzing errors won't move the needle on your score.

The ACT Reading section doesn't test vocabulary in isolation (unlike SAT), but word-in-context questions ask you to figure out the meaning of words from their context in the passage. These questions can be tricky because the word might have an unfamiliar meaning. Rather than memorizing vocabulary lists, focus on practicing word-in-context questions to get comfortable with the format. Tutors teach strategies like identifying context clues, eliminating wrong answers, and recognizing when a word's unusual definition is being tested. Building a habit of reading challenging material (science articles, classic literature) also naturally expands your exposure to how words function in context.

Varsity Tutors connects students throughout Denver with expert tutors who specialize in ACT Reading. When you get matched with a tutor, you can work together to assess your starting point, set specific score goals, and create a personalized study plan. Because Denver spans 9 school districts with more than 300 schools, students have different schedules and needs—tutors work with your timeline, whether you're a sophomore starting early or a junior in crunch mode. You can start with a consultation to discuss your goals, then meet regularly (typically 1-2 sessions per week during active prep) to build strategies and track progress.