Time management is one of the biggest challenges students face. You'll have 3 hours and 15 minutes for three essays and multiple-choice questions, which breaks down to roughly 40 minutes per essay and 1 hour for the 52 multiple-choice questions. Expert tutors can help you develop a pacing strategy that works for your strengths—some students benefit from completing multiple-choice first to build momentum, while others prefer knocking out essays when their mind is freshest. Practice full-length timed exams is essential to finding your rhythm before test day.

Most students struggle with going beyond surface-level observations to explain why an author's rhetorical choices are effective. It's not enough to identify a metaphor or parallel structure—you need to analyze how those strategies contribute to the author's overall purpose and message. Another common challenge is avoiding plot summary and focusing instead on rhetoric. Tutors can help you develop a framework for quickly identifying key strategies, understanding their effect, and articulating that connection clearly under time pressure.

While there's flexibility in essay structure, the strongest responses follow a clear pattern: introduce the author's central argument or purpose, present and analyze 2-3 rhetorical strategies with specific evidence, explain how each strategy supports the author's goal, and reinforce your analysis in a conclusion. For argumentative and synthesis essays, you'll need a clear thesis, evidence from sources, and counterargument acknowledgment. Many students benefit from working with a tutor to develop a reliable template they can adapt quickly, so they're not wasting time deciding structure during the exam.

Aim for at least 3-4 full-length, timed practice tests in the weeks leading up to the exam. This gives you enough data to identify patterns in your errors and refine your strategy without burnout. Beyond full tests, targeted practice on individual essays and multiple-choice sections is equally valuable. After each practice test, review your work carefully to understand not just what you got wrong, but why—this is where a tutor's insight becomes invaluable, helping you spot recurring issues with argumentation, evidence selection, or analysis depth.

Ideally, you'll begin working with a tutor early in the school year so you can reinforce what you're learning in class and build skills progressively. If you're starting later, even 8-10 weeks of focused tutoring can make a meaningful difference—the key is consistent practice and targeted feedback. For students in Miami with access to expert tutors, connecting with someone in the fall gives you the most time to work through challenging essays, develop your analytical voice, and take multiple practice tests before May.

The synthesis essay requires you to take a position and use provided sources strategically to support your argument—not just list what each source says. Start by developing a clear, original thesis, then select sources that genuinely strengthen your position rather than including everything. Your job is to synthesize ideas across sources and show how they connect to your argument. Many students find it helpful to work with a tutor to practice identifying the most relevant evidence quickly, integrating it smoothly into their argument, and avoiding the trap of letting sources take over their own analysis.