The same skills get tested over and over on standardized tests. The numbers or words or charts may be different, but the underlying skills are the same: reading comprehension, vocabulary, math, grammar, decision-making processes, and basic science (ACT only). Scores go up when students improve these skills.

I will usually assign 2-3 hours of homework per week. The assignments are either practice tests or drills that target high-value skills. I see most students once per week for one hour.

It’s very important for students to take mock tests that simulate the real experience as closely as possible. I also recommend using official practice tests whenever possible. The ACT releases a book with official tests. The SAT has an app (Bluebook) with free tests. I’ll usually have students take one mock test right at the beginning, then keep taking them every 3 or 4 weeks until the test.

There are three main strategies for answering reading questions: 1) Go back to find information in the passage. 2) Think of your own answers before looking at the choices. 3) Find three wrong answers. Many students also benefit from taking quick notes while they read. These strategies are easy to describe, but difficult to execute quickly and accurately.

If we are meeting for a longer period of time, I like working through difficult articles to improve their comprehension and paraphrasing skills. We go paragraph by paragraph, and even phrase by phrase, so that the student knows what it feels like to fully understand the material. This work is very demanding, so I like to use engaging articles like “The Squid Hunter” (David Grann) and “Star In A Bottle” (Raffi Khatchadourian).

Both sections are very content-heavy. They can be mastered with the same systematic approach: Take lots of official practice tests, learn the questions you missed, and periodically redo all of the missed questions on blank copies. If you are thorough, you will recognize 95%+ of the material on your actual test. I also recommend Mathchops, because it speeds up the process (and makes it more fun).

Most of the Science practice revolves around time management. I like students to start by taking the sections untimed. Then we start to phase in the time pressure. Along the way, I help them recognize common question types and suggest different approaches (like turning each question into a checklist).

I only focus on these areas for the ISEE and SSAT. Memorization is crucial. I help students create and maintain a daily practice routine that allows them to acquire new words while maintaining the old ones. For sentence completions, I recommend that students think of their own answers before looking at the choices. For analogies, I teach students to build bridges between the words and then run all of the answer choices through those bridges.