Two of the most common questions I see from clients as a test prep tutor are…
“How many tutoring lessons does my student need to prepare for this test?”
“How many weeks or months should my student spend on test prep?”
Without a first lesson, this is impossible to estimate. And even after I’ve met with a student, the amount of tutoring or the total number of lessons they need is based on specific factors in their test prep. That also extends to how much time they should spend on test preparation itself. The average time is at least 2 to 3 months.
⭐Top Factors⭐
✅ A student’s commitment to study and practice on a daily or weekly basis outside of tutoring
✅ Their score goals
✅ How close they are now to their score goals
✅ Their strengths and weaknesses in the tested subject areas
✅ Consistent application of strategies and techniques they learn during lessons
✅ Any struggle areas that pop up during their practice and practice test takes
✅ How much time they have to prepare
🚫 One-size-fits-all approach to lessons
🚫 Guaranteed results within a certain range of lessons
🚫 Students need as few lessons as possible
🚫 Independent study results don’t matter
A tutor meets the student where they are at now and helps them build on the skills they have now. The test date is the final factor! This ultimate goal decides how much preparation a student can do within that time frame.
I always recommend:
1️⃣ Start test prep as early as possible
2️⃣ Make sure your student’s test date is a reasonable, realistic goal line for them to reach.
Parents, please comment below! I would love to hear your thoughts if you’ve experienced this or are considering test prep for your children.
Interested in tutoring or have questions?
FAQ about Natalie’s test prep
Do you offer a full test prep program or classes?
I offer one-on-one lessons, not classes, where my tutoring adapts to the needs of every student. I guide students through their test prep with targeted concept review, strategies, and time management techniques. I do not have a one-size-fits-all approach or set curriculum for everyone to follow.
What does a typical lesson with you look like?
Test preparation is a combination of concept review and test-taking strategies. I help my students not just get to the right answer, but also understand how they got to the right answer and what makes it correct. They also learn how to methodically approach questions and answers. A typical lesson for a reading comprehension test section would be working through a number of passages with test-specific questions, for example, or for math test sections, working through practice questions and any needed concept review for those questions at the same time. A good amount of lesson time is spent on mastering strategies and building good time management skills. By understanding how a test works and how the testmakers have created the questions, students better learn how to take that test with minimal stress and maximum success.
Can you guarantee a score increase on the actual test?
Successful test prep depends entirely on a student’s commitment to a study plan, daily practice, and application of strategies and techniques learned during lessons. I personally cannot promise that any student will definitely raise scores just because of my tutoring. However, students who practiced diligently and listened to my advice during lessons — and applied it — did in fact raise their scores significantly.
How many lessons will my child need?
Some students need more support, while others need less. Guessing how many lessons a student needs requires more information. To start, I always ask for practice test results or previous test results to help me see where we need to focus our efforts the most. I also ask about what test prep, if any, you have done so far, and what your specific test score goals are. Your test preparation should start as early as possible before a test date. If your child has any struggles or gaps in a specific subject area, like math, reading or vocabulary, then they will most likely need more tutoring than the average student.
Natalie G. Private Tutoring 