ACT and SAT Tutoring: When Is Enough Enough?

At Star Tutors, we’ve tried to create a handful of ACT and SAT tutoring programs that we believe work for most students. We’ve found that about 30 hours of ACT or SAT prep is generally enough time for students to cover most of the important topics and take several practice tests. And about 40 hours of ACT or SAT prep allows a hard-working student to get through everything on the test. With a good ACT or SAT tutor, and time to complete one of our standard programs, you should be in great shape.

But over the years, we frequently have students decide to work with us beyond our standard programs, primarily so they can practice with additional ACT or SAT tests. Let me first say: THIS IS GREAT! If a student has the time and resources, taking additional practice tests after completing one of our standard ACT or SAT prep courses is the best way to see massive score increases. (I’ve discussed this in another article: click here).

But the question may come up: When should I stop? When is enough enough? My business advisors might say never (smiley face), but, of course, there comes a time when I don’t recommend additional ACT or SAT tutoring. Here’s what to look for:

Plateauing scores: If you’ve completed one of our ACT or SAT tutoring programs, taken at least four or five practice tests, and seen your scores clearly start to plateau, and then you take an official ACT or SAT test and match your plateaued practice test scores, there’s a good chance you’re done. You’ve hopefully—and, dare I say, likely!— seen some significant score increases already. Congratulate yourself, and focus on your usual school work. (An important possible exception: If your ACT or SAT tutor believes that many of the problems you’ve missed are ones that you should be getting correct, you may be able to “pull out” of the plateau. You’ll know this is the case when, as you’re reviewing a test with your tutor, you keep saying to yourself: “How on earth did I miss that one?!” or “Jeez, that was easy—not sure what I was thinking!” You might also notice a number of careless mistakes, which tend to decrease with practice. In these cases, you probably want to keep working with your ACT or SAT tutor. But if you’re test scores have plateaued and most of your misses seem pretty tricky, you’re probably done.)

Long layoff: If you’ve scored at least close to your personal best on a recent official ACT or SAT test, and if there’s a long layoff before the next official test, without ample time (or money) for consistent additional ACT or SAT tutoring, you might call it day. This is specifically applicable to the SAT, which has a long (and unfortunate) break between the early December test and the next test in March. The summer break for the ACT (as of this writing) also counts. Students will get rusty if they’re not either regularly meeting with their ACT or SAT tutors or actively working on their own for those three months. (Again, I assume that you’ve completed one of our ACT or SAT tutoring programs—at least 30 hours of tutoring for most students. You should have learned the most important techniques and strategies for the tests before considering any of these bullets.)

Easier points (non-Reading): If your non-Reading scores have already increased significantly (for the ACT test, this includes English, Math, and Science scores, and for the SAT test, this includes Writing/Language and Math), you might discontinue your ACT or SAT tutoring. You’ve already grabbed the “easier” points. Reading scores are often harder to raise significantly, so while continued ACT or SAT tutoring will probably lead to higher scores, the returns may be diminishing.

Target score: Perhaps it’s obvious, but if you had a target score in mind—probably one that you or a college counselor decided would safely get you into the colleges of your choice—and if you meet this target score on a real ACT or SAT test, you can consider yourself done. Additional ACT or SAT prep might raise your score, but consider it gravy (i.e. optional).

We’ve worked with some students well beyond one of our regular ACT or SAT preparation programs. Scores, we’re happy to say, tend to continue increasing. In fact, for students who show slower growth or who are “poor test takers,” we see some of the greatest score increases post-program, when we can put the learning of techniques and strategies behind us and just focus on fine-tuning these techniques on ACT or SAT practice tests. So if you have the time, I’m all for continued tutoring after you’ve completed a standard ACT or SAT tutoring program. But there does come a time when enough is enough. If you’ve met any of the conditions described above, consider calling it quits with your ACT or SAT prep. Take a walk. Read a book. And pat yourself on the back for a job well done.