Award-Winning ISEE-Upper Level Reading Comprehension
Tutors
Who needs tutoring?
FEATURED BY
TUTORS FROM
- YaleUniversity
- PrincetonUniversity
- StanfordUniversity
- CornellUniversity
Award-Winning ISEE-Upper Level Reading Comprehension Tutors
Certified Tutor
10+ years
Lena
I am currently a Political Science and Environmental Studies major at Brown University. I find it extremely satisfying to share my passion for learning with others. From 2011 through 2013, I tutored middle school students in the Oakland Public School system through the Partners Program. From 2014 to...
Brown University
Current Undergrad, Political Science and Environmental Studies
Certified Tutor
5+ years
Nicole
I am passionate about helping students. I believe that we all are learners and teachers. all of us are readers and writers. I have the ability to share my passion for learning with others, and one of my greatest strengths is building relationships with students which is the corner stone to successfu...
University of Michigan-Flint
Master of Arts, Education
University of Innsbruck
Bachelor in Arts, Linguistics
Certified Tutor
6+ years
Erin
I am a recent graduate from Northwestern University with a Bachelor of Arts in Gender & Sexuality Studies and a minor in United States History. I'm excited to join the Varsity Tutors team and begin tutoring students ranging from elementary to high school because I believe that a tailored, inspiring ...
Northwestern University
Bachelor of Arts in Gender & Sexuality Studies; minor in United States History
Certified Tutor
9+ years
Samantha
I am a rising Junior at Princeton University who is passionate about the ways in which people learn, which has led me to pursue a degree in Neuropsychology. Through great experiences teaching English in Chiangmai, Thailand for two months and tutoring Calculus I and II through Princeton University's ...
Princeton University
Current Undergrad Student, Psychology
Certified Tutor
9+ years
Francesca
I am a graduate of Loyola University Chicago, where I majored in political science. I am currently a law student at Chicago-Kent College of Law, and aspire one day to practice corporate law with a focus on financial compliance.
Loyola University-Chicago
Bachelor of Economics, Political Science and Government
Certified Tutor
9+ years
Ethan
I am a strong believer that no two students are alike, so I adapt my teaching style to each student to help them learn using their strengths while developing the areas they need to improve. Additionally, I like to take a holistic view of a students academic needs to help them move beyond their chall...
University of California-Santa Cruz
Bachelor in Arts, Linguistics
Certified Tutor
5+ years
Victoria
I am a graduate of The Brearley School and Juilliard Pre-College, as well as a current student at Carleton College where I am studying Anthropology and Archaeology. I have previous tutoring experience in both essay writing/editing and SAT verbal. The subjects I am most passionate about are History, ...
Carleton College
Current Undergrad Student, Anthropology
Certified Tutor
9+ years
Ben
I am a high school history teacher who has also worked as a teaching assistant at one of the country's top 10 colleges. I've taught ACT/SAT prep for about 4 years to students at all ends of the academic spectrum: from those working with learning disabilities/accommodations & struggling with timing t...
Ball State University
Bachelor of Science, History
Northwestern University
Current Grad Student, Creative Writing
Certified Tutor
10+ years
Olivia
I am a graduate of Drew University in Madison, NJ with a degree in English Literature. In my free time, I enjoy reading, running, and spending time with my family and friends. I am enthusiastic about helping students to improve their academic confidence, essays, and test scores. Through ACT and AP t...
University
Bachelor's
Certified Tutor
8+ years
Kaitlyn
I am a medical student committed to helping your student succeed. I have been a tutor for 5+ years, and have experience teaching Math, Science, Spanish and Test Prep to students of all ages and ability. I believe every child has the potential to learn with positive one on one attention and I am comm...
Fairfield University
Bachelor of Science, Biology, General
Practice ISEE-Upper Level Reading Comprehension
Free practice tests, flashcards, and AI tutoring for ISEE-Upper Level Reading Comprehension
Top 20 Test Prep Subjects
Meet Our Expert Tutors
Connect with highly-rated educators ready to help you succeed.
Nicole
Calculus Tutor • +74 Subjects
I am currently a graduate student in the Clinical Mental Health Counseling master's program at Nova Southeastern University, and I received my B.A. in English with a minor in Spanish from the University of Miami in 2016. I am a native speaker of English and Russian. Throughout the course of my education, I have helped my fellow students improve their analytical and writing skills through collaboration. I am able to tutor a broad range of subjects, including standardized test preparation, English literature up to the college level, essay and academic writing and grammar, Russian and Spanish language skills. Having scored in the top percentiles on the verbal and essay writing sections of standardized tests, such as the SAT and GRE, I also possess the perspective and expertise to help others excel on these and similar exams. I am passionate about empowering students to achieve their full potential through education, and I strongly believe tutoring can be a valuable tool for any student's academic growth. In my free time, I enjoy reading, crafting, and journaling.
Sarah
Calculus Tutor • +61 Subjects
I'm dedicated to ensuring that each of my students leaves our sessions with greater knowledge and a deeper love of learning.
Alexandra
Middle School Math Tutor • +182 Subjects
I am a rising senior at The University of North Texas in Denton. I am working towards my Bachelor of Arts in Spanish as well as English with a concentration in Creative Writing. I was raised in an academically competitive environment in Fort Bend County and my rigorous secondary education prepared me for success in college. I am a fortunate member of the Terry Scholarship Foundation, which has provided me and hundreds of other Texans with a private, four-year, full-ride scholarship. As a Terry Scholar, I am well-versed in all subjects and have taken on the role of mentor to many of the incoming freshmen. I have spent most of my free time in college as a nanny and tutor to families around the DFW area. I have experience with all age groups and there is nothing that intimidates me! While I tutor a broad range of subjects, I am most passionate about English, Literature, History, Spanish, and Government/Social Studies. Through my experiences helping struggling students and peers, I have realized the value of adaptability. Most people reach out to a tutor because the traditional classroom method is not best suited for their learning needs. There is nothing more joyful than when a student finally understands the material in a way that makes sense to them. Many times, students need flexibility and patience in order to grasp a foreign concept. I am a firm believer in the power of education and I hope to share my love of learning with all of my students. After graduation I plan on returning to Houston to obtain my Master of Arts in Teaching from Rice University. In my spare time, I enjoy reading and writing anything from poetry to screenplays. I have also been involved in competitive dance for most of my adolescence, so I understand the balance of academics and extracurriculars. Hobbies: reading, music, writing, art, books, dancing, yoga
Emily
Calculus Tutor • +49 Subjects
I'm passionate about providing the best and most individualized tutoring possible to students of all ages through Varsity Tutors. Hobbies: reading, music, art, books, writing
Joseph
Pre-Algebra Tutor • +117 Subjects
I am not teaching, I enjoy going to the movies, spending time with my five younger brothers and sisters, and volunteering within MENSA. I believe that learning can always be made fun and is extremely rewarding when you put in the work. I look forward to sharing my love of all these subjects with you as a future student, and I look forward to meeting you!
Chase
Applied Mathematics Tutor • +132 Subjects
I am listening to and learning about him or her as an individual. I can also discover what motivates the student during this conversation and plan for how to frame future tutoring sessions in terms of what the student already knows and enjoys.
Sydney
Pre-Algebra Tutor • +96 Subjects
I am a senior Psychology, Spanish, and Religion major, and I have been tutoring for over ten years. I love working with students of all ages, and I have five years of experience working with students with learning differences! I specialize in English literature, writing, learning differences, and Spanish.
Paul
Calculus Tutor • +36 Subjects
I am involved in the preparation of students for university/higher education entrance and for prospective employees applying to enter the world of work. I offer best-practice rsum preparation and interview experience.
Genevieve
Middle School Math Tutor • +34 Subjects
I'm a fun-loving, creative writer with a background in teaching high school english literature and critical thinking. I've worked for years in copywriting and editing. I love to take a part text and discuss concepts from sentence structure and vocabulary to building a thesis for an analytic essay. I love working with students of all ages and will customize my lessons to the needs of my student. I approach all of my lessons with energy, passion and patience and would love to work with you!
Brooke
Calculus Tutor • +33 Subjects
I am especially familiar with critical analysis of film and theater, but have studied a variety of literary traditions.
Top 20 Subjects
Frequently Asked Questions
The ISEE-Upper Level Reading section gives you 35 minutes to read 6-7 passages and answer 36 questions—roughly 5 minutes per passage. Many students rush through passages and miss key details, or spend too long on difficult questions. A tutor can help you develop a strategic approach: previewing questions before reading to know what to look for, skimming for main ideas rather than reading every word, and learning which questions to tackle first (easier inference questions before complex vocabulary-in-context ones). Practice with timed drills helps you internalize pacing so you're not guessing on the last few questions.
Detail questions ask you to locate and identify information explicitly stated in the passage—these are usually faster to answer if you know where to look. Inference questions require you to read between the lines and draw conclusions based on evidence in the text, which demands deeper comprehension. Many students struggle with inference questions because they either choose answers that sound right but aren't supported by the passage, or they confuse their own opinions with what the author actually implies. A tutor can teach you to mark evidence in the text as you read, distinguish between "stated" and "suggested," and practice the specific inference patterns ISEE favors (author's tone, character motivation, cause-and-effect relationships).
ISEE-Upper Level vocabulary questions don't test obscure words—they test whether you can determine meaning from context and recognize that words have multiple meanings. The test often uses familiar words in unfamiliar ways, which trips up students who rely on dictionary definitions. The key is to cover the word, read the sentence and surrounding context, predict what word might fit, and then check which answer choice matches your prediction. Tutors can show you how to identify context clues (synonyms, contrasts, examples, cause-and-effect), avoid picking the most common definition of a word, and recognize when the passage itself defines or hints at the meaning you need.
Yes—narrative/literary passages, science passages, and social studies passages each have distinct features. Narrative passages focus on character motivation and tone, so you need to track emotional shifts and relationships. Science passages are dense with technical information and cause-and-effect relationships; skimming for structure (how the author explains a concept) matters more than memorizing facts. Social studies passages often present arguments or multiple perspectives, so identifying the author's main claim and supporting evidence is critical. A tutor can help you recognize passage type quickly, adjust your reading strategy accordingly, and practice the question patterns that appear most often with each type.
ISEE-Upper Level test makers use predictable wrong answer patterns: answers that are true but not supported by the passage, answers that misquote or distort what the passage says, answers that sound sophisticated but miss the author's actual point, and answers that confuse similar ideas from different parts of the passage. Students often pick these traps because they're reading too quickly or relying on background knowledge instead of textual evidence. Working with a tutor, you'll learn to eliminate answers by asking "Where in the passage does this come from?" and "Does the passage actually support this claim?" This systematic elimination approach dramatically improves accuracy even when you're uncertain.
Improvement depends on your starting point and effort. Students who struggle with pacing and question strategy often see 2-4 point gains (on the 9-point scale) within 4-6 weeks of focused work. Students working on deeper comprehension issues—like distinguishing inference from detail or recognizing author's tone—may take 8-12 weeks to solidify these skills. The biggest gains come from combining strategy instruction with consistent practice on real ISEE passages and timed drills. A tutor can diagnose whether your challenges are speed-related, comprehension-related, or strategy-related, then target instruction accordingly. Most students see measurable improvement within 3-4 sessions if they practice between meetings.
Many students take full practice tests but don't analyze their mistakes—they just move on. Instead, take timed practice sections (not full tests) to build stamina without burnout, then spend 2-3 times longer reviewing what you got wrong. For each mistake, identify whether it was a timing issue (you rushed), a comprehension issue (you misunderstood the passage), a strategy issue (you didn't know how to approach that question type), or a careless error. A tutor can help you spot patterns in your mistakes—maybe you always miss inference questions, or you struggle with science passages—and design targeted practice around those weak areas. This focused review is far more valuable than taking test after test.
Reading anxiety often stems from feeling unprepared or overwhelmed by the time pressure. As you build concrete strategies—knowing exactly how to tackle each question type, practicing pacing until it feels automatic, and seeing your accuracy improve on practice passages—confidence naturally follows. A tutor can also teach you to manage the mental side: staying calm when you encounter a difficult passage (it's normal; you don't need to understand every word), using process of elimination to narrow down answers even when uncertain, and recognizing that skipping a hard question and coming back to it is a valid strategy. Regular timed practice in a low-pressure tutoring setting helps you feel prepared and in control when test day arrives.
Connect with ISEE-Upper Level Reading Comprehension Tutors
Get matched with expert tutors in your subject