The General Benchmark

With a 15-20+ hour tutoring program, on average, we expect to see about 200 points of improvement on the SAT (or the equivalent on the ACT).

But here's the thing: that number is so general as to be almost useless for most people. Two students can both complete a 15-20+ hour program and one might improve 100 points while another improves 350 points. The difference comes down to the factors below.

Understanding the Framework: The percentages represent the relative importance of different factors in driving meaningful score improvement, based on our experience working with hundreds of students over the years.

40% - Student Effort & Engagement

What the student actually does

This is the biggest factor. It includes:

Consistency: Showing up prepared, completing assigned work between sessions
Meaningful review: Actually learning from mistakes rather than just doing problems
Active participation: Asking questions, engaging with the material, not just going through the motions
Independence: Doing practice and review on their own, not just during tutoring sessions

Two students can receive identical tutoring, but the one who engages meaningfully and works independently will improve far more.

20% - Quality & Focus of Instruction

What tutoring provides

This includes:

Strategic focus: Targeting the right content areas (often strengths, not just weaknesses)
Quality materials: Using official tests and aligned practice resources
Adaptive teaching: Adjusting approach based on student's specific barriers and learning style
Efficient use of time: Focusing on what will actually move the score

Expert tutoring helps students make progress faster and more efficiently, but it can't replace student effort.

20% - Type of Barriers

What's holding the student back

Not all starting points are equal:

Knowledge gaps (missing grammar rules, unfamiliar formulas, lack of strategies) are relatively quick to address
Cognitive factors (reasoning speed, processing efficiency, attention) are harder to improve and may create natural limits
Test-taking habits (pacing issues, anxiety, reading stamina) fall somewhere in between

Students with primarily knowledge-based gaps tend to improve faster and more predictably than those facing cognitive barriers.

20% - Baseline & Timeline Factors

Starting conditions

These factors affect the perception and potential for improvement:

Timing of baseline: Earlier baselines (10th grade) naturally show more improvement due to academic maturation
Baseline accuracy: Students who underperformed on their initial test have more "easy" improvement available
Prep duration: More months of consistent prep allows for deeper skill development
Room to grow: A student starting at 1200 has more potential points to gain than one starting at 1400

Some impressive improvements are partly a function of favorable starting conditions, not just tutoring quality.

The Bottom Line: Massive score improvements (300+ points) typically happen when multiple factors align favorably: a motivated student who puts in consistent effort, receives quality focused instruction, has barriers that are addressable, and has favorable baseline/timeline conditions. When any of these factors is weak—especially student effort—improvement tends to be much more modest regardless of tutoring quality.