Best ACT Tutors 2026–27

If you are searching for the best ACT tutors online, this is the short list worth your time. Leland serves millions of customers, and the data behind this list comes from what they actually do: who they book, who they ask to talk to first, and what they say afterward in verified reviews. That is a view of ACT tutoring no other list has.

The ACT tutors here come from places like Harvard, Wharton, MIT and UPenn, and their profiles point to scores in the mid 30s, including 36s. Some are full-time tutors with years of experience, one teaches the ACT at UCLA, and others pair test prep with a wider view of college admissions. Together they cover students aiming at highly selective schools and students who just need a strong score to open more doors.

They help with the things students and parents ask about most: building a study plan, moving the math section, working through realistic practice questions, and switching over from the SAT. Some specialize in last-minute prep when a test date is close. Others suit students still deciding between the ACT and the SAT, or families who want someone to look at the whole admissions picture.

To choose, start with your goal and your timeline, then read the headline and profile for fit. Book an intro call with two or three ACT tutors and see who you want to work with. This list is not ranked. It is ordered by demand: how many customers chose to work with each tutor.

What an ACT tutor does and when it is worth hiring one

An ACT tutor turns a big, vague goal into a plan you can follow. The goal might be "get a better score" or "get a 34 for these schools." The tutor works out where your points are going and what to do about it.

What happens in a session

Good sessions are rarely lectures. A typical one looks like this:

• You bring a practice test or a set of missed questions.
• The tutor sorts the misses into content gaps, timing problems and careless errors.
• You work through the hardest pattern together, then get a short set to practice before the next call.

Some tutors start from a diagnostic. Siri O. opens with one, so the plan follows what a student actually missed instead of a standard syllabus. Bryan C. builds prep around recent test questions, which keeps practice close to what the test looks like now.

What a tutor does not do

A tutor cannot take the test for you, and none of them can promise a score. They also cannot replace practice between sessions. The work you do alone is where most of the improvement is made. The tutor's job is to make that time count.

Who gets the most out of one

Tutoring pays off most for a few kinds of students:

• Students who already have a score and want to raise it. Jonathan R. builds his profile around exactly that.
• Students who are strong in one section and stuck in another. Sujoy Kumar D. focuses on math, so he suits a student whose gains are there.
• Students who freeze on test day. Allie K. teaches from her own 36, including how to stay calm when it counts. The guide on how to break the cycle of performance anxiety is a useful companion.
• Students applying to selective schools, who want the score tied to the rest of the application. Jessica F. brings a long admissions background to that conversation.

Who can skip it

If you are already scoring where you want and just need more practice, free materials may be enough. Our list of free resources for the ACT and SAT is a good place to start. If you are not sure the ACT is the right test, read the ACT vs. SAT comparison first. A tutor like ZeeShawn W., who teaches both tests, can also help you settle that question.

And if the schools on your list are test-optional, this explainer will help you decide whether a score is worth chasing at all.

A note on credentials

The people on this list bring different backgrounds: Harvard, Wharton, MIT, UPenn, a university classroom at UCLA, and years of full-time tutoring. A credential tells you where someone studied. Reviews tell you how they teach. Use both when you read a profile.

What the people on this list help with

Most students arrive with one of a handful of situations. Here is how the ACT tutors on this list line up with each one.

You want a top score

Some profiles are built around the highest scores. Blake Y. lists a 35 and years as a full-time tutor. Jessica F. and Allie K. both list a 36. Bruce H. points to a decade of helping students reach 32 and above, and he teaches the ACT at UCLA. If your target is in the 30s, these profiles speak to it directly.

One section is holding you back

Math is the most common place students stall. Sujoy Kumar D. is the clearest fit, with a profile centered on math and multiple 36s among the students he has worked with. If your gap is elsewhere, ask on the intro call how a tutor handles English, reading or science.

Your test date is close

When time is short, you want less wasted effort. Bryan C. offers efficient prep drawn from recent test questions. Steven H. brings ten years of teaching the ACT, which means he has seen most of the ways a student gets stuck and how to get moving again. Our guide to last-minute ACT and SAT tips pairs well with a short engagement.

You are not sure which test to take

ZeeShawn W. teaches both the ACT and the SAT. That helps a student who has not settled on a test, because the tutor can compare practice results and build the plan around the answer.

You want the score to fit the bigger picture

Jessica F. has decades inside college admissions and ties the score to where a student is applying. If scholarships are part of the picture, read how to turn ACT and SAT scores into scholarship money.

You want a structured start

Siri O. begins with a diagnostic exam, and her Booth MBA background shows in how organized the work feels from lesson to lesson. Bruce H. brings classroom structure to one-on-one sessions.

What reviewers keep naming

Across the profiles, a few themes come up again and again:

• Organized, well-paced lessons with a clear next step.
• A calm, experienced presence when a student is stuck.
• Plans built around the student's own mistakes.
• Honest talk about what is realistic.

Ratings on this list sit at 4.9 or 5 out of 5, and every tutor here has verified reviews from customers. Read them for the details that match your situation, such as the section you struggle with or how close your test date is.

How to choose an ACT tutor

The best way to pick is to start with your own situation, then narrow the list down to two or three calls.

Match the tutor to the gap

Write down what is actually costing you points. Be specific:

• A section, such as math or reading.
• Timing, where you know the material but run out of minutes.
• Nerves, where practice scores beat real scores.
• Direction, where you are not sure which test or which target score makes sense.

Then look for the headline that speaks to that gap. A math-focused profile like Sujoy Kumar D.'s fits the first. A tutor who teaches from a 36 of their own, like Allie K., may fit the nerves problem. A tutor who works with both tests, like ZeeShawn W., fits the last.

What to look for in a profile

• A clear focus, not a long list of everything.
• Evidence of experience with the ACT itself, such as years of teaching or a university class.
• A described way of working. Siri O.'s diagnostic start and Bryan C.'s use of recent questions are good examples.
• Verified reviews that mention the same things you need help with.

What to look for in reviews

Skip the generic praise and look for specifics. Do reviewers mention a plan? Do they describe feeling less stuck? Do they say what changed between the first session and the last? A pattern across several reviews tells you more than one glowing line.

What to ask on the intro call

Book calls with two or three tutors and bring the same questions to each:

1. How will you figure out where my points are going?
2. What does a typical session look like, and what will I do between sessions?
3. How do you handle the section I find hardest?
4. What is a realistic plan for my test date?
5. How do you use real or recent test questions?

Pay attention to how they answer, not only what they say. You will be working with this person every week, so notice whether you would want to.

Red flags

• A promise of a specific score. No one can guarantee one.
• A one-size-fits-all plan offered before they have seen your work.
• No clear idea of what the first sessions will cover.
• Vague claims with nothing behind them.

Check the details that change the price

Hourly rates differ across this list, so compare what you would be paying for. Think about whether you want a university instructor, a full-time tutor or someone who also knows admissions. If you would like a wider overview before you call, the guide to the best ACT tutors for online prep walks through what to expect.

When to start and what the work looks like

Start earlier than feels necessary. A few months before your test date is a comfortable window, because it leaves room to find problems and fix them.

Why starting early pays off

• Planning. You have time to take a diagnostic and see where you really stand before you choose a target.
• Course correction. If a method is not working, you can change it without panicking.
• Retakes. A second attempt is a real option, not a scramble.
• Lower stress. Nerves are a big part of the ACT, and a calm schedule helps with them.

If you are already close to your test date, that is fine too. Some of the tutors here work well on short timelines. Read the last-minute ACT and SAT tips and tell any tutor you call how much time you have.

What an engagement usually looks like

Every tutor works a little differently, but most engagements follow the same arc.

First sessions: diagnose. You take a practice test or work from one you have already done. The tutor sorts your misses into patterns. Siri O. makes this a formal starting point with her diagnostic exam.

Middle sessions: fix the biggest gaps. The work gets targeted. That might be math concepts, reading pacing or the way you approach science passages. Practice between sessions is what makes this stage count. Our guide on mastering every ACT section and concept shows how a pro tutor thinks about each part of the test.

Later sessions: simulate. You do full timed practice, ideally on questions that resemble the real test. Bryan C. builds this stage around recent test questions. The tutor then looks at how you manage time and nerves, not only content.

Final stretch: sharpen and settle. The focus shifts to routines, pacing and staying calm on the day.

Deciding on the writing section

Some schools or programs care about it, and some do not. Read the pros and cons of taking the ACT with writing before you register, and bring it up with your tutor.

Pacing the calls

Many students book sessions weekly and add more as the date gets closer. Others use a tutor in short bursts, for a diagnostic and a plan, then practice on their own. Ask each tutor how they would structure it for you.

If you are applying to selective schools

The score is one piece of a larger plan. Tutors with a broader admissions background, like Jessica F., can help you decide how much a given score matters for the schools on your list. That conversation is worth having early, before you commit to a test date.

How we select the best ACT tutors

We build this list from Leland's own data. Leland collects a lot of it across millions of users: who is live and public on the platform, paid bookings, outcomes, content and anonymized transcripts. We read that alongside each ACT tutor's public Leland profile.

We look at what customers say after they work with an ACT tutor, through verified reviews and ratings, and at the results and outcomes connected to the work. Booking activity is one supporting signal of who people choose. We keep the criteria general on purpose, and we do not publish weights or cut-offs.

This is a list, not a rank and not a score. The order reflects how many customers chose each ACT tutor. Leland sells ACT tutoring. Everyone on this list offers services on Leland. Nobody can pay to be included.

Sources

Leland customer, expert, and outcome data, and each ACT tutor's public Leland profile.

Guides to read next

These guides cover the questions students and parents ask most as they choose a tutor and plan their prep. They are grouped by where you are in the process.

Choosing a tutor

• The 10 Best ACT Tutors for Online Prep (2025): a wider look at what online ACT tutoring involves and how to compare options.
• The ACT vs. SAT: Which to Take and How to Ace Both: how the two tests differ and how to decide which suits you.
• Test-Optional: What Does it Mean and Should I Take the ACT or SAT?: when a score helps your application and when it may not matter.

Preparing

• How to Get a 36 on the ACT (From a Pro Tutor): section-by-section thinking from someone who teaches the test.
• Best Free Resources to Prepare for the ACT and SAT: practice material you can use between sessions.
• Should You Take the ACT With Writing: Pros, Cons, and How to Decide: a plain way to decide on the optional writing section.

Getting close to test day

• Last-Minute ACT & SAT Tips to Boost Your Score: what to do when the date is near.
• How to Break the Cycle of Performance Anxiety: practical ways to keep nerves from costing you points.

After the score

• How to Turn ACT and SAT Scores into Scholarship Money: how a strong score can open up funding as well as admission.

If you are still comparing tutors, go back to the list above, read a few profiles closely and book a couple of intro calls. The right fit usually becomes clear within a conversation or two.