How Bellamy W. Improved Her ACT Score by 6 Points!
How Bellamy W. Improved Her ACT Score by 6 Points!
When Bellamy W. began working with North American Tutors, she was already a hardworking student who had taken the ACT before, but she felt stuck. She knew she could do better, but she wasn’t sure where she was losing points or how to improve efficiently.
Working with tutor Kurtis Lee, Bellamy focused on identifying weak areas, reviewing forgotten math topics, and building strategies for Reading and Science passages. Over several weeks of structured preparation, she improved her ACT score by 6 points.
Starting Point: Rusty Math and Specific English Weaknesses
During the introductory session, Kurtis and Bellamy reviewed her previous test performance and quickly identified a few key problem areas:
English questions involving tone and punctuation, especially em dashes
Rustiness in math concepts she had learned before but had not used recently
Difficulty quickly interpreting science passages and graphs
Timing and pacing across sections
“We found Bellamy had some weaknesses specifically with em dashes and tone questions, and she was rusty with math concepts overall,” Kurtis noted after the first session.
Instead of trying to improve everything at once, they created a plan to tackle each section step by step.
Phase One: Rebuilding Math Foundations
The first phase of tutoring focused heavily on the Math section. Many of the topics Bellamy struggled with were not new, but rather concepts she had learned before and simply needed to refresh.
During this phase, Bellamy and Kurtis:
Reviewed algebra and equation manipulation
Connected classroom math concepts to ACT-style questions
Created a running list of math topics that needed extra practice
Practiced applying formulas and recognizing question types quickly
“Many of these topics Bellamy has learned before but has not used in a while, so it would be good to get additional practice,” Kurtis wrote in one of the session reports.
As Bellamy became more comfortable with math again, her confidence improved and her practice scores began to rise.
Phase Two: English Strategy and Reading Skills
Once Bellamy’s math foundations were stronger, they shifted focus to the English and Reading sections.
They worked on:
Grammar rules such as who vs whom and clause identification
Understanding tone and purpose questions
Breaking down long sentences into smaller parts
Reviewing missed questions from school practice ACT exams
Bellamy also began reviewing Reading and Science passages more strategically, focusing on identifying key information quickly rather than reading every word in detail.
“We went over her missed questions in English and Math from a recent practice ACT and focused on why the mistakes happened,” Kurtis noted.
This phase helped Bellamy reduce mistakes caused by misreading questions and improve her pacing across sections.
Phase Three: Science Strategy and Test-Day Pacing
In the final phase leading up to her ACT, Bellamy focused heavily on Science and overall pacing.
They worked on:
How to quickly identify important information in science passages
Focusing on graphs and figures before reading the entire passage
Timing strategies for each section
Practice tests under timed conditions
Reviewing mistakes immediately after each test
“We worked especially on how to identify critical information in science passages and pace her correctly,” Kurtis wrote before her final test.
By this point, Bellamy was much more confident in all four sections and understood exactly how to approach each part of the test.
The Breakthrough: 6 Point ACT Score Improvement
After weeks of focused tutoring and practice, Bellamy took the ACT again and improved her score by 6 points.
Her improvement came from:
Stronger math fundamentals
Better grammar and English strategies
Faster reading comprehension
Improved science passage strategy
Better pacing across the entire test
Bellamy later left a Google review about her experience:
“I’ve had a great experience with North American Tutors so far. The tutors are kind, patient, and really focus on your weaknesses, especially helping you find ways to improve them. With their help, I’ve seen a noticeable improvement on my ACT, raising my score by six points. I would definitely recommend them!”
Why Bellamy’s Story Matters
Bellamy’s story is a great example of how targeted tutoring can make a big difference. She did not need to relearn everything from scratch. She needed someone to identify her weak points, help her review old material, and teach her strategies for each section of the ACT.
At North American Tutors, that is exactly what we do. We help students understand where they are losing points and build a clear plan to improve.
Starting Point: Rusty Math and Specific English Weaknesses
During the introductory session, Kurtis and Bellamy reviewed her previous test performance and quickly identified a few key problem areas:
English questions involving tone and punctuation, especially em dashes
Rustiness in math concepts she had learned before but had not used recently
Difficulty quickly interpreting science passages and graphs
Timing and pacing across sections
“We found Bellamy had some weaknesses specifically with em dashes and tone questions, and she was rusty with math concepts overall,” Kurtis noted after the first session.
Instead of trying to improve everything at once, they created a plan to tackle each section step by step.
Phase One: Rebuilding Math Foundations
The first phase of tutoring focused heavily on the Math section. Many of the topics Bellamy struggled with were not new, but rather concepts she had learned before and simply needed to refresh.
During this phase, Bellamy and Kurtis:
Reviewed algebra and equation manipulation
Connected classroom math concepts to ACT-style questions
Created a running list of math topics that needed extra practice
Practiced applying formulas and recognizing question types quickly
“Many of these topics Bellamy has learned before but has not used in a while, so it would be good to get additional practice,” Kurtis wrote in one of the session reports.
As Bellamy became more comfortable with math again, her confidence improved and her practice scores began to rise.
Phase Two: English Strategy and Reading Skills
Once Bellamy’s math foundations were stronger, they shifted focus to the English and Reading sections.
They worked on:
Grammar rules such as who vs whom and clause identification
Understanding tone and purpose questions
Breaking down long sentences into smaller parts
Reviewing missed questions from school practice ACT exams
Bellamy also began reviewing Reading and Science passages more strategically, focusing on identifying key information quickly rather than reading every word in detail.
“We went over her missed questions in English and Math from a recent practice ACT and focused on why the mistakes happened,” Kurtis noted.
This phase helped Bellamy reduce mistakes caused by misreading questions and improve her pacing across sections.
Phase Three: Science Strategy and Test-Day Pacing
In the final phase leading up to her ACT, Bellamy focused heavily on Science and overall pacing.
They worked on:
How to quickly identify important information in science passages
Focusing on graphs and figures before reading the entire passage
Timing strategies for each section
Practice tests under timed conditions
Reviewing mistakes immediately after each test
“We worked especially on how to identify critical information in science passages and pace her correctly,” Kurtis wrote before her final test.
By this point, Bellamy was much more confident in all four sections and understood exactly how to approach each part of the test.
The Breakthrough: 6 Point ACT Score Improvement
After weeks of focused tutoring and practice, Bellamy took the ACT again and improved her score by 6 points.
Her improvement came from:
Stronger math fundamentals
Better grammar and English strategies
Faster reading comprehension
Improved science passage strategy
Better pacing across the entire test
Bellamy later left a Google review about her experience:
“I’ve had a great experience with North American Tutors so far. The tutors are kind, patient, and really focus on your weaknesses, especially helping you find ways to improve them. With their help, I’ve seen a noticeable improvement on my ACT, raising my score by six points. I would definitely recommend them!”
Why Bellamy’s Story Matters
Bellamy’s story is a great example of how targeted tutoring can make a big difference. She did not need to relearn everything from scratch. She needed someone to identify her weak points, help her review old material, and teach her strategies for each section of the ACT.
At North American Tutors, that is exactly what we do. We help students understand where they are losing points and build a clear plan to improve.