Familiarize yourself with the two critical reading sections of the test. One tests reading comprehension. The other critical reading test, sentence completion, assesses word comprehension and knowledge of sentence structure.
Assess your student's strengths and weaknesses based on previous tests or current practice tests. Together, set goals. This will aid in your making a tutoring plan.
Show students the importance of careful reading in the comprehension section. Mark important points while reading a passage, particularly what the passage implies and what the reader might infer. Use reading different types of passages in your tutoring sessions. Students should be comfortable drawing conclusions from what they read.
Recommend that a student read the sentences in the sentence completion test several times. Start with reading the sentence, making a special effort to note introductory or connecting words. Fill in one blank at a time. Read the sentence for sense.
Demonstrate keys to finding the central idea in a passage by looking at topic and summary sentences in paragraphs. PSAT topic sentences may be implied instead of implicitly stated.
Work on test-taking strategies in your tutoring. Examples of important test-taking strategies for the PSAT reading section include the importance of reading and understanding all instructions, passages and answers carefully; answering the easiest questions first, and returning to harder questions if you still have time; and using educated guessing by eliminating definitely wrong answers. Students should skip questions when they have absolutely no idea of the answer as the PSAT penalizes a student for wrong answers.
Find practice tests online or in current textbooks for the students you tutor. See the online practice tests on the Study Guide Zone and College Board websites. The College Board also publishes the "Official Student Guide to the PSAT/NMSQT."