I am a high school senior in a private school in San Francisco, and last spring I took the SAT and two subject tests. I felt I was prepared; I had taken a SAT-prep course during that winter and had studied hard on my own. My results were good, but they weren't what I needed to get into more selective colleges. I signed up for the fall SAT test and resolved myself to studying over the summer. I'm good at math, but it does not come easily to me, I have to work at it. The end of summer came and my plan didn't turn out as well as I had hoped. My scores weren't getting any better. I decided I needed help from a professional, so I found Chris Borland through a friend or two and decided to give it a try. Over a period of two months, I met with Chris for five sessions. In those five sessions, my mindset, problem-solving skills, and comfort level with the SAT increased tenfold. I learned so much from Chris because he has so much knowledge to share. Could I have continued studying on my own throughout the fall and improved my scores? Probably, but not to the extent I did with Chris. No book or independent study can tell you what his years of experience have taught him. His strategies, study materials, and approaches to problems all have been carefully tested and tried. These tools not only better prepared me for the problems themselves, they were designed to make me more relaxed and at ease while taking the test. Working 1 on 1 with me, Chris could identify insecurities and growth areas that I couldn't see myself. If your problem is procrastination, scheduling regular appointments forces you to stay focused. I approached the SAT study-phase later than I should have, and Chris developed a study plan that speed-lined the process for me so I could make my deadlines. He may have provided me with the right tools and walked me through an efficient study routine, but we didn't take any shortcuts or do less work. The first step as a student must be recognizing the importance of the task at hand and committing yourself completely. That being said Chris creates a learning environment that is very supportive and encouraging. I didn't feel like a dummy as I have with other tutors, I felt like a peer. He is just an easy-going, cheerful guy who takes the time to understand your goals and adapt to your learning style. The thing about Chris is that he always gave me his full attention and energy. He was 100% focused through and through. As long as you as a student are willing to bring that much focus on your end, there's no limit to what you can learn. Test day came and now I could say that I felt truly prepared. I felt relaxed and confident. While taking the test I found myself utilizing the strategies that Chris has taught me. Before Chris I would never finish my math sections in time, but on test day I had enough time after each section to review my answers. When my results came, I was overjoyed. Before, my SAT 1 math score was 680. On the second test it shot up to 770, a score I never dreamed of reaching. My total SAT score improved from 2140 to 2230, an increase of 90 points. We all know SAT scores are a key factor in the college admissions process. With my improved scores I was accepted into my top schools, including several Ivy League universities. Of course, there are a myriad of other considerations and elements involved in college admissions, but I cannot deny that my success was in part due to Chris Borland's excellent tutoring. I am very thankful and I highly recommend leveraging Chris's tutoring services! read more

Working with Mr. Borland for ACT prep was a game-changer for me. When I started, my score was a 31, but with Mr. Borland's consistent guidance and encouragement, I was able to raise it to a 35. I never imagined I'd see such a big jump, and it's all thanks to Mr. Borland's personalized approach. What really stood out about Mr. Borland was the way he made everything feel manageable. Instead of overwhelming me with generic test-taking tips, Mr. Borland took the time to figure out where I struggled most and focused on those areas. Every session felt purposeful, and I always walked away with clear, actionable feedback. Concepts that once induced frustration were suddenly within reach thanks to Mr. Borland's ability to break them down into simple analogies. But it wasn't just about the content. Mr. Borland taught me strategies for staying calm and managing my time during the test. On test day, I felt more in control and less anxious because I had a game plan. That confidence was a huge part of my success. If you're looking for a coach who's patient, thoughtful, and genuinely invested in your success, I can't recommend Mr. Borland enough. Their support made a real difference for me--not just in my score, but in how I approach challenges in general. read more

Chris Borland came highly recommended as the best SSAT prep tutor in the area, and it's true, he is. Our experience with Chris, however, went way beyond SSAT prep. Yes, he helped our son raise his SSAT score by a remarkable 44%, which was phenomenal, especially with the kind of resistance our son gave to doing the work necessary. But even more important than that, Chris inspired our son to ask interesting questions of himself and to look outside the box for answers. Every time I picked our son up from his sessions, he was inspired by some big philosophical idea or an exciting project that he and Chris had cooked up that day. The inspiration lasted longer than the car ride home and fueled our son to accomplish some wonderful things. He started a film club at his school, sharing one of his deepest passions with other students of like mind. He began a piano program for the underserved children in Marin City. Most importantly, he was accepted into his dream school, Thacher, one of the most highly esteemed boarding schools on the West coast. Chris was instrumental in making these dreams a reality. Chris reinvigorated our son with the joy of learning which is the greatest gift we could have asked for! We can't thank him enough. read more

Chris Borland really helped me prepare for the SAT math subject test. While I wasn't sure if I'd be able to score very high on the subject test in the beginning, I am now confident that I am ready for it. Just from our 8 sessions, I have a multitude of strategies to fall back on and feel confident in the math Chris taught me. From my first practice test, my score has increased dramatically. He also helped me find resources for studying for the SAT English sections. He has thoroughly researched how to best prepare students for their standardized tests. In the first lesson, Chris gave me some helpful programs on my graphing calculator which helped immensely. He also gave me plenty of material to review. We would go through a math subject test every time we met and would revisit the problems I had trouble when I was working independently. Chris had plenty of useful strategies for problems that I had little experience with and taught me the material I did not know. He is extremely knowledgeable with test-taking strategies which has helped me in every one of the practice tests. He is also extremely patient and has had so much experience with these tests. I would definitely recommend Chris to anyone who is looking for a tutor. read more

I am writing to give a sincere recommendation for Chris Borland, a highly qualified tutor for high school level math and SAT Prep. Chris Borland is a wonderful, kind, patient and effective tutor in maths and SAT Prep. He worked with my daughter in middle school. My daughter wanted to jump up to honors algebra when she reached 8th grade. Chris worked with her the entire summer so that she could do just that. He came every week, worked quietly at the kitchen table and gave her lots of confidence. Because of Chris's dedication and reassuring words, our daughter not only jumped up in math, but did it with straight A"s! We were so pleased with Chris's math tutoring results, that we then hired him to prep our daughter for the SAT's. Chris responded promptly to my emails, thoughtfully answered all of my questions, and helped us to come up with a plan to help our daughter on her way towards the SAT exam. Again, Chris came to our house and with patients and understanding, helped our daughter score highly on the SAT exam. He is efficient, generous with his time, and from our experience, an incredibly nice person! We couldn't have been more pleased with our choice in hiring Chris Borland to tutor our daughter. Thank you, Chris! read more

Chris Borland is an excellent tutor both in SAT and mathematics. He is welcoming, easy to talk to and very very intelligent. He always answers all my questions thoroughly and walks me through math problems step by step so I understand exactly what I am doing and why I must do it that way. I feel very comfortable asking questions and have learned so much from all of his teaching and helpful techniques from they way I think about approaching a problem to the steps I should use to work it out. As far as SAT tutoring, I could not ask for a better coach. Chris knows so many helpful techniques, hints and practices that helped me understand the SAT itself, study the right information and speed up my test taking ability. I owe it to Chris for an SAT score that I am very proud of and that has definately helped me get into the colleges that I applied to. And the practice and tips I learned from Chris for the SAT also has helped me so much on tests in all my other classes! Chris is a very knowledgeable and skilled tutor and truely offers the very best tutoring service I can imagine. Thank you so much for all you have done, Chris! read more

Chris is a gem. Everything you could hope for in a tutor. He is kind, calm, understanding, warm, patient, incredibly experienced, and brilliant at the subjects he teaches, as well as the test taking process. Our daughter, a high school junior, met with Chris for a total of 8 sessions. She thoroughly enjoyed her visits with Chris, always coming away feeling confident and inspired. She vacillated until the 6th session about whether to take the ACT or SAT, so Chris couldn't tailor the majority of the tutoring to the specific test. She also had such a busy schedule and demanding level of AP homework that she hardly spent any time working at home with the practice materials that Chris gave her. Despite that, her score on the ACT (which she finally chose) increased from a 30 on her practice test to a 34 on her first real ACT. Needless to say, we're thrilled with the result, and relieved that she doesn't need to take it again. One and done! We're also so grateful for how downright pleasurable Chris made the process for our daughter and us. We'll be back in a couple of years with our younger daughter! read more

Chris was terrific in helping our child prepare for their SSAT for a few weeks before the test. Our child is a motivated and hardworking high academic performer but had never taken a test like this before, and needed guidance on strategy and revision of materials. Chris is not just an excellent and ethical academic teacher and coach, but has a lovely calm demeanor, and works on instilling confidence as well as content. Our child's score was in the mid-90th on first attempt at the exam, so we were all really happy with the outcome! As a parent, I appreciated that Chris was extremely personable and professional throughout. The costs were clearly explained up front, calendaring and paperwork (including a proper contract) was thorough and professionally handled, and he was always on time and on schedule. In-person meetings are run appropriately from a professional office space with an open door, and he has a full, high quality professional videoconference set-up if you need to meet remotely (no time wasting trying to log in). I highly recommend Chris! read more

Chris Borland is an excellent tutor with a deep commitment to learning. In high school, I struggled a great deal with standardized tests, but after working with him over the course of 5 meetings, we raised my SAT Math 2 subject test score well over 100 points to a 750. He taught me effective test-taking techniques, helped me develop a better understanding of the math I needed, and provided general learning strategies that continue to be useful today. Chris has a great attitude towards teaching; he is consistently engaging, friendly, and patient, and I think he has a unique talent for making intimidating material feel approachable. Standardized tests are a necessary step in applying to colleges, and, with his support, I was able to achieve the scores I needed to be competitive. I am currently finishing a degree in physics at the University of Chicago and am immensely grateful for his help four years ago. His test taking strategies have also been very useful on the GRE while applying to graduate school physics programs. Thank you again, Chris! read more

Over this past year, I observed Chris tutoring the 8-year-old that I nanny. This child began working with Chris during 1st grade, and by now he is extremely confident in his mathematical abilities. I was blown away as I overheard Chris teaching his student many of the same concepts that I had to review for the GRE - properties of exponents, square roots, fractions, negative integers, prime numbers, and even basic algebra. The boy was preparing for a graduate school entrance exam in 2nd grade! Not only is Chris vastly knowledgeable in math, he is also infinitely patient and easygoing. He also takes the time to write thorough emails to update parents as his students progress. I would encourage any parents that are on the fence to invest in a tutor. Math was a huge source of anxiety for me all throughout school (and most certainly on the GRE). From observing Chris with his student, I have no doubt that my grades and confidence in STEM subjects would have increased drastically had he been my tutor. I couldn't put a price tag on that! read more

Chris Borland has been a great tutor for our son in preparing for the ACT. When we began the process of looking for a program to help our son study for the ACT, I was overwhelmed by the number of companies in our area that offered these services. As we were fairly new to the Bay Area, I turned to my friends and neighbors for advice on who to choose. Borland Educational was recommended to me by several people, all of whom had used Chris's tutoring services in the past and had excellent results. I decided to sign our son up for one meeting with Chris to see how they worked together. After the first 1 1/2 hour session, he felt more confident and calm about taking the ACT. He told me to sign him up for more sessions. He has now been working with Chris continually since the beginning of his junior year. He tells me that Chris is in-depth and strategic in his teachings. Chris Borland has been a pleasure to work with and has provided our son with a lot of knowledge and confidence. I highly recommend Borland Educational. read more

This is from the point of view of my 17 year old daughter who used Chris this past year as an ACT tutor: "Chris has been such a great help to me during this process. I have had tutors for standardized tests in the past and none of them have helped me as much as Chris. He put me at a level where I was actually competitive for the schools I wanted to go to, and I am happy to say that I will be attending my first choice school next year in part because of him. Chris is very patient and friendly. He is completely invested in your success and will try as many different strategies as possible until finding the right one for you. The strategies he teaches for standardized tests open up a whole new realm of problem solving. So even if you don't know the answer, you can make a great guess. I greatly recommend Chris to anyone looking for a tutor. He has so much experience, and is always looking for new approaches. He was a great investment." read more

We had a full-blown math emergency - our son was failing Algebra and time was running out. Neither my wife or I could help and even when we tried, we were rejected. So we turned to Chris at Borland Educational to see if he could help. Not only did he jump in with enthusiasm and persistance, but he also completely turned things around. He connected with our son on a personal level, made math fun, and broke down complex concepts into manageable, understandable steps. Thanks to his help, our son passed the class he was failing and is now studying more confidently on his own. As a bonus, Chris even helped improve our son's writing skills. Truly above and beyond, we can't thank him enough. I know my son will achieve more in college, and future careers because of Chris's expert intervention, patience, and genuine care. I had no idea how life changing his help would be when we initially reached out to him. Chris is the best! read more

Chris Borland is the best! My son was really struggling and falling behind in his math classes. He dreaded Math and felt he was not smart enough to understand. Chris was so patient with him and helped him understand the questions. By the end of the semester, my son was able to catch up and pass Geometry with an A! The best part is because of the kind and patient way Chris helps his students, my son's confidence in his Math skills has grown so much that he chose to take Precalculus this year even though he didn't need the Math credits! Chris took the time to ask my son about his other classes and interests outside of Math. Now they chat about other shared interests and my son really looks forward to his tutor sessions with Chris. Chris teaches the math well and also inspires his students to develop a growth mindset. I highly recommend Chris Borland. read more

Chris is very enjoyable to work with and has helped me develop consistently effective test taking strategies. I worked with Chris on SSAT prep in 8th grade. He helped me bring my abysmal 44th percentile score to the 88th percentile. Improving my score helped me get into Thacher, one of the most selective boarding schools on the west coast, and the high school of my dreams. In addition to helping me prepare for the SSAT, Chris worked with me on writing, reviewing, and revising my application essays. He demonstrated a genuine care for helping me achieve my goals, and celebrated my success with me when I got into my top schools. Chris didn't just prepare me for the SSAT, he prepared me for high school. I can say with confidence that I have, and will continue to use what he taught me for the remainder of my academic career. read more

I can't say enough about how much Mr. Borland has helped me. He coached me throughout my highschool career, and played a vital role in helping me to achieve my best. From math to standardized tests, Mr. Borland is an absolute expert. He makes sure to be on the cutting edge of techniques and tips, and is not afraid to evolve his teaching habits in order to help his students maximize their potential. He truly cares about his students' success, and is very flexible in meeting with them, even offering to talk over the phone with specific questions, or actually doing a tutoring session via skype. Mr. Borland has surely increased my ability as a student, making me become a better and more focused person. plus he is really nice and fun to talk to about other stuff besides school read more

I have worked with Chris for the past couple months and have significantly raised my ACT scores. He has helped me raise my composite score from a 25 to a 32. I love working with Chris because he is extremely knowledgeable about the ACT and helps me with strategies to get through the test that you can't learn in a book. On my first visit, he gave me a thumb drive with dozens of practice tests and each week he assigns me specific sections to do that we go over in our next meeting. Chris is always calm and encouraging even when my sessions are in the evening after a long day. He truly cares about his students and goes the extra mile. I like meeting at his Sausalito office which is conducive to focusing. I highly recommend Chris especially as a tutor for the ACT and SAT exams. read more

I first heard about Chris Borland through my older cousins, both of whom had been tutored by him in preparation for the SAT. They told me by working with him I was essentially guaranteed an impressive score. I have worked with Chris for each of the last 3 summers on math and SAT prep and I can understand my cousins' approval of his business. His methods are extremely effective and he is one of the kindest, most supportive men I have ever had the pleasure of knowing. I highly suggest Borland Educational as a tutoring service for regular classroom mathematics and standardized testing. Working with him has been one of my best academic experiences and I congratulate Chris on his hard work and dedication to the success of his pupils. Thank you, Chris Borland! read more

Chris is exceptional! We were referred to him by our college advisor. Chris worked with our daughter to prep for the ACT exam. He takes the time to build rapport and trust with his students, and works with them to review core subjects and teach valuable test taking skills. There's plenty of stress during the college application process and working with Chris makes the test prep a more positive experience. He is thorough, patient, and knowledgeable. Our daughter scored beyond her goal on the ACT, in her first attempt. We were very happy with the result. Yes, she worked hard and took her test prep seriously, AND Chris' partnership, approach, and expertise were key to her success. We highly recommend Chris & Borland Education. Thank you! read more