I truly cannot express enough my gratitude for all Daniel, the owner of Advantage Tutoring and Test…read morePrep, has done for my educational career. The summer prior to my senior year at Deer Valley High School, I felt my chances of getting into one of my dream schools were dismal. I was a smart kid, but I had fallen short in a few classes, and had no idea how to go about the process of standardized testing, preparing personal statements, and completing applications. Comparing my statistics with the national averages of the top universities I dreamed of, I knew I had a lot of work to be done in an excruciatingly short amount of time. I didn't realize until we met how bleak the situation looked for my target colleges, since my school never bothered to spell it out as clearly as Daniel did. I realized that year UCLA's average GPA of an incoming freshman was a 4.19; I had a 3.7. I had an SAT score of 1960 and had minimal knowledge of what the ACT even was, nor had I prepped for or taken the SAT II Subject Tests. At that point, my realistic options for college were lower tier UC's, and a handful of California State Universities; getting into one of the top UC schools I had always imagined myself attending no longer seemed plausible. After our first meeting in June, my summer was filled with intensive test prep. For the first time I had someone truly explain to me the ins and outs of college admissions. Daniel assigned me hours of SAT, ACT, and SAT II practice tests, followed by an in-depth explanation of every single problem I missed and the underlying strategies. I was rapidly learning the mechanics of a standardized test -- the format, types of questions asked, and most importantly, the concepts and formulas behind answering each question correctly. Daniel taught me how to break down questions into simple puzzles that just required a little creativity and strategy. In the Fall I scored a 34 on ACT practice tests -- putting me in the nation's ninety-ninth percentile. I was also scoring near perfect scores of 760 and 780, respectively, on my Math II and English Literature SAT II Subject tests. In high school I had earned 3 'C' letter grades in one semester of Algebra II, one semester of Pre-Calculus, and two semesters of Chemistry Honors. I felt the C's stood out like sore thumbs on my college applications. I was shocked when Daniel told me I actually had the option to re-take and get credit for these courses online through a system called BYU Independent Study. As a project we worked on for an entire summer and succeeding fall, I was able to replace my 4 C's with 4 A's, raising my overall high school GPA from a 3.7 to a 4.15. When it came time to write my two personal statements application, I remember saying to Daniel I felt I had nothing worthy to write about; I couldn't think of anything about myself that made me truly unique, and the weight given to the essay made me feel stuck. Knowing I had come from a multicultural background, he had asked me to speak freely of anything that came to mind regarding my heritage while he diligently typed my thoughts. It turns out I did have something interesting to say, because from there we constructed a beautifully insightful essay delving into the significance and contrasts of my cultures. We followed the same process when it came to writing my second statement about my 12-year piano career. Daniel taught me how to organize my words and ideas in a coherent manner and evoke an emotional tie with the application reader. He helped me to write my personal story. With my new and improved SAT, ACT and SAT II scores, personal statements and coursework grades, my options of possible universities greatly expanded. I was now looking to apply to all of the University of California schools and prestigious private schools. In the end I applied to 8 universities total, and received acceptance letters from UCLA, UCSD, UCSB, UC Irvine, UC Davis, UCSC, and Cal Poly. I even got accepted into Honors Programs at top UCs, which I hadn't even applied for. I look back at receiving my UCLA acceptance letter as one of the happiest and most proud moments of my life, and it was all an accomplishment that I could not have earned without Daniel's help; it's amazing how just a few months worth of work equated to me getting into my dream school. I really thank Daniel for everything he contributed to my admission and transition to UCLA. This transition to college is a big one for my family and me, and we appreciate Daniel's ongoing support. I'm looking forward to additional coaching and mentoring through my Freshman year, and possibly beyond. I appreciate his help with career exploration, and major selection. My parents just had no clue and I feel he helped me find the path that is right for me. Now I have a flexible but doable 6-8 year plan. I feel academically prepared, focused, and excited about the next year of my life. Natasha Hammond UCLA Class of 2015 BA, Political Science

I was referred to Daniel by parents who mentioned Daniel had helped their children get accepted…read moreinto their dream schools and even helped some students get a perfect score of 36 on their test. I spoke with Daniel over the phone and over Skype and I mentioned that my son struggled with the test and never had enough time to finish the test. I also let Daniel know that my son was not the type of student who could approach ACT scores in the 30's and asked Daniel if he only worked with students who were on that level or if he thought he could help my son who scored a 23. Daniel assured me that he is an expert on the exam and had almost every version of the ACT / SAT tests memorized and my son's previous tutor was using "rookie techniques" to help him. I forwarded my son's High School grades and past exam results and after reviewing his academic performance and prior ACT test scores Daniel was confident he would be able to help my son. While working with my son, Daniel and I had a few meetings to review his progress. Daniel mentioned things were going well and on practice tests said my son was scoring around 26 on the ACT practice exams. I was impressed that my son had already added a few points to his score and Daniel said if he could fix some of the easy mistakes he was making Daniel was confident my son could score a 28-29. To make a long story short. My son took the ACT test after working with Daniel. He scored a point lower than his previous high score of 23 and received a 22. After spending almost $9,000 to give my son every tool I could think of to be successful on the test he finished right where he had been testing prior to working with Daniel. Daniel advertises that he has helped many students get accepted at top universities and I'm sure has helped some students achieve great results. I'm writing this review to let others know what my experience was like. After the tests were taken, we did not hear back from Daniel. I was not happy with the results.

We had a fantastic experience with EF Coach & Tutors this past year supporting our 6th grader. From…read morestart to finish, Presh was exceptional--organized, communicative, and incredibly effective. Our child gained confidence, improved academically, and actually looked forward to the sessions (!). We always felt informed and supported as parents, which made a huge difference. Highly recommend EF Coach & Tutors to any family looking for personalized, thoughtful, and results-driven academic support. Presh, thank you for everything!

So grateful to Gracia for her time and guidance at EF Coach/Tutors. She provided an overview of…read more Executive Functioning to our high schooler. The team at EF Coaching, Jennifer and Gracia, really cares and they listened to our concerns and meet our needs.

My younger of two boys had needed extra help. Christina and her team do a wonderful job assessing…read moreand supporting his academic needs. Very happy so far at just a few weeks in!

We have been loving the help and support we have gotten from Christina's top, Tutor! My daughter's…read moregrade went from an F to a C in just a couple of quick months. Math has definitely been her struggle and she's doing much better and understanding everything much easier! We are so grateful and thankful for the help! Miss Grace is the best!

Anastasia is great with my Kindergartener, soon to be 1st grader in the Fall. We initially reached…read moreout for help with reading intervention. She has a lot of fun with her and has made reading fun as she typically cries when it comes to reading at home with mom and dad. Her reading scores on her last trimester report card improved from a 2 to a 3.

My daughter was on the verge of being held back and now she is not only passing but starting to…read morebecome so much more confident in reading and comprehension. We are so grateful that we found Anastasia and all of her help!

Did not use the service, but communication was very poor in scheduling a consultation. They…read morecancelled on my daughter and I last minute with no advanced notice. With so many alternatives available I recommend avoiding

Look no further....East Bay Prep is the absolutely the BEST ACT Prep Class!…read more The test prep course worked along with my daughter's heavy Junior/Senior year academic load, on top of their weekly test prep lessons. The team was excellent at listening, communicating and following the needs of my daughter "individually" to help her succeed. The tutoring was flexible to her competitive sport schedule, as this was also key to the demands of succeeding in academics + sport. The consistency of the team to give effective feedback & guidance so that she could understand "how" to be a good test taker was priceless and best of all she is bringing these skills test-taking skills into her AP class test-taking. Honestly parents....my daughter went from feeling anxiety with taking the ACT to a confident and smart test taker, BEYOND the ACT!!! The team at East Bay Prep is one-of-kind. Best value...best outcomes...thank you East Bay Prep!

Growth Mindset is hands down the best jiu-jitsu gym I've ever trained at bar none…read more I've been training for seven years and have trained at a lot of different gyms during that time. Every gym says they're a family, every gym says they care about their students, but Growth Mindset is the first place where I truly felt that was real. The difference starts with Mark. What sets him apart isn't just his knowledge of jiu-jitsu--it's the genuine care he has for every single person who walks through those doors. There is no hierarchy, no ego, no favorites. Whether it's your first class or you've been training for years, he treats everyone with the same respect and invests in everyone equally. I remember after one of my very first classes, I stayed talking with Mark and a few of the members for over an hour and a half. It wasn't small talk--it was one of the most genuine conversations I'd had in a long time. I left that night knowing I didn't want to settle for training anywhere else. Around the time I signed up, I had just been laid off from my job. I was stressed out of my mind wondering how I was going to pay my bills and what my next step in life was going to be. Looking back, the one thing that kept me grounded during that time was walking through the doors of Growth Mindset. No matter how bad my day had been, the moment I stepped on those mats I felt like I was home. I wasn't just another membership I was family. That first month I was also preparing for a HYROX competition, so I could only make it to class three times out of the whole month. Most gyms would've just said, "That's on you." Instead, Mark prorated my membership and credited me toward the following month. He didn't have to do that. There was no policy requiring it. He simply did it because he genuinely cares about people. That small act told me everything I needed to know about the kind of man he is. The culture he's built is something that's incredibly rare these days, there is absolutely zero ego. Mark is always asking for feedback from the students. He wants to know what we're feeling, what makes sense, and what doesn't. He's humble enough to know that coaching is about helping people learn, not about proving he's the smartest person in the room. When I was preparing for my most recent competition, Mark did something no coach had ever done for me before. He sat down with me and watched footage from my previous tournaments. We broke down every mistake I made, why it happened, how to prevent it, and even developed techniques that better fit my style of jiu-jitsu. Every other gym I've trained at would've simply told me, "Train harder." Mark actually taught me how to get better. I ended up placing fourth in that competition. Instead of focusing on the fact that I didn't win a medal, Mark immediately pointed out how much I had improved. He celebrated the things I'd done well, highlighted the progress I'd made, and gave me a clear plan to keep growing. That's what great coaching looks like. The amount of work this man puts in is unbelievable. While preparing me for my tournament, he was also coaching another teammate for his competition, hard sparring almost every day, organizing cross-training sessions at other gyms, and somehow still preparing for his own tournament. I've never seen someone work that hard, day after day, without complaining once. Even while training harder than 99% of instructors out there, he stays humble. He'll still remind us that he's human, still learning, and still growing right alongside us. That humility is what makes him so special. Mark and Sabrina have built something truly exceptional. They've created more than a gym they've built a community where people genuinely care about one another. I can honestly say this gym helped carry me through one of the hardest periods of my life, and I'll never forget that. I hope one day I can be half the man Mark is. I'm incredibly proud to call him not only my coach, but also family. Thank you, Mark and Sabrina, for everything you've done for me and for this community. What you've built is something truly special. Love you guys!

I was in the area and dropped in for an evening class. Coach Mark and the students were all very…read morewelcoming. The techniques Coach Mark went over were effective and can be used at any skill level. If you want great & effective training in a safe and welcoming environment, I recommend training here!