Test prep is ok, but advisors to support school application and essay are terrible. The advisor often comes unprepared and not responsive when the student asked to schedule for consultation hours, and you have to request repeatedly and eventually made a compliant. Poor knowledge about schools outside of UC and advisors do not make effort to help or guide the students as how they can maximize their chance for the best school they can get in. read more

Elite prep was extremely helpful during my college application process. They helped me curate a college list geared towards my educational goals, and matched me with an essay advisor that helped make my application more competitive during this process. I ended up getting into multiple of my top choices, and am very grateful for their guidance! read more

The counselors were very open to discuss and they provided the right advise at the right time. Cindy did an excellent job. So was Mr Joon. Thanks for the very long early meetings we had with him. I am very glad we picked this center for SAT, ACT prep and guidance. read more

Excellent teachers and staff, They really did a great job preparing my son for SAT and Math classes. Excellent environment for learning. I would like to give them more than 5 stars. I strongly recommend them to friends and family. read more

I think that Elite has been misrepresented in the sense that some feel that it does not properly prepare students for SAT (or whatever other test). I have been going here for the last 4-5 years for the SAT II Chemistry, SAT II Math, Lit. Boot camp, and the SAT Summer boot camp, as well as the SAT Extension package; before that, my sister came here (5-7) years ago for SAT, SAT IIs, and AP testing prep. I can say with confidence that Elite has prepared me, my sister, and many many many other students with their scores, confidence, and technique. It is quite unfortunate that only those who have left with bitterness have been the only ones Yelp-ing (they belong to a very small minority of people that have not left satisfied). I know so many students that have taken these SAT boot camps and have left so much better than what they began with. Despite some of the setbacks (bound to happen here and there) that they experienced along the way of refinement, they found themselves better equipped and so much more confident at the end. For the summer boot camp (which helped my score tremendously, as well as other students' scores), Elite makes their own SAT prep books of Writing (including essay tips), Critical Reading, Articles (challenges students to read on a more analytical and more focused method), and Mathematics, all which properly prepare students with the necessary skills for the actual test. Elite does a successful job CHALLENGING and stretching students a lot. The summer boot camp humbles students greatly, but builds them back up, little by little, with baby steps. If pride gets in the way of how students learn, it will be an interference to their own SAT (as well as academic) success. Elite doesn't fluff things up to make everything "feel good"; they aim to better scores, even if it'll hurt some pride or not. And in the end, when you look back, it'll be so so worth it. I can write so much more...... But yes, thank you Elite for all that you have done and are continuing to do ~ read more

We like Elite very much. The teacher is good and the staff is friendly. For SAT practice test, the score will be sent out immediately. The teacher also grades the essay and provides suggestions. The SAT camp is very good program. My kid shows improvement after attending the class. They also have booster camp before the test so students can continue to practice. We will attend other classes for sure. read more

Elite prepares you well for the SATs. Between Elite and Excel, I'd say that Elite has a more structured approach (your hand is held more in test taking, review, "homework', etc) while Excel places more emphasis on giving you the resources for you to then utilize freely. Elite tests are a bit harder than regular SAT tests and prep you well for the real thing. Only complaint I'd have is that smarter students tend to suffer a little as the review is done with the whole class, so many extraneous questions are covered. Personally I had to supplement with my own tests outside of the program to do well! read more

Took an SAT program and my score didn't improve at all, in fact it went down and was a waste of time and caused unnecessary stress, I learnt more by myself in 2 weeks and got a much better score. After the program ended, they tried to sell us on more AP program prep and other SAT prep and counselling for college. Elite is just a money grab place, don't go there. read more

Future UC Berkeley student here, thanks to Elite! I enrolled in Elite the summer before 11th grade for the SAT 1400 Bootcamp. The classes, curriculum, and, most of all, teachers are extremely beneficial to improving your score. I improved my score 60 points, and when you're in the 1400-1500 range, this is HUGE. One particular aspect I liked about Elite was the frequent testing of full-length exams. With a test as predictable as the SAT (in terms of what types of questions will be asked), practice taking full-length exams is extremely crucial to getting comfortable with the test format. For some of my friends who attended other SAT prep companies, they found that the other places tended to veer away from frequent testing (full-length exams) and instead place more emphasis on low-volume practice. Two teachers that particularly stood out were Celia and Joon. Joon, the Math teacher and Branch Director, is extremely articulate with his math explanations, as well as undeniably knowledgable about college admissions. He describes problems in such a way that students are able to grasp the concepts behind each problem. Celia, the English teacher and Assistant Branch Director, has great teaching methods that will ingrain grammar rules into your head for the test. After the SAT Bootcamp, I returned for Math 2 and Physic Subject test prep. The Math 2 class was taught by Joon himself, in a small, engaging class of only 4 students. Thanks to this class, I managed to score a perfect 800, a 110 point improvement from my diagnostic score! I wholeheartedly contribute my score to this class. After every diagnostic test, a free consultation is provided to discuss the results and the best next course of action. For physics, my diagnostic test score was high enough that they believed self-studying would suffice, and they were right--another 800. They truly want what is best for their students, and they will be upfront and honest about it, rather than always try to find a selling point. Lastly, I enrolled in the College Workshop for college essays and counseling. For the whole college process, from deciding which colleges I should apply to brainstorming essay topics to proofreading and revising my essays, Joon and Celia were there every step of the way to guide me. Thanks to Celia's help with my essays, I have been accepted to all six UC's that I applied to, for EECS or CSE. Everyone at Elite is a great mentor with an even greater personality. I will be attending UC Berkeley in the fall, and I can undoubtedly credit Elite to much of my scholarly success! read more

Elite has been our life line in so many ways. Elite raised each of my kid's SAT score by almost 200 points (each scoring over 1500)! Joon, the director, truly cares about helping his students achieve their target SAT scores. From the first time we met him, we were impressed by the depth and breadth of his knowledge on practically every aspect of the college admissions test and process. He is razor sharp, thoughtful, analytical, and intuitive. He had the kids take practice tests, and based on their results, he gave us an honest and detailed assessment of our kids' strengths and weaknesses, and helped us strategize on which test to take, when to take, etc. My kids ended up going to the summer SAT boot camp (and even enjoyed it)! Elite's teachers were very engaging and highly effective in teaching both content and strategies. Elite's approach: learn all the material well, get lots of practice, and hone in on your mistakes. We loved that it was an organized and methodical program (with a successful track record). Prior to the SAT test, we were with another popular test prep company for the AP Physics and Physics subject tests. As we were not pleased with the tutor, we turned to Elite for help. Joon had my kids take some practice tests and determined that they did not need any tutoring. I really appreciate his honesty for not trying sell us something we did not need. He is truly our trusted advisor who has dispensed so much valuable advice throughout the kids' SAT journey. Thank you so much, Elite! read more

Elite offers high quality test prep, and I was especially impressed by Joon. He is refreshingly honest about your strengths and weaknesses, and offers solid college guidance that accurately reflects your competitiveness for individual colleges. read more

Wow! I have been extremely impressed with Elite. My daughter went there for SAT 2 and SAT test prep. Her SAT score improved over 400 points! Her ACT score improved 8 points. Joon and Cindy really care about the student as a whole. They were the only counselors who were completely honest about my daughter's ability, grades, and test scores. With their feedback, my daughter increased her rigor in her classes and really pushed herself. This was the key for her getting accepted into top colleges like University of Michigan, Georgia Tech and 5 of the other UC's all for Comp Sci. Joon even provided a target gpa for her to reach to be considered for UCLA. The guy knows his stuff! I love his analytical approach. The minute we met him, I knew he was an engineer. He's very quantitative, straight forward, sharp, honest, yet supportive. I can say with 100% confidence that if we didn't use Elite, my daughter would be going to a very different college and more importantly had a very different high school experience. Thank you to Joon and Cindy! read more

My daughter attended the ACT Bootcamp in summer 2017 and was happy with the teachings, the staff, and counselor in general. She found the summer 8-week bootcamp very effective and motivated her to work hard towards getting a better score. The teachers are experienced and communicated well to the students. She and I are pleased with her ACT score the first time she took it, and therefore I decided to enroll my younger child to the same bootcamp this summer. read more

I used Elite for the SAT 1400 Bootcamp, private tutoring for SAT Math II with Joon, and one-on-one college essay workshops with Celia. I can honestly say that I would not be where I am now without Elite. From the first time I met with Celia after taking my entrance test and with Joon for my interview, I could tell that they would be fully invested in helping me reach my goals (for my test scores and college admittances). The 1400 class not only allowed me to achieve my goal score, but the teachers also helped me become a better student and all around person. They were motivating and pushed me to work hard while also spending however much time was necessary to ensure that I fully understood the concepts. After the SAT class, I returned to Elite for help with my college essays and math subject test. Not only was Joon amazingly clear at explaining math topics that I had not encountered in years, but his attitude made it obvious that he was truly willing to do whatever it took to make sure I was ready when the day of the test came. For my essays, Celia was unlike any other college essay teacher. From the first meeting I had with her to brainstorm topics, she took the time to get to really know my personality and who I am in order to allow me to convey that through my essays. She even consistently made herself available to me outside of our sessions to edit my essays and provide feedback. I could go on about all the roles that Elite played in getting me to where I am now, but the bottomline is that they are a huge reason of why I was accepted to my top school of UC Berkeley. To say that I recommend Elite to all high school students is an understatement because I am 100% confident that people like Celia and Joon can be found no place else. Thank you for everything Elite, I will be visiting often! read more

More focus on essay should be there. They only do it on Fridays whereas Friday is optional so many students miss out on that. Tuesday's were not much useful either since it was the review of the test so most of the tine wasn't useful. read more

We had a good experience with Elite. My daughter took the diagnostic tests at Elite. Mr Joon patiently went through the pros and cons of each and it helped us with deciding our next steps. read more

Joon Moy is a terrific instructor at Elite! My daughter claims Joon is the best Math instructor she's had. She benefited a lot from the Elite course in her prep for SAT II. read more

I signed up my two sons to Elite Educational Institute of Cupertino for SAT training last summer, because we were late for most of summer program. My older son's SAT score increased nearly 300 points. My younger son really enjoyed english writing and reading training, at that time, he just finished eighth grade . Both sons made huge progress from the short training. I would highly recommend Elite for increasing the SAT score and reading/writing training. read more

After the diagnostic test Director Cindy talked to us. Cindy makes us feel she only considered our best interests. She did not push us to spend more money so the cost is below our expectations which is a plus. Tutors in elite are capable. It is good experience and we would strongly recommend. read more

We did a short refresher math group course with Joon at Elite Cupertino and were very happy with his class. Joon helped my daughter and other students in her class review fundamental math concepts. He takes genuine interest in each student's progress and wants the kid to understand the concepts. Yes, he may be expensive but then you get what you pay for :) read more

Elite Prep helped my son improved a lot on SAT score. He attended a different SAT prep school before Elite Prep, but the result was not ideal. After several private tutor classes with Elite Prep, he reached his goal on the real test. Thanks to Elite Prep! I will definitely recommend their tutoring. read more

Don't come here! Grace is not a considerate person. She is rude and she makes kids feel small. She loves to talk down on kids discouragingly to them feel as though they are not working hard enough. The SAT exams that they gave are not authentic. Elite makes up their own tests and claims that they are harder for training purposes to help score higher on the real SAT. However, this does just the opposite. It discourages students and make them feel bad. Unlike other SAT prep companies, elite's tests don't show accurate reflections of what scores kids would get when they take the real SAT, which is very helpful in identifying problems and patterns in the true SAT. Anyway, please shop around. The best people to ask is the peers and the people who took the SAT prep class before from somewhere else. read more

Trying to figure out which SAT prep program for your child could be confusing. After sending my son to 2 SAT prep programs, his SAT score was not improving. Our goal was to get his score to, at least, acceptable UC San Diego/ Davis/ Irvine range. We heard about Elite through some friends and decided to give it a try. We talked to Joon at the Cupertino Elite campus. He was knowledgeable, helpful and frank. Joon convinced us to try the SAT Boot camp and follow their guidance. My son learned so much material, he was getting more motivated and confident coming to this center. In his last SAT attempt, his score improved 280 points to the range probably even little higher than the one we had hoped for. How else but we just felt compelled to give this center credit for the success. Also, one of my good friend told me her son has been attending the 9th/10th grade Book club/ camp and writing workshops at the center and they really like the programs. We strongly recommend Elite prep program, even though, you may pay a little more but it is totally worth it since you will get real results. read more

If confidence is important to you, spare your kids of this terrible place. Here is the Elite process, they make you schedule a "diagnostic" PSAT test which they created. and no, they won't accept your kid's previous PSAT score. yes, I should be very suspicious of this. my kid bombed on this diagnostic and during the "consultation" the lady managed to completely shatter my kid's confidence. Their idea is to beat you down at this so-called diagnostic test, so you are grateful that you get their service. read more

I'm not sure what these other folks were thinking, but my daughter is getting a great experience through its summer boot camp so far. She's taking the 5 days/week morning program and says that the workload is challenging but very helpful. We've been to other prep places before, and I can see that this place has more structure and a well-developed curriculum. The weekly practice tests, as clearly explained during the initial consultation, are definitely harder than any real SAT exam. I think that lower level students might struggle with the difficulty and hence get discouraged. One of the other reviewers wrote that her child felt bad about getting low weekly scores, but Elite was very upfront with me about how the practice test scores would be lower. My daughter is in a mid-level group in the morning (there are multiple groups all running simultaneously), and she says all her classmates are pretty hardworking. As far as I can tell, the teachers seem fine. She says her writing and math teachers, in particular, are quite good. I heard that the director himself only teaches some of the higher level groups, so it's competitive to try to get into those classes. The director (forgot his name) was our counselor when we first enrolled, and he gave us really excellent advice about academics, test schedule planning, and overall college pre-planning. I would recommend trying to get him for your counselor when you first enroll. Overall, I am pretty pleased with the Elite summer program. It's pricier than most other schools, but I can see why. The materials are professionally done and very comprehensive. Ultimately, a student will get as much out of it as how much he/she puts in. So far so good on my end. read more

I would give ZERO stars if I could. I had a terrible experience with this place. Joon basically makes you feel bad about yourself. When I took a diagnostic test for SAT Math 2, he basically implied your good grade in the class is not substantial and the school you go to is medium level. Not only does he think high of himself and discourage students, he did not teach the Math 2 class properly and expects his students to succeed by themselves. Waste of a thousand dollars. Better to just buy books and self-study. Overall, not pleased with this place or the management which runs Elite. read more

We had the worst possible experience at this school. Our son enrolled in a summer SAT prep course. Our son was targeted by the director (Joon) and assistant director (Cindy) the moment he started attending class. He was kicked out for eating in class and challenging the teacher. This experience caused my son to lose confidence in himself. The directors are not compassionate or honest. Additionally, Joon's emails are semi-illiterate so we question how he can be qualified as an educator. Our son is now a year behind on test prep. read more

From my first test to my actual SAT score, I improved 200 points, which is huge for me, and overall I'm satisfied with the Elite Prep SAT Bootcamp. I appreciate the weekly practice tests; although I really dreaded them every week because of how long and tedious, I know that they helped me have a better idea on what the actual test is like. It also helps you get used to the long time periods you need to sit and concentrate. Each week, my scores generally went upwards. However, I noticed that the teachers all have very different teaching styles and focus on many different things (for example, annotating the reading passage thoroughly through a 5 step process vs. just circling key points). Depending on which teachers you get, you may think the class is super interesting or very boring. My one complaint is that one of the ladies at the front desk with long brown hair was rather rude and condescending. One time I was waiting for my friend to finish class, and I stood outside her room, out of view from the students because I know that can be distracting. There were a couple other girls waiting, too. The lady walked by, and instead of saying "Hey, could you wait somewhere else/in the lobby" or anything similar, she said "Shoo, girls shoo. Shoo!!" Shoo? I am NOT a fly or a stray animal of some sort. I was rather taken aback and thought that was pretty impolite, and for sure not how you treat customers who are paying a hefty tuition. Another time, I was there for the extension class. I realized that I had already taken that particular test on my own time to practice, so I went to the front desk. The same lady said something along the lines of "you shouldn't be taking anything that we're not giving you/ you're not supposed to take tests elite isn't giving you". That didn't make sense. Am I not allowed to practice by myself? Nobody at elite has ever said that before; in fact, on the last day of the bootcamp, the teachers encouraged us to practice by ourselves or our scores would decrease. The lady gave me a new test to do that I hadn't seen before, and as I was walking away, she yelled "This is an exception!! We're giving you an exception!!" That doesn't make sense either. What's so important with that information that you have to yell it to me as I'm walking back to class? What am I supposed to do with that information? Thank you anyways for giving me a new test so I wouldn't waste my time with the one I already took, but for such a high price tag I'd better be spending my time on an actually useful test. Overall, I did learn a lot thanks to the bootcamp, and my score did improve quite drastically; I am pretty satisfied with my real SAT score (I only had to take the SAT once). I just wish that I didn't feel talked down towards. read more

Elite helped my daughter get into her dream school, UC Berkeley. We first started our Elite journey when we enrolled her in the SAT bootcamp in her junior year, where Joon's rigorous training led her to get a score above 1500 on her first try. For her subject tests, Joon matched her with Nidha, who gave my daughter the right guidance and practice needed for her to get a 750 on her literature subject test at her first attempt. With all of her standardized testing completed with so much more ease, we knew Elite would help keep my daughter on the right track to get into her dream college. We decided to proceed with Elite for my daughter's college applications, where her counselors made the complicated process of applying and writing several essays a lot less stressful and easier to navigate. With Wesley's tireless efforts and amazingly insightful feedback, my daughter was able to put her story to words and create her personal statements/essays. All her counselors were truly invested in my daughter's success and worked with determination to make sure that every aspect of her high school career was reflected well in her application. Today, we are more than grateful for all of the Elite staff's constant and genuine support and dedication. read more

Strongly recommend. Helped my daughter to improve in SAT math/ reading skills and made her well prepared.

Bay Area is known for the countless test prep/tutoring centers. Clearly the one driving force to a parent's decision lies only on the track records of point improvements. But how does a parent compare the difference between something structurally so similar yet can have varying end results? Elite teachers and counselors first evaluate the strength and weakness of each students. They then offer an honest opinion of a student's testing prospect and from there Elite counselors work out a plan which could be as broad as group lessons down to customized lessons both equally to target weaknesses. Through each practice test, they provide kids an understanding of where they did well and how they could tackle the challenges. It may be as simple as how one stands up to stretch between sections that strangely helps kids overcome the lack of energy and fresh mind to confront the next section. The counselors offer students open door policy. They don't limit questions from students/parents. The willingness to help students look beyond the burden of needing to ace this tests using the philosophy on practice equals confidence is how Elite holds true to their methods. read more

Took one of their SAT classes and it didn't improve my SAT score at all. The teacher never assigned homework and didn't seem to care about the students. Also, one particular women at the front desk is rude to the students. I would not recommend this program to anyone. read more

I used Elite for prepping for my SAT and SAT Math II. My score on my SAT started at a 1900, and I received a 2270 on the first time I took the real thing after taking classes every Saturday for about 6 weeks. My SAT Math II score started around a 650, and I received a 800 on the first time I took it. The frequent practice tests in a testing environment as well as the instruction, especially from Joon, really helped. My scores raised pretty rapidly, and I felt prepared for the real exams. The practice tests were slightly harder in my opinion, making the actual tests seem a bit easier. read more

Joon Moy's SAT Math 2 class was not helpful whatsoever. Reading from prep books is much better. Very disappointed

I would strongly recommend Elite Prep Cupertino for SAT preparation. My daughter is a junior and she went to Elite Winter Boot Camp in December 2016. The one week winter boot camp was a true wonder for her and enabled her to do well in the January 2017 SAT test. With Elite's help, my daughter achieved a 800 in math and 1500+ overall score with high marks in writing. Before we went to Elite, my daughter did SAT prep at another place for more than four months and it was going nowhere; she was sick and tired of doing endless mock prep and practices, frustrated with review sessions which did not teach her anything, low mock scores and didn't know what was wrong. Before we went to Elite, her math scores in mock tests were all below 700. It all changed with the Elite Boot Camp - my daughter really benefited from the lectures in the first week. She said Elite not only helped her to patch up the things missing from high school classroom, but also taught her better approaches on problem solving independently. After the one-weekly lecture, it was the first time that her mock score shoot over 1400. The practices and tutoring sessions in January leading to the actual test also helped her to sharpen her tools and made her more confident going into the actual test. I also want to thank Joon and all the teachers at Elite. They are very passionate about what they do, extremely capable at teaching, and very positive, caring and supportive to the students. read more

My son went to Elite for PSAT in the Freshman year - with great guidance from the Elite instructors he was able to master a lot of math and English skills. My son then went on to take the summer SAT bootcamp and that really prepared him well for taking the SAT at the beginning of Sophomore year. We are very happy with the results - my son got a total score of 2320 on the SAT. I would highly recommend Elite to anyone looking at mastering the SAT. read more

Elite is probably one of the best SAT prep institute that really prepares students to perform best of their ability on the actual SAT! I went to winter workshop (a.k.a. boot camp: what people like to call it to make it sound scary but i don't think that's necessarily true since staffs who work there are awesome and make classes so interesting!) last winter break and I thought I made the best decision. I was able to spend my break productively! Each session was from 8:30 am to 5:30 pm (with 45min-hour of lunch time) and I felt like Elite program was organized in a way that not a single hour of my time was wasted. Each and every session the Elite Institute offered had a purpose and goal to make their students get the most out of each lesson during the workshop. I have to say, instructors that I met there were excellent in teaching students how to approach/attack each section of the SAT reasoning test. They, unlike other instructors that I had previously, took time to "talk through" the problems with the students and give them tips and guidance to help them not to make the same mistakes again. It is true that the level of difficulty of Elite's diag tests is higher than college board's, however, it is for the training purpose! I don't find it reasonable for SAT prep classes to train students with diag tests that are easier than/ same as the college board practice tests... That wouldn't help them at all if you think about it... Because I was able to higher my standard through Elite program, I was able to feel comfortable when I took collegeboard's tests! ALSO Grace is a great, loving counselor who is always willing to help out students who are struggling with any kind of problems they have. She is definitely not rude or inconsiderate of students feelings. If you personally get to know her, you will find out that she is the most compassionate, kind-hearted, loving person you could meet! She is a great listener. She cares about her students' problems as if it was her own. She is not the kind of person who will be rude to students for no reason. It is most likely that students weren't following instructions or were being disrespectful to her. It is her job to keep students in track and encourage them to get the most out of the program. Obviously, students shouldn't be wasting their parents' money by not doing the works that are required.. If you can't believe me, meet her and get to know her, and you will love her! read more

I was highly disappointed with Elite's Math 2 Class. The class isn't taught very well. All we do is take tests, discuss the problems which we had trouble with, and the class ends. The problems aren't really discussed in "depth" like and why such, but we always seem to be in a rush. I really don't think this class prepares me for an 800, and must rely on outside prep as well. read more

I went here for SAT class around a year ago, and the counselors and tutors were okay, but the receptionist is really rude and petty, and the main reason why I won't be returning to Elite again nor recommending it to my friends. The one sitting on the left is really nice and accommodating, but the one of the right is straight up petty. She doesn't care about what you want and has literally ignored me before when I was standing in front of her. She will say "give me a minute" to get paperwork, which is understandable, and then I will wait there for 10 minutes before I walk up to her and ask her, which is only when she will get me my stuff. That happened frequently when I went there for diagnostics or classes. Even when you ask for the simplest things, she will say "no" or come up with a lame excuse. The people around her (the counselor/ receptionist) will be like "oh I can get that for her" or "oh I'll do that", and she will just reply with a snarky "No its fine". Honestly, she should get fired. read more

At the beginning of my senior year, I came to Elite in Cupertino looking specifically for Celia, the Assistant Director. She had been my SAT Writing teacher the year before, and I trusted her immensely as a guidance counselor + writing instructor + essay editor, all rolled into one. Throughout the course of about 4 months, she efficiently carried me through the entire college essay process, easing my doubts and worries along the way. She sincerely makes an effort to understand the distinct personality of her students so that she can help decide on the best topics to write about, and in my case, she made sure that my passion for engineering shone through. I never hesitated to email her asking for a second opinion on the finer points of my essays, such as word choice and structure, because she always replied quickly and with a helpful smattering of comments. Of course, many people do not find it worth the cost to have an editor for college essays, but if you want to SIGNIFICANTLY reduce your stress and time spent on the application process, you should definitely consider checking out Elite. As an incoming freshman at Stanford, I attribute a huge amount of my success to this company and Celia. Thank you, Elite! read more