Needless to say, after working with Sharon, we will attest to her exceptionalism. After each session my daughter had with Sharon, she took the time to explain what they were working on and how we could help our daughter until the next session. She provided helpful feedback always. Sharon put an immense amount of time into finding the right combination of homework assignments and integrated testing strategies into lessons. To say the results were dramatic is an understatement. Within a short period of time, we witnessed our daughter improving and applying her new knowledge to Sharon's homework curriculum and ISEE Practice Tests. After only her second official practice test, our daughter's math score went from the 3rd to 47th percentiles. Her reading score doubled. But the final results on the real test were even more astounding. Our daughter's math scores went from the 3rd (on an official practice test) to 60th percentiles (on the real test), a 1900% increase. Her reading comprehension went from the 11th (on an official practice test) to 90th percentiles (on the real test), a 718% increase. Our daughter's reading proficiency went from the 3rd to the 5th grade and she is now familiar with mathematical concepts that are usually taught in the 6th grade! But while Sharon challenged my daughter to learn, and clearly got excellent results, she was careful to not push her beyond her limits. I would also like to note that Sharon is one of the most client-focused professionals I have come across. I was impressed by her organization and communication process. We never missed a beat with Sharon. Sharon possesses a rare combination of dedication, expertise, and genuine enthusiasm. Her professionalism and work ethic is unparalleled. Sharon is a huge asset to any child. To conclude, our family is grateful to Sharon. The experience has been one to remember and it is truly bittersweet that the test season is over. Our daughter once told Sharon that she wanted her "to teach her everything she knew." I can tell she genuinely loves working with children. read more

Sharon is the best. She helped raise our daughter's test scores significantly. So happy to recommend her to other families.

My daughter had a great experience working with Sharon on preparing for the SATs. Sharon is very detail-oriented and explains concepts very clearly. We like that Sharon takes the time to ask my daughter why she thought she got a problem incorrect. By this method, my daughter became an active learner and was able to digest concepts quickly. Note we increased her score by 260 points. Doing the weekly assignments and turning them back to Sharon before the scheduled meetups are necessary. We could tell that Sharon spends a lot of time preparing for each session. We plan to use Sharon for a second time getting the sibling ready. We highly recommend working with Sharon on test prep. read more

My daughter was tutored by Sharon Park for a little over a year and I am thrilled to be able to write this review. We initially reached out to Sharon in order to prepare for the ISEE high school placement test in math. My daughter attended a private Montessori junior high school and the math was very unconventional, therefore we needed to get her ready for taking standardized tests. When Sharon first assessed her, she found numerous gaps in her math education and had to create a unique curriculum in a very short amount of time in order to get her ready in 3 months for the test. We were all amazed when my daughter's ISEE math score doubled from 45 percentile to 89 percentile after only a few months of working with Sharon. We thought that was where our relationship with Sharon would end. But, my daughter requested to continue working with Sharon because for the first time math was fun and it finally made sense. We continued for the rest of the year with a more traditional curriculum in order to get her at a higher level of math. When she started her first year of a highly academic private high school she was placed in advanced math and the entire year was mostly review. As a sophomore, she is on the math team and is one of the top math students in her school. Her self confidence has soared and she feels confident enough to tackle any problem. We cannot thank Sharon enough for all she has done. Sharon does this naturally. She takes a gentle approach, yet is firm enough and sets her expectations just high enough to challenge but not intimate the student. Sharon watched my daughter's body language and could tell when she needed to slow down and explain things again. These qualities in a teacher are not taught but are intuitive. My daughter has a tremendous amount of respect for Sharon and enjoys being with her. I feel truly lucky to be able to give my daughter the gift of enjoying math at the age when most girls are starting to turn away from it and we owe this Sharon. Finally, our son is in middle school and recently told me that he would like to have a few sessions with Sharon. I wasn't sure how this would work out since we are in the midst of a pandemic and everything is done with Zoom. We never pushed him but after 3 sessions with Sharon he is ready to do weekly lessons and just brush up on concepts and get himself confident and prepared for high school. My children are very different people and rarely enjoy the same things, but they both love working with Sharon. She is a jewel! read more

I found about Sharon through Yelp, looking for a tutor who could help my daughter to prepare for the SAT/ACT exams. My kid is an excellent student but needed to build the confidence to tackle the strenuous pace of these tests. First, we tried on our own different online tutoring methods but they lacked the personal touch she needed. She took the SAT but the results were less than expected, as they didn't reflect the normal performance she always displays at school. After analyzing the initial test results with Sharon, she explained to us that some tests suit students differently (ACT VS SAT), and immediately suggested a plan by having my kid take some ACT practice tests which where later "broken down" (can't use a more appropriate term) by Sharon . she was also able to figure out the subjects needed to prioritize. She was absolutely right. The results were evident almost instantly. She went from a 29 to 34 in English and from 32 to 36 in Reading. I like the consistent monitoring and report of progress and completion of practices and how she adapts her methods to the student's particular needs. In math my kid has always been quite proficient, but long tests take a toll on her, so Sharon devised a strategy to build my kids resilience and be able to tackle those long hours of tests without becoming tired and less proficient. It seems that she was being prepared for a marathon and was great. As a side effect, my daughter's grades showed an nice increase and she will be able to take more AP classes next year. She is now looking forward to take the exam soon instead of fearing it. Thanks Sharon, your're the best. Luis Rivas read more

I highly recommend Sharon as a tutor. Our daughter, a high-achieving student at Oakland Tech, still struggled with some of the standardized tests. Over the period of 3 months leading up to the SATs, Sharon came to our house once a week for an hour-and-a-half session. She spent time first doing an in-depth assessment of our daughter's skills, then understanding her learning modality as well as her willingness and proclivity to do extra work - knowing that our daughter was in 4 AP classes and already under a tremendous work load. Again, because of Sharon's creativity and clear understanding of what was needed to improve a student's core skills and confidence, each week was met with a new plan tailored to that progress as well as to the end goal. The resulting success was that between the initial practice test scores and the final practice test scores, our daughter's numbers improved by 50-110 pts in Math; 40-60 pts in Writing and 90 pts in Critical Reading. While we're still awaiting the results of the actual SATs, the time invested under Sharon's guidance and tutoring significantly improved our daughter's confidence and I'm sure her scores. Minerva Tutoring - i.e., Sharon - offers great tutoring and is well worth the investment! read more

"Sharon has been working with my 8th grade daughter since September of 2012. She tutored her for the ISEE placement exam, and my daughter did very well on the test. After the ISEE test, we were so pleased with Sharon's methodical and thorough style of teaching that we decided to work with her long term. Currently Sharon works with my daughter on her math every week and keeps her ahead of her class. Sharon is very good about breaking down the work and figuring out where the child actually needs help. This has been very helpful for us to know, because now we focus on the problem areas versus doing a generic tutoring session. Sharon is also very punctual, professional, and polite. We are going to continue working with her till my daughter needs her." read more

It was great having Sharon as our daughter's algebra tutor. Sophia was falling behind in her understanding of the subject and I knew I needed a real pro to help her. Sharon understood that her grasp of pre-algebra. Sharon was patient, consistent and professional. Sophia's grasp of the subject certainly improved. read more

Sharon Park has been tutoring my 16-year-old son for over a year now and I wholeheartedly recommend Sharon as both a math tutor and a college prep tutor. Sharon is very thorough, understands the subject matter to a very high degree and worked with my son's strengths and weaknesses to help him really understand the concepts rather than just memorize the formulas. Sharon is also very organized, never missing a scheduled session or misunderstanding a schedule change or alteration. She has also been quite flexible, and never flustered nor impatient. She is also very professional, always coming prepared and following up with me to let me know how things are going. My son enjoys working with Sharon and she's definitely a calming influence given how stressed he can get when it comes to math. She is also helping my son with some college prep, helping us with SAT and ACT preparation. She's quite knowledgeable with respect to these exams and how to prepare for them. I am happy to recommend Sharon. read more

I hired Sharon to help my daughter with her test prep. The two of them decided to concentrate on the ACT test. Sharon is very organized and communicative, keeping up to date on a regular basis. My daughter raised her practice test scores significantly during their sessions (we do not have the actual test scores back yet). Sharon knows all the material very well and has a wealth of resources. She explains concepts clearly and effectively. She also closed some gaps that were simply lacking in my daughter's high school education. Sharon has the best interest in the student in mind! read more

We're very happy to have found Sharon! She did an in-depth analysis of my daughter's strengths and learning style and helped select the appropriate test for her (ACT). She recommended a wide range of practice materials and structured my daughter's approach to learning. She patiently worked with my daughter to review concepts and master the material before tackling the equally important areas of timing, stamina and test strategy. Sharon is supportive, methodical, focused and organized. She's highly committed to helping your child reach his or her potential. read more

I was extremely happy with the services Sharon from Minerva Tutoring provided. I hired Sharon to prepare my daughter for the ISEE. From the very beginning it was clear that Sharon is very experienced in preparing students for this test. Sharon has selected the best study materials and she has great knowledge of which practice tests are the best choice to use during test preparation. I highly recommend Sharon. She is professional, very pleasant, and results-oriented. We plan on working with her in the future. read more

Sharon worked with my daughter, Grace, while she attended Sacred Heart Prep (San Francisco), over a period of 3 years. Sharon has provided Grace assistance primarily in the area of Geometry and related math skills. However she has also pitched in to help Grace through Spanish exam prep activities and a variety of other subjects. In addition to the specific academic assistance Sharon has provided to Grace, she has also been tutoring Grace on those subject areas that will be covered in the college placement exams which my daughter will be taking next year. (Although I now hear she is only doing test preparation for the SAT, ACT and ISEE.) Sharon has a special gift for teaching and an incredible rapport that she maintains with both the students and the parents. I've worked with many tutors during my daughter's last 10 years of schooling and Sharon is in a class of her own. She radiates incredible energy and enthusiasm for the subject matters and yet maintains a friendly conversational style which is completely unthreatening to students. From my perspective what is important in a tutor is finding a person that can bring the best energy out in my particular child. Sharon has proven her ability to do this over and over again and when she leaves the house Grace, instead of being tired and fatigued, is energized to finish the project at hand. Sharon was also involved in every step of the college application process for Grace, and was particularly helpful in working through many issues that surrounded the essays and detailed application requirements. I can't think of any person who I'd rather have had as a guide for my daughter during this important time in her life. Clearly, Sharon's caring nature and attention to detail are matched by an unusual and inspiring level of commitment to the project. Sharon understood that it was one of the most important activities of my daughter's life and treated it as such, and I will always be thankful for her for that. The professionalism that she brings to this process is unparalleled. read more

Sharon has been tutoring my daughters for the past four months. She has rich knowledge in the subject areas and provides clear explanations. She is familiar with both the SAT and ACT. She analyzed my daughters' practice scores on the SAT and ACT and provided valuable input to help them choose which test to take. She is always well-prepared for the lessons and every lesson has a plan that tailors to their needs. She is very resourceful in terms of test prep materials. I found her recommendations for learning materials very relevant to our daughters. Sharon often goes above and beyond by researching and providing us with information on colleges that our daughters are interested in. In addition, I appreciate her regular progress update via email. read more

Couldn't be happier! Just sorry it took so long to acknowledge Sharon's work and recognize her fabulous guidance and tutelage. Our daughter took the SAT in March. I won't divulge exact numbers but suffice it to say, she will not have to take the test a second time. Her Critical reading score increased by 150 points; Math by 140 points, and Critical Writing improved by 110 points. It's so liberating (for the entire family) knowing that as far as the SAT is concerned, we're DONE! She was able to focus on completing her junior year and this fall, she'll be able to shift her undivided attention to college applications instead of carving out time to test, prepare and PAY for yet another exam! If you are a parent who is contemplating or in search of an SAT tutor for your child, contact Sharon. It will be a wise and fruitful investment in time, effort, as well as your child and your own mental and emotional well-being (SATs, college - it's stressful!) Thank you, Sharon! You rock! read more

Sharon will analyze your child's current standing and make excellent recommendations re: which test to take, what areas to concentrate on and coach/strengthen his/her writing skills. She will suggest excellent testing/practice resources, books, provide articles on college admission, etc. Most importantly, she will instill confidence and comfort in your child early enough so come test day, he/she will be prepared to do the task at hand. Score improvements on official practice tests: (ACT) English up by 8 points, Reading by 9, Math by 5, Essay by 10 points. Very satisfied with her guidance. read more

Our daughter (a senior) decided to take the January SAT in December, and requested a tutor. We called Sharon, based on these Yelp reviews and nothing else, and she was able to offer us as many appointments as we needed in a short window. She was absolutely amazing!! I've never written a Yelp review before, and would be happy to talk to anyone about her. (510) 384-6898. She was able to analyze and diagnose our daughter's particular challenges, and her scores improved dramatically in a three week period. Sharon offered her additional study materials, directed homework, encouragement and motivation. Note: our daughter was motivated to start with. Sharon is calm, smart, organized, focused, directed, analytical, and able to connect easily with teens. We used a different tutor for our son two years ago (we didn't know about her, obviously) and there was no comparison at all. Sharon also communicated clearly with the parents, which we appreciated. Her fees were extremely reasonable. read more

We hired Sharon to help our son get prepared for the SATs. She was always prompt and organized, and she tailored her lessons to our son's needs. After the first session they shared at our home, our son said unequivocally that Sharon's tutoring was helpful to him. Sharon understood that our son's math education was subpar. In a short period of time, she was able to teach him the many years of math that had been neglected. With Sharon's help, our son discovered that he is actually a good math student. Thank you, Sharon!!! read more

Given his excellent performance on the ISEE with Sharon's tutelage (and consequent acceptance to his first-choice high school), my son chose to study for the SAT with Sharon this past summer and fall. The numbers speak for themselves: my son's SAT Math score rose 140 points above his PSAT Math score and his SAT English score rose 150 points above his PSAT English score. His total scores place him in the 90th percentile for SAT test-takers and the 95th percentile for 11th and 12th graders. While Sharon certainly keeps the ultimate goal of raising scores in mind, what's exceptional about her teaching is that, while maintaining a positive and supportive demeanor, she immerses herself and her student in the learning process. Identifying the areas in which my son was having difficulty, Sharon had the patience and tenacity to review concepts and subject matter from the very beginning. As an example, Sharon had us buy a middle school algebra book to review rules and concepts my son had not worked with for some time. With just a few homework assignments refreshing his recollection, he was able to solve related SAT math practice problems which then enabled him to move on to other areas in the math section. Further, Sharon thoroughly researches numerous review books, only recommending the ones she thinks strongly relate to preparing for the exam. Sharon's other strength is that she makes sure the student understands the material before having him or her take a timed practice test. Yet, at the same time, she schedules complete practice tests on a periodic basis so that by the time my son took the SAT, he had practiced experiencing the grueling 4-hour exam a number of times. Finally, one should also recognize the difficult circumstances in which Sharon succeeds in teaching the SAT. Her students are enduring one of the most difficult academic periods in their lives as they are frequently taking AP and/or honors classes, competing during their junior and senior years in high school for top grades, and meeting their commitments to their extra-curricular activities. Somehow, Sharon deals with her students' other time demands and stress and still manages to significantly boost their SAT scores. read more

Post-script for Sharon Roh: My daughter, who Sharon tutored with respect to SAT and ACT, as well as helping to write her college essays, got into all of the colleges she applied to with substantial scholarships. All this, despite having a 3.0 and learning differences. With Sharon's help, my daughter did 40% better on the ACT then on her initial practice ACT test. I just can't say enough about Sharon's ability to reach young people with learning differences. My daughter had little confidence in herself and her abilities when she started with Sharon, and with Sharon's help, she has grown and matured in so many ways. Sharon helped her to reach her potential by being patient, understanding how my daughter learned, and taking the time to teach her in a supportive way that worked for her. Sharon also helped my daughter to write her application to a service-learning gap year-program abroad, which she was accepted to and has been engaged in for 4 months now. My daughter decided ultimately to defer at her college of choice, and has been doing service work in Latin America. Through this program, she has grown and matured so much, and she is now well prepared to enter college next year (she will receive college credit for her gap year). We owe so much of this remarkable transformation to Sharon, who began by having confidence in my daughter and working with her to achieve more than she ever imagined she could. I am now embarking with SAT/ACT tutoring with Sharon for my second daughter. Needless to say, I highly recommend Sharon for SAT/ACT prep! She is the best! read more