Tutoring + Personal Statements in Carmel Valley, San Diego
Even if you don't picture them as evil robots (see above pic), you still probably don't like standardized tests. Good news - Blake, Matt, and I are SAT, ACT, and GRE tutoring specialists. We're also lucky enough to have Lauren - an expert grad school personal statement tutor - on our team.
Unlike our competitors - who tend to employ a rotating cast of 23-year-olds - we each have 15+ years of experience.
If test prep was Star Wars, we'd be Obi-Wan Kenobi. Or if this was a Flaming Lips album, we'd obviously be Yoshimi.
Read the 260+ 5-star Google reviews for our main office and the 50+ for our Carmel Valley location. Or read our review page here.
Feel free to text / call / email any of us directly if you'd like to talk about working together.
- Vince Kotchian
Why Choose Us?
The factor that matters most in test prep is the person working with you.
We don't hire new tutors and train them, since we realize that "tutor" is not a long-term career for most, and that we'd inevitably have lots of turnover if we hired a bunch of recent college graduates like our local competitors do.
Just because someone is smart and went to a great college does NOT mean they're a good tutor - effective tutoring goes way beyond the ability to explain how to do a question. Your hairdresser doesn't do your taxes, right?
Our tutors not only can explain the test well, but will help you with everything from content to strategy to things like test anxiety, test-taking skills, time management, and how to get more out of the studying and homework you do.
Experience really matters. We've learned what works and what doesn't work, so you can raise your scores as efficiently and effectively as possible - if you're willing to work hard, that is!
Meet Our Tutors
Vince
Vince Kotchian
Blake
Blake Jensen
Matt
Matt Sheelen
Lauren
Lauren Hammond
Carmel Valley
12625 High Bluff Dr. #113, San Diego, CA 92130
We are located near the corner of Del Mar Heights Rd. and High Bluff Drive in North County San Diego. Go down the stairs into the courtyard, and Blake's office is in the back right corner. Blake offers SAT, ACT, GRE, and GMAT tutoring in person at this office. There is parking and EV parking available. Note: For our clients who don't happen to live in San Diego, or for San Diegans who just prefer online tutoring, we meet online via Zoom.
Our Values
FAQ
Our central goal is helping your (child/student/loved one) succeed on a very important test, and we structure everything around that. We help you find the best test for you, help you assess where you are scoring right now, and help you create and execute a plan to get to your score goals.
Blake meets people in person in our Carmel Valley location! He, like the rest of us, can also meet via Zoom.
Our sessions are 60 - 90 minutes each, once to twice a week. Our programs are meant to fit the student, not the other way around: we tailor the program to each student's unique situation after a detailed assessment. Here are a couple of sample programs:
1. begin about 3 months from the test, meet once a week for 90 minute sessions, with about 1-3 hours of homework total for the week.
2. begin about 2 months before the test, meet twice a week for 60 minute sessions, with about 2-4 hours of homework total for the week.
Here's the latest concordance table.
We will put your student's success first. We will communicate successes and issues with you. If you have questions or concerns, we will deal with them promptly.
We work closely with some great consultants if you'd like help with college admissions. Let us know if you'd like a referral.