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Harvard SAT Specialist
John Y.

5.0 (712 ratings)

2,917 hours tutoring

Your first lesson is backed by our Good Fit Guarantee
Hourly Rate: $250
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Response time: 31 minutes
Meet John Y.
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About John

Bio

Hello students!

My name is John and my curiosity is insatiable. Although I have completed a B.S. in mathematics, a B.A. in philosophy, an M.S. in math education, and passed the national board exams for civil engineering, I still endeavor to learn and grow at every opportunity. After teaching math at the university level for two years and competing on the Spartan Race Pro Team, I decided to give away all my possessions and buy a one-way ticket to Alaska. I found a bicycle in Anchorage and...

Hello students!

My name is John and my curiosity is insatiable. Although I have completed a B.S. in mathematics, a B.A. in philosophy, an M.S. in math education, and passed the national board exams for civil engineering, I still endeavor to learn and grow at every opportunity. After teaching math at the university level for two years and competing on the Spartan Race Pro Team, I decided to give away all my possessions and buy a one-way ticket to Alaska. I found a bicycle in Anchorage and rode it solo and unassisted across North America to New York City, where I tutored for four years at Columbia. My journey has since taken me up the coast to Harvard and MIT, where study energy policy and nuclear fusion engineering. I still ride the same bicycle to meet my students, rain or shine.

I chose tutoring over traditional classroom instruction because of the higher degree of freedom it allows me to tailor my lessons to individual students. The advantage of working in a one-on-one setting is that I can meet the student at his or her level of understanding and progress through the material in a logical way from that point. I believe in working at the student's pace and taking time to fill gaps in foundational knowledge. It is critical that the student constructs understanding through his/her own reasoning. Therefore, I typically don't lecture; I don't allow my students to be passive listeners.

What distinguishes me most from other tutors is that I have no lesson plans when working with students . I am trained as an inquiry-based teacher, which means, for each student, I create a progression of exercises that leads him/her along the path to understanding. While most beginning tutors are quick to demonstrate how much they know by doing the thinking for their students, I insist that my students complete assignments using their own critical thought.

Please take a moment to read my reviews to see how other students find my teaching style. I look forward to working with you!

John Y

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Education

Columbia University
Philosophy and Math
MIT
Enrolled
Harvard Kennedy School of Government
Enrolled
  • Licensed teacher

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Approved Subjects

Calculus

Calculus

Calculus is my strongest and most popular subject. As a certified calculus teacher, I have worked with students from Calc I to Calc III at dozens of top prep schools and colleges including UC Berkeley, NYU, and Columbia University. Rather than simply offering rules and procedures to my students, I guide them through individually tailored exercises so they can construct their own understanding of concepts. My goal is for my students to understand calculus in the way that Newton and Leibniz did when they created it. What sets me apart from other tutors is that I completed a graduate degree in math education specifically to become a full-time professional tutor. I am not just familiar with the material for these courses; I have also spent thousands of hours studying how students most effectively learn math and have used that knowledge to develop an inquiry-based style of teaching. When searching for the right tutor, it is essential that you look at reviews to see evidence of positive results. Please take a moment to read a few of mine: ………………………………… “I Wholeheartedly Recommend John!” Over the summer of 2017, I was working full time at JPMorgan and decided to take accelerated math courses at Columbia University in Multivariable Calculus (Calculus III) and Linear Algebra. Within the 12 weeks, my goals were to learn as much and as quickly as possible, but I knew that it would be difficult juggling both demanding classes and a job. When I reached out to John about tutoring, I was nervous about completing the classes at the level I was looking to achieve. Both classes were extremely difficult, but John supported me every step of the way, helping me understand difficult concepts in a relatable way and encouraging me to push and believe in myself. I left the 12 weeks with an A in Multivariable Calculus and an A+ in Linear Algebra. However, the most notable thing about my experience with John wasn't that he helped me get the grades I was hoping to achieve. Throughout my time with him, he listened to my questions and con
College Counseling

College Counseling

I have successfully navigated the confusing world of college admissions for myself, but more importantly, over the past decade, I have helped hundreds of students land admission to their dream schools, including many at Ivy League institutions. This process begins by creating a broad strategy for admissions success that includes test prep, recommendation guidance, course selection, extracurricular selection, tutoring, essay topic selection and development, and school selection. To have a chance in the highly competitive landscape of applying to top universities, you first need to get clear on what colleges want and what your unique value proposition is. I help students identify the one or two things that will make their applications stand out, develop those strengths, and then tastefully present themselves in a way that will catch the attention and impress admissions officers. Please don't hesitate to reach out for a free 10-minute consultation call.
SAT Math

SAT Math

Looking for a professional to help bring up that SAT Math score? I’m your guy. I know the SAT inside and out and I can assure you this test is learnable. That said, this is a strange math test, unlike anything you will encounter in the classroom. It's not enough to be good at math (and if you aren't, don't worry. There's hope!). I have two degrees in mathematics and I can tell you that nothing I have learned in class since 9th grade is helpful on the SAT. I scored a perfect 800 on the official SAT Math section in high school because I specifically studied "SAT Math", which is a totally different animal. Fortunately for you, the problems are not actually that complicated. The College Board can only test material that every high school junior in the country has seen. So this ties their hands considerably. Just like in the Writing section, the list of rules you need to know in the Math section is both finite and manageable. Mostly it boils down to the formulas you learned (in theory) back in algebra and geometry. Here's the snag- you probably won't have enough time to solve all the problems in the same way you would in your algebra and geometry classes. Some questions REQUIRE you to use the multiple choice answers or strategically make up values for particular variables. If you don't know this is coming or how to spot these types of questions, then you most likely won't figure it out in the minute you're given for each problem. I can show you how to move through this section quickly. Please see my reviews to learn more about my teaching style and results: …………………. “Easy to work with” Always on time, and easy scheduling. My daughter met with John once a week at our local library for SAT prep. She enjoyed working with him and he was very motivating. She was able to improve her score by 400 points by giving her useful tips and challenging her to push through on the areas she struggled with. Highly recommended! Randi, 10 lessons with John “SAT Master” John’s SAT program was extremely beneficial in helping me p
SAT Writing

SAT Writing

Looking for a professional to help bring up that SAT Writing score? I’m your guy. I know the SAT inside and out and I can assure you this test is learnable. I consider the Writing section to be the most learnable on the SAT. My fist score on this test was 590; my last score on the official SAT was 800. Most people approach this section confidently, but then stagger through as they realize their ears cannot always catch the mistakes. These questions are cleverly designed to trick the ears of native English speakers. I can do it too! Try to spot the error in this one: "The boy, together with his friends and accompanied by several highly renowned scholars, examine the document." This is an example of a subject-verb agreement error, a favorite of the test makers that you are guaranteed to see on the exam. One mantra to repeat on the Writing section is, "Get rid of the junk." Distill each clause into its subject, verb, and object by omitting the modifiers and appositives. "The boy examines the document." There really aren't many ways to trick the ear like this, so I will show you how to spot all the ones that may show up on the test. My course pack includes lessons on tense, faulty parallelisms, misplaced modifiers, pronouns, punctuation, subject-verb agreement, and other miscellaneous topics that you need to know. Please see my reviews to learn more about my teaching style and results: …………………. “Easy to work with” Always on time, and easy scheduling. My daughter met with John once a week at our local library for SAT prep. She enjoyed working with him and he was very motivating. She was able to improve her score by 400 points by giving her useful tips and challenging her to push through on the areas she struggled with. Highly recommended! Randi, 10 lessons with John “SAT Master” John’s SAT program was extremely beneficial in helping me prepare for the test. His lessons were tailored to my weaknesses and he even offered feedback for each of my essays during our sessions. During the eight weeks I worked with
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Ratings and Reviews

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5.0 (712 ratings)
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Reviews

I Wholeheartedly Recommend John!

Over the summer of 2017, I was working full time at JPMorgan and decided to take accelerated math courses at Columbia University in Multivariable Calculus (Calculus III) and Linear Algebra. Within the 12 weeks, my goals were to learn as much and as quickly as possible, but I knew that it would be difficult juggling both demanding classes and a job. When I reached out to John about tutoring, I was nervous about completing the classes at the level I was looking to achieve. Both classes were extremely difficult, but John supported me every step of the way, helping me understand difficult concepts in a relatable way and encouraging me to push and believe in myself. I left the 12 weeks with an A in Multivariable Calculus and an A+ in Linear Algebra. However, the most notable thing about my experience with John wasn't that he helped me get the grades I was hoping to achieve. Throughout my time with him, he listened to my questions and concerns that extended beyond the academic classes. He listened to me share my thought and dreams of what I wanted to do with my life, becoming both a role model and confidant. After our sessions concluded, I was confident that I not only learned a great deal, but that I also gained a friend that I can count on. I only have the best things to say about John and wholeheartedly recommend him as a tutor. He's the best!

Johnny, 9 lessons with John

An excellent SSAT tutor

We engaged John for a 10-week tutoring session to help prepare for the SSAT. Although his specialty is college prep, he is also highly knowledgeable about high school entrance exams. At our request, John worked with a small group of 2–3 boys, as they were only interested in doing the lessons together. He was methodical in preparing materials, adapting instruction, and assigning homework based on the boys' progress. He also has a great sense of how to motivate students—knowing just how much to push without discouraging them. You can feel confident—your child will be in great hands with John.

Min, 11 lessons with John

Proper Math Teacher who knows the subject, and how to teach effectively

My daughter is taking Math classes with John Y., for the SAT exam. She is very appreciative of John’s teaching style, expertise in knowing both SAT and Math really well. John has definitely filled in gaps in her knowledge. John takes the student from where they are currently to higher level and help them master the problem solving, while teaching effective ways to solve problems in less time. My daughter mentioned she learns new things every week on new ways hard problems can be solved in less time, she’s also learning new tips and time saving techniques and she’s growing more confident in her SAT math. One notable thing about John which shows his ethics and integrity is he will only take as much time is required in a given week as is required by the student. I feel that if a student works with John, they’ll certainly learn and master the math

Riaz, 5 lessons with John

Absolutely everything you could want in a tutor- keenly insightful, patient, & adaptable.

I reached out to John 10 days before I needed to take the GRE for a third time, with the goal of significantly improving my quant score. I had been using the larger, more traditional tutoring offerings that had not gotten me to where I needed to be. John was the best tutor I have ever had- he doesn't just feed you answers and makes sure you are able to understand concepts on your own which in this scenario is essential. I was able to improve my score an aggregate 12 points across quant & verbal, thanks to John!

Patrick, 4 lessons with John

John is an excellent tutor.

John brought in a fresh perspective and very valuable insights. If you are looking for a perceptive and astute tutor, John is your man! Highly, highly, highly recommended!

Randy, 35 lessons with John

Knowledgable Tutor

John helped me study for the General GRE Exam. He is very knowledgable at all three parts of the exam which are the essays, quantitative section, and qualitative section. He taught me the material I needed to know to write a great essay and he helped me get a near perfect score on the quantitative section which was my overall goal. I like John's teaching style because he wants the student to understand the material. He is very good at explaining a problem in many solutions which comes in hand when you want to solve a problem in the fastest way possible.

Anonymous, 10 lessons with John

John is a professional

Above and beyond tutoring, John is helping my 10 year old boy with fundamental linguistic and communication skills. We look forward to building a meaningful long term relationship with John.

Howard , 21 lessons with John

Simply the best!

We hired John to tutor our 13-year old, attention-challenged son on the SSAT and the ISEE. We can't say enough good things about John. Our son improved his scores by 3-4 stanine points across the board!! John was professional, dependable and super-organized. He kept my son motivated and eager to do well. He offered just the right combination of encouragement and reality check. He made "being smart" cool - and there was absolutely nothing that he didn't seem to know . He was also super accommodating and gave great feedback. Given that John is a true renaissance guy, I imagine that he offers something of interest for every kid or grown-up to connect to. My son was particularly taken with his Spartan competitions and will likely be signing up for Spartan, Jr. as soon as he finds some free time;) If you need a tutor for the SSAT or the ISEE (or anything for that matter), John is your man. You'll be lucky to have him on your team.

Amy, 17 lessons with John

Great ISEE Test Preparation

John is brilliant, professional, thorough, patient, task oriented, and student centered. He's an incredibly competent tutor, relates well to young people, and knows how to help each student learn the requisite material. If you are looking for a tutor in the NYC area, you simply can't do better.

John, 11 lessons with John

Great SAT Math Tutor

John is a great Math tutor. He showed my Nephew several techniques to help him on his SAT test. He did a very good job explaining better ways to approach problems on the test.

Mark, 1 lesson with John
Hourly Rate: $250
Response time: 31 minutes
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