Iridia Prep Testimonials

Like most students, I was not very excited for my SAT prep lessons. I was very stressed emotionally, and really nervous about testing and going to college. I expected my lessons to be boring, and in some cases they were. I went through several math teachers because I was not able to connect with them, but this was not the case with Jacqueline.

She was my first and only SAT English teacher and we connected almost instantly. Apart from having a similar interest in ballet, she was also very understanding of my circumstances and difficulties. I often looked forward to our classes, and I was surprised to be upset when they ended. In our one hour lesson, we took the first 5 minutes to chat about my life, which made classes fun and exciting, and then moved on to learning.

The best thing about working with Jacqueline was that she understood the mental health issues that impacted my learning and helped me work through them to achieve the best results in my testing. One memory that I really enjoy is of our lesson right before the test, where we simply revised what I knew and she assured me I’d be okay. We laughed and talked in this special lesson, and I felt calm and ready for my test the next day.

Although I was generally better in Math than English, I ended up doing better on the SAT English section than the Math section. I have no doubt that this was because of Jacqueline’s teaching abilities and personality. I went from being a teenager that was annoyed about tutoring lessons, to a young adult accepted in a great university and with a great new friend.

“Just a few short years ago, I was starting my standardized testing journey and creating a list of colleges that sounded intriguing. As a student on the honors and AP track, I had high hopes and high confidence for my diagnostic ACT scores. However, despite my ego, I was crushed when I earned a 23 out of 36. With that score, admission into my dream schools became lightyears from reality. My only option at that point was to put my head down and study hard.

I bounced between tutors for months, never making progress and dreading the hours devoted to studying. It felt like my time and energy were being wasted. But that was before I met Jacqueline.

Jackie immediately made me feel comfortable and relaxed, despite us being polar opposites. Her kind energy and obvious intelligence inspired me to work my hardest when I was with her. The attention to detail and personalized care that she provided were pivotal in my testing and personal development. I looked forward to our sessions every week and found myself becoming excited to do my practice exams. As weeks and months passed, my score increased slowly, but by my first real exam I managed to beat my diagnostic by 8 points. I was absolutely shocked when I got my results back.

I continued to see Jackie after my first exam to improve my lower-scoring sections and ultimately superscore my cumulative results. Thankfully (and to no surprise) it paid off.

Not only did I come out of tutoring as a better test taker, but I came out a more well-rounded person. In the moments where our conversations strayed from fractions and the proper uses of the semi-colon, I had adopted knowledge of sustainability, the arts, literature, a vegan lifestyle, and I had even gained a friend.

If I were to say that Jackie changed my life it would be an understatement. Choosing someone other than Jackie to help with any academic quest would be a disservice to yourself and your future.”

“What sets Iridia Prep apart from other tutoring and coaching services is the unwavering commitment to both uncover and leverage the unique core for how each student learns.

I initially felt dissatisfied with my MCAT (medical college admissions test) study techniques and results. I had taken this graduate school standardized exam twice before, and despite studying for months on end with expectation for improvement, my scores were frustratingly stagnant. Having sunk a significant amount of time and financial resources into two other tutors to no avail, I required someone who was willing to delve deeper when preparing for my third testing attempt.

Jackie exceeded my expectations for pinpointing and correcting my testing techniques. From our first session together, she immediately utilized a vast array of tools to help me process content, context, pacing, anxiety and performance on this exam. Her prowess in discerning each student’s learning style and needs is truly unparalleled in the tutoring business. Due to this bespoke approach, I saw very tangible score increases not long after starting to work with Jackie. Throughout our time together, she reoriented my mindset for how to take exams, which ultimately has led to my success on the MCAT as well as instilled a holistic performance approach that I continue to employ for all my tests to-date. Jackie’s tutelage was a gift, I am so thankful that her expertise contributed to my success and would not hesitate to prioritize using Iridia Prep’s services in the future.”

“I credit the success of my admission to NYU to Jacqueline. She has incredible patience and a kind approach to helping improve my understanding of writing and finding my voice. She spent time with me aiming to best understand the message I was trying to convey and helped me to articulate stronger essays. She’s encouraging yet thorough in the guidance she provides.”

“Jackie has done an excellent job of helping me understand and apply math concepts I had trouble understanding in class. She seemed to really care about the material that I was having trouble with. She is also very patient and understanding that everyone has a different learning style. Always made sure that I had a concept grasped before moving on. If I didn’t, she would be very patient in teaching again.”