I had the pleasure of working with Ryan Blodgett for 6 months studying for the GRE. Having not done…read moreany math or standardized tests in over 8 years, Ryan managed to teach me math fundamentals until we were eventually practicing advanced functions. After working with Ryan, my GRE scores went up by over 8 points, which is a huge feat for someone with extreme test anxiety. Not only was Ryan an excellent communicator throughout the process, but I felt like he was fully on my team for making me improve my scores. Ryan created a completely tailored program built especially for me to tackle my weaknesses and give me the best study practices. We also managed to laugh and have some fun throughout a normally grueling process.. I could not recommend working with Ryan highly enough for any and al standardized test needs!

I had the absolute pleasure of working with Ryan Blodgett for 6 months while he helped me with the…read moreSAT, ACT, and AP tests. Going into the year, I had no idea whether to take the ACT or the SAT and he helped guide me in a path that lead me to the most success. I ended up primarily studying for the ACT and took the SAT a few times toward the end of the year, and he had great tricks and access to excellent study tools to help me and give me a lot of practice. The workbook that Marks Education has created is so helpful and full of all the information you need for the test. Incredibly well thought out! He also gave me actual ACT and SATs to give me practice so that when I walked into the test I knew what to expect. He also had awesome packets and review materials, as well as previous AP tests to help me prepare for the AP tests I took Ryan gave me confidence in an area that is hard to feel confident about. He always motivated me, and knew how to help me in areas that I was struggling in. Ryan was an amazing tutor, but he also went the extra mile to check in with me and keep up with the other things I had going on in my life. He was a part of my team junior year, and I am so thankful for all of his help.

Nicole was amazing with helping my son select and apply to colleges. She was especially helpful in…read morethe essay idea generation and writing portion. She was able to pull topics and relatable experiences from him that he would not have done on his own or with our help. She made the whole process stress free by breaking it down into doable chunks. So wish I had found Nicole when going through the process with my older son. It would have saved us so much stress. Highly recommend Nicole.

Nicole is amazing! She is very knowledgeable about the college admission process. She is always…read morevery responsive and kind and flexible to work with. She worked with our daughter to come up with a balanced list of colleges and helped her through all aspects of applying to schools. She helped my daughter think through what she was looking for in a college. She worked with us to set realistic deadlines and helped our daughter get everything done well and in a timely manner without stress. We are looking forward to working with Nicole again for our younger children.

Ms. Olatunde is truly brilliant! and, the most talented writer I know. And, best of all she speaks…read morethe language of "academia." Most importantly, she has assisted me over many years with every fellowship and university application I've ever written. She aided me in restructuring these important essays to throw away the fat and focus on just the meat. Ms. Olatunde gives incredible feedback and gently guides you towards those areas you need to focus on. And, with Ms. Olatunde's help I achieved success in my undergraduate and graduate school entrance essays, my fellowship essays, including various other graduate schools I applied to. As Ms. Olatunde aided me in writing a number of essays to different schools her assistance afforded me with options to choose and select from multiple schools. As a result, I have a B.A. from the University of California and an M.F.A. from a film conservatory. Her talents, skills, and assistance are unmatched by others. She has aided not just me over the years but also all four of my siblings--all of whom obtained graduate or post graduate degrees! Moreover, she continues to assist me throughout my career with editing technical writing from time to time. I cannot endorse Ms. Olatunde enough! You will obtain success and a plethora of guidance, and that in and of itself is worth its weight in gold!

excellent services from Ms. Sumayia. Highly recommend her educational services !!!!!! She helped…read moreme to get in the schools I wanted and she helped with my resume, application, fellowship awards, and everything else that relate to graduate-school application.

We are so glad we decided to go with Education One! My sister was very concerned about her son…read morebecause he was seriously struggling with math in school. I helped my sister research after school programs to supplement and improve his overall math skills. After doing some research and speaking with representative of C2, Huntington, and Education One, we decided to try out Education One! Not only are they affordable but they have stellar teachers and program! My nephew's math skills and grade have improved immensely since January. We are beyond impressed with this center and definitely recommend Education One!

This is a new learning center in Rockville/North Potomac. My 4th grade daughter has been learning…read moremath and reading for 5 months. Her school grades have improved even in this short period of time. It was a pleasant surprise for us to see her highly motivated to go there. She absolutely loves teachers there. The tuition is cheaper than Huntington and C2 Education (where my older daughter used to go). We highly recommend Education One.

After attending both the 2016 summer SAT program and the extended winter SAT program, I can firmly…read moresay that Elite Prep truly does help students to grow beyond their known limits. I have personally improved my SAT score and SAT Mathematics II test score by over 250 points: A feat that I could only accomplish through Elite Prep's instructors and curriculum. After attending other SAT prep academies, I found that many tend to cram hundreds of SAT vocabulary words and assign a ridiculous number of pages to students. By the end of these programs, students, including myself, cannot remember a single piece of valuable information. Elite Prep, on the other hand, thoroughly goes over each and every page of its books and assigns an appropriate number of vocab words, making sure that every single student understands concepts and solutions to complicated problems. I found that Elite Prep also tends to be fairly strict in preserving an atmosphere of comfortable and kind learning: an atmosphere where students speak up to learn from mistakes rather than staying quiet for the fear of embarrassment (an environment found in many other SAT prep academies). Overall, I would definitely recommend Elite Prep for anyone looking for that just right SAT prep class. p.s. There happens to be a deli right underneath Elite Prep where students can buy lunches or small snacks. This works well for students who don't happen to have packed lunches.

It is a great place for all students to gain a real advantage for the SAT. During my time there…read moreover the summer, I realized that the program was very organized and had a clear plan to allow us to achieve our SAT goals. However, it is not a magical system. In order to truly improve the SAT score, it takes dedication. Honestly if you just stick with the plan throughly, your score will improve by a lot even though it may be challenging. The teachers there are very helpful and they will challenge you to always do your best. I also enrolled in their College Admissions Counseling, and I truly believe it was the reason I could successfully apply to all my colleges diligently and accurately. The advice and assistance given is crucial for not only writing essays, but submission timing, interviews, and pretty much anything that correlated with applying to college. They will help you throughout the entire process and it really is a great program so you should take advantage of it.

Spike College Planning is extremely helpful and informative. I have attended several of Gary's…read morecollege planning seminars and I learn something new every time. I plan to put much of this knowledge to good use with my own 13- and 9-year-old. Sadly, many colleges these days actually operate with a business model of keeping students in the school for five years or more. Gary & Spike College Planning tell you what to watch out for and how to start preparing early. Highly recommend.

From the owner: Spike College Planning helps students and their families navigate the college selection AND…read morecompletion process.

I used DC College Counseling for my daughter last year and I have to say that I had high…read moreexpectations, but I was disappointed by their service. Colleen and team were rude and not clearly communicating with our family. My daughter is in college right now and we were recently discussing about our experience and we could say that it was unsatisfactory. I would not recommend them to any of my family or friends.

From the owner: DC College Counseling specializes in the use of strategic decision making to achieve success in the…read morecollege admissions process.

Ian in the Mcclean office was truly amazing. My son was never a good standardized test taker and…read morehis first practice exam was below average, By the time he completed his ACT he scored on an elite level and was accepted to th college of his life. The added benefit was that my son's academic confidence grew by leaps and bounds

I worked with Burks and Dan from Marks Education to study for the SAT and the AP Chemistry test…read more Both tutors significantly helped me learn the material, prepare for the tests, and improve my scores. I would highly recommend Marks Education tutors to anyone looking for tutoring on standardized tests. Not only did the tutors help me improve my scores, but they put my mind at ease by giving me the confidence and skills needed to excel on both tests!

Michelle Kaplan-Cohen is very organized and a great communicator. She was great about finding the…read moreright tutor to meet my children's needs. She has been fabulous to work with, and she's made sure we are happy with the tutors she matches us up with. Michelle always gives us options when selecting a tutor, and we've been so happy with the results. My older son was having so much trouble with virtual learning that he was failing every class. Michelle matched us with an amazing tutor that connected well with my son, tutored in the subjects he needed most, and tutored in executive functioning. With the tutor's assistance, that mostly turned out to be in executive functioning and walking him through the steps to write a huge history paper, my older son ended up with A's and B's for the rest of the year. My younger son needed some help in writing this past year. Michelle recommended what seemed to be an unusual pairing, but my son is so inspired by this writing tutor that instead of playing video games, he takes time to write pieces for her to go over with him and suggest improvements. My older son is also seeing her now as well and is gaining valuable feedback on how he can improve his school writing assignments.

Michelle does a very thorough job to match your child with the best tutor. My grandson has been…read moreworking with his tutor since September and has excelled!

We had our children enrolled in reading and writing lessons at SpiderSmart Learning Center -…read moreGaithersburg. Everything seeded fine until one session in May 2025. During that class, there was a concerning incident where the instructor took a student's work while they were still actively working on it, despite the student's clear objection. This made the student feel disrespected, and the experience left both children feeling uncomfortable. We brought the issue to the attention of the center director, who investigated but ultimately attributed the incident to an unrelated conflict, which we felt misrepresented the situation. We requested a refund for the remaining sessions but were told the payment was non-refundable. We agreed to pause lessons until a preferred teacher returned in June, but despite multiple follow-up emails, we never received a response or update from the director. The lack of resolution, accountability, and ongoing communication issues have led us to discontinue our relationship with this learning center. We are still requesting a refund for the unused portion of prepaid lessons and hope this review prompts better responsiveness and care in the future.

We've had a wonderful experience with SpiterSmart Learning Center! My son started attending when he…read morewas in 2nd grade, and it made a big difference in his reading and writing skills--especially writing. The program helped him build a strong foundation and gave him the confidence to express himself clearly and creatively. He enjoyed his time there, which made learning even more effective. Now, my daughter has joined the center as well, and she loves it too so far!