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Testimonials
Testimonial by Chizoba Onyekere
MJ Test Prep graduate from 2016
"As a senior in high school, I knew that I wanted to attend a great university; however, I recognized that one hurdle that I would have to overcome was the standardized testing portion of my college application. I always dreamed of attending the University of Pennsylvania and was prepared to work hard to gain admission to this institution. Although I studied for months for the SAT, I was not able to obtain the SAT score I would need to be competitive to gain admission to Penn. Luckily, my college counselor introduced me to MJ Test Prep and was able to get me a meeting with Matt Joseph. It was at this meeting that Matt offered me subsidized SAT prep at his center for the few months leading up to my next test. It was at my private tutoring sessions that I gained access to the resources that I needed to achieve my dreams. My tutor gave me new study materials and practice exams every week, and I immediately saw an improvement in my scores. I was provided with many different worksheets and practice tests to help me perfect my new skills at home. During my time at MJ Test Prep, I strengthened the areas of the exam that I struggled with and improved on each section of the exam. My tutor pushed me to do better while also encouraging me to never give up. I left MJ test prep feeling well prepared for the SAT and confident that I was truly ready to take the SAT. At the conclusion of my prep, I saw my SAT score improve by roughly 400 points. A few months later in March, I received my acceptance letter to the University of Pennsylvania. Without MJ Test Prep, I would have never achieved the score I needed to get into UPenn. I learned so much during the time at the center and gained skills that I still use to this day. MJ Test Prep made me a better test taker and overall a better student! I will always be appreciative of MJ Test Prep because they helped me turn my dreams into a reality."
Testimonial by Shaniyah Scott
MJ Test Prep graduate from 2016
"I grew up as an only child, no one in my parents’ immediate families had ever gone to college, so we approached the college application process without any former knowledge of how things worked or what to expect. When I was asked by my high school guidance counselor which schools I intended on applying to the following year, I felt compelled to give her some form of answer, and since the University of Pennsylvania was a school all of my peers were aspiring to attend, I gave her that as my answer. I was told in that moment, that the University of Pennsylvania was “too far of a stretch” according to my SAT scores, and that maybe I “should try a community college first and then aim a little lower.“
At that point I knew I had to get my scores up. We heard about MJ Test Prep through my mom’s boss. Initially at MJ I worked one-on-one with Matt Joseph. It wasn’t easy- the take home work consisted of doing a test and two robust worksheets- 5.5 hours in all. I learned a lot of new tips and tricks for answering the different types of questions and useful techniques that I was even able to carry over into my normal school work. My score after four sessions with Matt went from an 1160 to a 1280. Subsequently I attended a week of their summer program. The summer program was comparable to a day camp where we learned even more test taking techniques, and spent a lot of time putting them to use. Although the work was intense, the experience as a whole was enjoyable. I took the SAT two more times after working with MJ Test Prep and reached a score of 1380. Happy with my scores, I applied to Penn as well as seven other universities: I was accepted into six out of the eight. I kept the news of my acceptance to myself until I got the chance to tell my guidance counselor that I had been accepted to the University of Pennsylvania with a full academic scholarship.
I am currently a sophomore here at Penn, and have fallen in love with the campus and the environment. I spent my freshman year becoming close with my on campus suitemates, and taking classes that interested me before officially declaring a major this year.. The works itself wasn’t always easy at first, but I persevered and then found my stride.. I am happy and proud to report than I am majoring in Linguistics with a minor in American Sign Language and Deaf Studies, and am thrilled to be part of such a vibrant community.