Welcome
Highly personalized Test Prep and Executive Functioning / Academic coaching tailored to your child's needs for the SAT, ACT, GRE, AP Tests, Executive Functioning / homework support, High School entrance exams (SSAT, ISEE, HSPT), math through pre-calculus, essay writing, and college application management.
Supportive tutoring and mentoring reinforces the value of every young person and builds on their strengths as they face the challenges being a student today.
Strategic expertise gained from working with hundreds of students allows me to fine tune the approaches that will best help your child to succeed.
Testimonials
It says a lot when your daughter’s ACT score significantly increasing isn’t the biggest takeaway from ACT tutoring. Michael is a gifted teacher who goes the extra mile in building a relationship with your child in order to understand their individual learning style, personality, and motivators. His approach addressed the holistic needs of my daughter, which inevitability led to her improved academic achievement, confidence in her learning capability, and ability to apply a customized learning style into her class work and college entrance exams. Employing Michael’s services not only opened many doors for my daughter but gave her the confidence to want to walk through them.
- Emily, parent, Louisiana
Michael Nugent is a fantastic SAT tutor. I learned and perfected techniques to improve my reading/writing score and also how to approach a standardized test more efficiently. Michael eased my anxiety by training the way I time my testing skills and teaching me ways to improve my grammar capabilities. He helped me improve my SAT score by 120 points!
- Bridget, student, Orinda
Michael Nugent prepared my daughter for the ACT. He is responsive, organized, very knowledgeable and has an excellent “bedside manner.” Michael managed to thoroughly prepare my daughter while navigating her demanding high school course load and ballet schedule. He cultivated her strengths and addressed her weaknesses. Michael knew when to push forward and when to slow down. Her scores became consistent and her test day score was at the top of her range. I highly recommend collaborating with Michael Nugent.
- Adam, parent, Marin
Michael was thorough and comforting from the beginning of the process. He took the time to ensure, as the parent, I knew what to expect from him. He clarified what our goals were and worked with my daughter in all content areas. As I discussed sessions with my daughter, I knew not only did she feel comfortable working with Michael but her confidence and knowledge was growing. With Michael’s strategies and expertise, my daughter was able to raise her ACT score from a 30 to a 33!
- Michelle, parent, Kentucky
Working with Michael was incredibly easy and beneficial - he is a great teacher! Because we don’t live in the same city, we used Zoom rather than schedule in-person sessions. Because Michael was able to provide help that was specific to me, I was able to work on what I needed to improve. Although the work to prepare for the ACT can be challenging, Michael helped to make it much less scary and I was able to walk in on the test day confident in my knowledge. Working with Michael helped me to qualify for the Honors College and for scholarships at the university that I plan to attend!
- Ella, student, Kentucky
It was a pleasure partnering with Michael during the ACT prep process. He provided regular updates and feedback on my daughter’s progress as well as suggestions on how she could improve her test taking skills. Communication was timely, professional and collaborative. Most importantly, my daughter really enjoyed working with Michael. Preparing for a standardized test can be tedious, and it’s usually the last thing a teen wants to do with her spare time. Michael kept my daughter engaged, creating an excellent learning environment that set her up for success, and increasing her scores.
- Charles, parent, Orinda
Michael is a fantastic tutor with a gift for engaging with students of all ages. He worked with our four year old son on learning his letters and reading. Not sure what powerful magic Michael used to get our 4 year old to stop squirming but it worked! Our son thought he was just playing and thus had a very positive experience while building academic skills. I can't recommend Michael more highly!
- Kasia, parent, Berkeley
Not only did working with Michael give me the ACT score I was hoping for, it also helped me to understand my own capabilities regarding test taking and life. He provided me a tutoring experience that didn’t feel like traditional tutoring. Michael is incredibly intelligent, friendly, and invested in his students’ improvement. He broke down things in a simple way that I could understand, and then taught me how to do that independently. With patience and understanding, he trained me in the art of test taking, comprehension, and critical thinking. Whether help is needed in one specific subject or in preparing for entire college entrance exams, I would recommend highly Michael because of his expert teaching methods.
- Lelia, student, Louisiana
Michael kept me on track with all of the prompts, requirements, and deadlines for my college essays.
He helped me to choose topics and narratives for my essays that truly represent who I am, then helped me to edit them into concise yet powerful statements.
He got me through the stress of my applications with his calmness and confidence. His flexibility and friendliness also made the experience much easier.
I recommend his services if you are struggling with important applications.
- Roan, student, Oakland
Michael tutored both my daughters for the ACT test. He expertly adapted his style and strategies to meet their individual needs. He was encouraging and positive and knows his testing strategies and content very well. Michael genuinely enjoys working with young people and that comes across to them. I highly recommend him to any student who wants to improve their SAT or ACT scores.
- Ann, parent, Berkeley