ISEE Tutoring Reviews & Parent Testimonials
Families across the country trust Dr. Donnelly to prepare their children for the ISEE and gain admission to top independent schools.
Rated 5.0 / 5.0 by Parents Nationwide
Real feedback from families whose children achieved their private school admissions goals with Dr. Donnelly's guidance.
Our daughter's ISEE Upper Level scores jumped from the 5th stanine to the 8th stanine after just ten weeks with Dr. Donnelly. She went from dreading math to actually looking forward to their sessions. She was accepted to every school we applied to, including Dalton and Brearley. I cannot overstate how much Dr. Donnelly changed the trajectory of her education.
Dr. Donnelly turned our son's test anxiety into genuine confidence. Before tutoring, he would freeze during timed sections and score in the 40th percentile on practice tests. After working together, his stanine scores went from 5 to 8 across the board, and he was admitted to Francis Parker. Dr. Donnelly's patience with a nervous 10-year-old was remarkable.
We live in Boston and did all of our sessions over Zoom. I was skeptical about online tutoring for a 4th grader, but Dr. Donnelly made it engaging and interactive. Our daughter scored in the 97th percentile on the ISEE Middle Level and got into Winsor. The online experience was honestly better than the in-person tutors we had tried before.
What sets Dr. Donnelly apart is his strategic approach. He did not just drill our son on practice problems. He taught him how each section of the ISEE is structured, where to allocate time, and when to move on from a tough question. Our son's reading comprehension stanine jumped from a 6 to a 9. He is now thriving at Harvard-Westlake.
Our twins were preparing for the ISEE Lower Level to apply to Lab School. Dr. Donnelly tailored his approach to each child's strengths and weaknesses, even though they are the same age. One needed help with quantitative reasoning, the other with vocabulary. Both scored in the 90th+ percentile and both were accepted. Worth every penny.
We needed help with the ISEE Primary Level for our 5-year-old. Most tutors we contacted said they do not work with kids that young, but Dr. Donnelly was wonderful. He kept the sessions playful and age-appropriate while still building the skills she needed. She was accepted to her first-choice school, and she actually asks when her next session is.
Dr. Donnelly helped our daughter go from the 55th percentile to the 92nd percentile on the ISEE Upper Level in about three months. His Oxford math background really shows in how he teaches the quantitative sections. She got into Horace Mann, which had been her dream school since 6th grade. We are so grateful.
As a single mom, I needed a tutor who could work around our schedule and be flexible. Dr. Donnelly accommodated evening and weekend sessions without hesitation. My son went from being overwhelmed by the ISEE to walking into test day feeling prepared and calm. His stanine in verbal reasoning went from a 4 to a 7. He was accepted to Bishop's School.
We relocated from London and had never heard of the ISEE. Dr. Donnelly walked us through the entire admissions process, not just the test prep. He explained the scoring, helped us choose target schools, and prepared our son for the Lower Level exam. He scored in the 8th stanine and was accepted to Shore Country Day. Dr. Donnelly went above and beyond.
My daughter had already taken the ISEE once and scored in the 6th stanine. We found Dr. Donnelly for a second attempt. He diagnosed exactly where she was losing points and created a focused plan for each section. She retested and scored in the 9th stanine. The improvement was night and day. She is now at Marlborough and loves it.