Testimonials

Professor Z provided my son with outstanding, personal, and professional ACT tutoring services. His score went from a 23 composite to a 31 composite! And- he received a perfect score on the English section! If you are looking to increase your child’s score, I highly recommend consulting with Professor Z. His rate is on par with other neighborhood tutoring services. The service pays for itself in the increase in merit awards from the colleges you are likely to receive as a result of the higher score….it all worked out in the end, and we are beyond pleased with our son’s scores after tutoring.

Bill & Leslie Lang, North Olmsted, Ohio

Parents of Will Lang, North Olmsted HS

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Thank you, Jack!

You cannot begin to imagine how grateful our entire family is for the growth and confidence you have inspired in Conor.  When we first came to you it was for help in preparing him for the standardized tests, but you led him in ways that we could not have foreseen.  With your guidance he has figured out so much more than the preparation for the ACT and SAT, he has figured out what it means to be prepared for his school responsibilities and the time management demands those responsibilities need.  He has completely turned himself around in school while and the same time did remarkably well on both his ACT and SAT.  We had been trying in vain to get him to see that light for years, but after six months with you we are blessed with an entirely different student, and for that we have you to thank!!!  His confidence has grown and as a result his grades have dramatically improved.

You have proven yourself a great leader and an excellent instructor, and for everything you have done for Conor, and for our entire family, thank you Jack, you are the best!!!

Sean and Libby Boland, Bay Village, Ohio

Parents of Conor Boland, Saint Ignatius High School

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Dr. Z made us feel at home right from the start. My daughter looks forward to her sessions. He treats his students like family you see it by all the letters and pictures given to him by many of his students. He goes out of his way to help you, always encouraging his students and challenging them to the best of their abilities.

Thank you Dr. Z.

Diana Muniak of Cleveland, Ohio

Parent of Megan Muniak, GRE Prep Course

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Prof. Z has done a fantastic job helping my daughter improve her scores on the ACT- her overall score improved 6 points. He is great with the kids!! He connects with them and truly brings out their best!! I would highly recommend Prof. Z!! You can tell he loves what he does.

Thank you, Prof Z!!!

Tom and Kelly Dorinsky of Avon, Ohio

Parents of Alexandra, Magnificat High School

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My mom & I found Dr. Zajaros’s tutoring services via Thumbtack, and it was a blessing. Not only did he help me understand concepts tested on the GRE, but he helped ignite confidence in my academics that i never knew existed! I highly recommend utilizing Dr. Z’s tutoring services as he truly has become a life mentor to me. He was very flexible with availability amongst my crazy summer schedule and was sure to accommodate the schedule accordingly! Most definetly one of the best decisions ever made, beyond thankful for this opportunity to learn from him!

Aubrey McLaughlin of Brunswick, Ohio

Ohio State University, Class of 2020

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Dr. Jack is a wonderful, patient tutor who worked with me through my own particular struggles and learning difficulties. With his help I was able to master many skills that helped me to succeed on the standardized tests and accomplish what I wanted and needed to in order to get into college. Very grateful! 😊

Collette Joyce of Lakewood, Ohio

Lyceum High School

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Enrolling our daughter in the ACT prep program at Westside Tutoring was the best decision! Professor Z has helped her so much with the ACT, and his encouragement has given her the confidence that will help her in college.

Duff & Gina Milkie of Sandusky, Ohio

Parents of Annie and Kate Milkie of St. Mary Central Catholic High School

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We highly recommend Jack with Westside Tutoring! Our daughter was struggling with the ACT test. After working with Jack for several months, her ACT score increased by three points. Our daughter’s confidence soared not only on the ACT test but also in her school work and grades.

Melanie Smith of Brecksville, Ohio

Maggie Smith Brecksville-Broadview Heights High School

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Dear Kayleigh,

Please find attached our testimonial for Jack (your Dad 🙂 ) and yourself. Please feel free to post this wherever it will help your family business. You and your Dad and family deserve the best. You have helped many people achieve great things.

Let me know if you need me to post anything myself on websites that will help drive business to you.

Say hello to your Dad for us

Kind Regards,

Jeff Walsh

Our son Connor had taken the Feb 2018 ACT after attending a 4 week (one day per week) general ACT prep course. He scored a 24 composite on the first attempt. I knew with the proper care and guidance that he was capable of performing at a higher level so I did some online research and found Professor Z of Westside Tutoring & Testing Services based on proximity to our location and search results. I decided to read through some of the sites testimonials and lo and behold there is a photo of Professor Z with his most recent ACT tutoring class including one of the students who is a long time family friend. Interestingly enough her parents and I had several conversations about this amazing person that their daughter was getting ACT testing help from. At the time I never really looked into it as Connor graduates the year after. Anyway, there she was in the photo proudly displayed on WTTS Outstanding students of 2016-17.

I immediately texted our friends to hear more about Prof Z and their experience. After hearing all of the great things they had to say coupled with the very positive testimonials on the website, it was a no-brainer to schedule a visit with Jack (Prof Z).

We had our first visit and discussion with Jack in early April 2018 as we wanted Connor to take the June ACT and then also the test in July depending on the June results. The visit was at Jacks home in his office – where all the ACT prep magic happens. Prof Z was very pleasant and covered the entire process with us. He answered all of our questions and we walked away from the meeting feeling very sure that Connor was in good hands with his ACT prep.

Jack took over from there, and I have to say that he has found his true niche in life. Jack kept this process very organized considering the numerous students he has and their constantly changing and demanding schedules. The communication and organization requirements alone are a full-time job. Jack handled it seamlessly. He always made Connor (and us) feel like he was his top priority and made every effort to schedule Connor around his other activities (2 sports, work, school etc..), while juggling the same for 10-12 other students! Amazing!

OK so onto the good stuff!

Connor tested on the ACT 3 times with results as follows:

Test #	English	Math	Reading	Science	Composite
Feb-18	24	24	22	24	24
Jun-18	23	23	26	29	25
Jul-18	32	24	30	27	28
Superscore	32	24	30	29	29

The Feb test was prior to Prof Z instruction. June test prep focused on Reading and Science, knowing we were also taking the July test. We can’t say enough praise about Prof Z – we are extremely pleased with our son’s results.

We are thankful for Jacks hard work and commitment to helping Connor and all the other kids that he supports. Jack executes well and his results are far above expectations. Connor is extremely excited and we are very proud and happy for him. Connor says he may make one last attempt at the ACT to see if he can raise the Math score and possibly go above a 30, but we’ll see. Jack tells Connor he can do it and tells him he is capable of great things! Just one of Jacks great qualities!

Encouragement=great results

WOW..Reading and English 8 pts increase each, science 3-5 pts increase.

Thank you, Jack!

Maya and Jeff Walsh, Avon, Ohio

Parents of Connor Walsh, Avon HS

Note: The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. Jack’s daughter, Kayleigh, helps her dad with the business side and is extremely helpful, pleasant and professional, just like her father. What a great team they make and a pleasure to work with!

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Dear Professor Z,

Thank you so much for all the time you have spent working with me these past months. I appreciate it greatly and have noticed so much improvement. Thank you for all the Gatorades you have given me and all of the time your family has spent helping me. Thank you for everything!

From,

Erin

Erin Hessler, Avon High School, Avon, Ohio

I knew that I was going to need to look into tutoring for my daughter Lauren and I wanted something individualized, as opposed to a large class setting or internet based service. Lauren is an excellent student and receives great grades. However, she is not very good with timed tests and would become overly anxious. Moreover, some of her scores were surprisingly lower than anticipated based on her normal schoolwork/grades.

I enlisted the help of Professor Z at the end of January 2017. He came to our home, met with us and laid out the plan. We felt very comfortable with the wealth of knowledge he had regarding the various tests (ACT, SAT etc.) as well as the methodology he would utilize to help Lauren learn HOW to take the ACT test, the clues to look for, the ability to pick up speed (a problem for Lauren was taking too much time). From January thru the start of June, Professor Z worked with Lauren 2-3 times weekly. She would further be given timed testing and simulated ACT’s. We decided that June would be our final test and worked the timeline to meet this date.

I am so impressed with Jack’s work, the rigor of study and the care he gave Lauren. She was treated like a family member and he worked around her difficult schedule. Lauren improved her scores in EVERY subject with considerable increases. English and Math increased by 4 points, Science 3 points and Reading by a whopping 10 POINTS!!!! Reading was the area we had the largest concern, based on her low score, it seemed that she could not finish the sections and then didn’t overly comprehend what was needed. Jack taught her what was needed for speed, comprehension, and how to select the correct answers.

Overall composite score increase of 5 points!! I cannot say enough about Professor Z, he is really wonderful and I would highly recommend!!!

Elizabeth Aguirre, mother of Lauren Vajentic, Avon High School

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Dear Professor Z,

Thank you so very much for generously dedicating so many hours into preparing me for the ACT. You helped me grow enormously as a student, and I now see tests in a whole new light. You always made me feel confident, and there was never a day when I didn’t want to show up. I will send you a picture of my June results as soon as I get them. I hope you have a wonderful summer and trip.

Thanks again,

Jennifer Lutz

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Dear Jack,

Thank you for the gift card [annual Christmas gift to all WTTS students] and all the help with the ACT. I hope you had a good holiday. I enjoyed every tutoring session and was very pleased with my test results.

Thanks again!

Ryan Wagner

Ryan Wagner, Senior, North Olmsted High School

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Dear Prof Z,

Thank you so much for all your help this past semester! I enjoyed working with you and think I learned a lot. I hope you had wonderful holidays! Thanks for being so committed to your students. You were tremendous!

Sincerely,

Michal Rosenberg

Michal Rosenberg, GRE Preparation Course, Orange Village, Ohio

“I had a wonderful experience working with Prof Z. He was encouraging the whole time and 100% devoted to his students. He cares about his students and puts all his efforts into composing a study plan that works for the student at hand. He goes above and beyond to help. I would definitely encourage people to work with Prof Z for the GREs. It was a wonderful experience!”

Michal Rosenberg, GRE Preparation Course, Orange Village, Ohio (Thumbtack review)

An Incredible Edible gift and an equally incredible review from an amazing young woman!

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Professor Zajaros helped me tremendously. Within the short time I spent with him, he helped me improve my English ACT score by 9 points, and my ACT Composite score go up 6 points. I can now get into the college of my dreams and take my new study habits along with me. I don’t think I could have achieved what I did without him.

Sami Squires, Brecksville-Broadview Heights High School (BBHHS)

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I began working with Professor Zajaros this summer after I took the GRE and received an unsatisfactory score from studying on my own. I only had 5 weeks to prepare for retaking the test and Professor Z was able to quickly determine my strengths and weaknesses and come up with an effective, personalized plan to learn as much as possible in a short period of time.

Professor Z did everything in his power to make sure that I was as ready as possible for the test and his encouraging words helped calm my nerves. Going into the test for the second time, I felt so much more prepared and confident. I ended up improving my score 9 points from a combined score of 293 to a 302!

Professor Z is truly the most dedicated and kindhearted instructor that I’ve ever had. He went above and beyond to not only help me improve my GRE score, but he also researched information on Occupational Therapy schools and is helping me write essays for admission into graduate school. My parents are so impressed with him that they plan on using him to help my little sister prepare for the ACT in a couple years. I cannot thank Professor Z enough for all that he has done for me!

Kristen Schenkelberg, Miami University Class of 2016, Avon Lake, Ohio

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I got a 26 on the ACT!!! We talked to the college advisor at Toledo, and I am eligible for a full scholarship with that score and my current GPA. Thank you for all your help and support! I couldn’t have done it without you.

– Alec Gill, Brookside High School, Sheffield-Sheffield Lake, Ohio

We couldn’t be happier!!!

Letter of recommendation:

Our son’s time with Prof. Z has been life changing. Prof. Z went above and beyond his role as a tutor. With the support of Prof. Z, our son achieved an ACT score that will ensure his admission to the engineering program he desires. We can’t thank you enough!!!

– Lori Gill, Sheffield Township, Ohio

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Thank you, Jack, for a great 12 weeks!  You not only prepared Adam for his ACTs, but you became a great role model and mentor for him. I appreciate the times when you knew to help him with his school work for a little while would help reduce some stress! Thank you for always working study session times to fit our schedule. I will always remember that you and your whole family were very welcoming to us. You are very talented in what you do and along with your kindness, I know you will always be successful.

– Karyn Baldassari, Westlake, Ohio

Dr. Jack,

I want to thank you so much for tutoring me this past year. You have helped me so much not only with the SAT but with my school work as well. I just got my report card back, and this semester I received my highest GPA ever of 4.3. I know that would not have been possible without you teaching me how to approach tests and encouraging me.

Thank you so much for everything you have done!

– Nora Gaul, Magnificat High School, Rocky River, Ohio

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“Professor Zajaros is truly everything any student needs to improve their performance at school and on standardized tests.  My son, who has a true learning disability in the area of reading, prepared two to three times weekly for the ACT test over a period of three months with Professor Zajaros.  The strategies and knowledge gained from Professor Zajaros not only has helped him improve his grades in school, but he also received an acceptable score on the ACT after only taking it one time for all of the colleges he is interested in exploring further.

“Thank you Professor Zajaros for your dedication to my son’s success! “

– Brooke Pillets, Lakewood, Ohio

Dear Professor Zajaros,

We would like to thank you for all you time and effort in helping Allison this past year. She was able to achieve a higher ACT and SAT score because of all the instruction you provided her. She went into the test feeling confident. Not only did you help her in taking the ACT and SAT but your instruction will also benefit her in her test taking skills now and in the future. Allison will have numerous colleges to pick from, once the application process begins. You were very flexible with scheduling your sessions around Allison’s busy schedule, which was so helpful. Allison thinks the world of you and your family. All of your instruction will definitely pay off in the future. Thanks again for all your help in Allison’s success!

Mike and Tracy Harrington, Avon Lake, Ohio

“Our son has always struggled in school. After trying our school district’s classroom aides and other suggested tutoring resources, my husband and I decided that we needed to get a tutor that could help our son in the foundation that he never developed throughout school. We had to correct the cause, not just the symptoms. We needed someone that could help in all subjects, no matter which subjects he needed help with, even French. Then, we came upon Westside Tutoring. This seemed like such a good fit. I sent an email to make an appointment; we met Jack at our home, and felt very comfortable entrusting him to tutor our son.

“Our son’s grades have consistently improved in the last two years. Our sophomore son has solid A’s and B’s, which we knew he was capable of doing. He is finishing homework days in advance on his own. Our son shows us the pages and pages he wrote during the session or explains what they worked on or what they read about or what was discussed. Even with our son asking questions to try to get Jack off task, this leads to other discussions and “teachable moments”. With Jack’s constant help and dedication, we have seen such growth in our son’s academics and character. It’s also helpful to know that Jack will work around our son’s extracurricular activities and has tried to accommodate our crazy family schedule.

“Our family has been blessed in so many ways since Prof. Zajaros has been in our son’s life!”

– Margo Ashbrook, Bay Village, Ohio

Subject: THANK YOU

Dear Dr. Zajaros,

“On behalf of Maria and myself, we would like to thank you for providing such a professional tutoring service. We would like people to know about your patient and effective SAT preparation.

“Our daughter had extremely poor performance in school, was discouraged, and felt a tremendous amount of anxiety as she approached the time of her SAT exam. We were most concerned that there was nothing that could be done to help her be successful. We contacted your office and set up a study program. After three months of 1:1 study sessions which included didactic and test taking strategy, Joanna was able to take the SAT with a confidence she would not have had if it weren’t for the excellent and personalized attention she received from Professor Zajaros. Professor Zajaros had suggested an educational evaluation for Joanna, and a learning challenge was identified which will help her in future studies.

“We are ecstatic that the second time Joanna took the exam; she had a 150 point increase from the previous exam.

“We believe because of Professor Zajaros, Joanna’s prospects for a college education have markedly improved. We emphatically recommend this service for any child having difficulty with these standardized exams.

“We would be willing to talk with anyone that is considering this service for his or her child.”

IHS

– Charles G. Linderman, M.D., FACS
MRDC International, General Director 
Headquarters: Tirana, Albania

“One of our daughters has always had a reading comprehension problem. Although she gave maximum effort, she always struggled in school, particularly with standardized tests, despite in-school tutors and reading assistance. Thus, we dreaded the ACT college entrance exam for her. She took the June ACTs and scored a composite score of 18, which was in the 36^th percentile nationally. We were worried about her chances of getting into a decent college. She was frustrated and a bit despondent.

“After some research, we found Professor John P. J. “Jack” Zajaros, Sr. via the internet. We called, and he immediately set up an appointment and came to our house, outlined his approach and put us at ease. Our daughter took to Jack and they worked together, on a flexible schedule, for several months.

“Here is her track record of improvement – with the national percentile in parentheses:

• June (before working with Jack):
  • Composite: 18 (36%)
  • English: 20 (51%)
  • Math: 18 (42%)
  • Reading 18 (36%)
  • Science 17 (26%)
• October (after working with Jack):
  • Composite: 24 (74%)
  • English: 24 (74%)
  • Math: 22 (61%)
  • Reading 25 (75%)
  • Science 24 (77%)
• December (continuing to work with Jack to enhance October scores):
  • Composite: 25 (79%)
  • English 23 (69%)
  • Math 24 (73%)
  • Reading 25 (75%)
  • Science 26 (87%)

“Thus, working with Jack helped raised our daughter’s composite score from the 36^th percentile, nationally, to the 79^th percentile, nationally. Thus, the child that many had written off did better than about 4 out of 5 students, nationwide, who took the ACT!

“Moreover, these scores enabled her to get admitted to a very good college, one that we thought she had little chance of getting admitted to before working with Jack Zajaros. Thus, his working with her was a life-changing event, from an educational and college perspective.

“Working with Jack, and seeing the tangible and measurable results, also had the ancillary benefits of helping our daughter with her self-esteem and self-confidence. Jack’s studying techniques have also helped her with her regular school work and grades at Magnificat High School and will do so in college as well.

“We recommend Professor Jack Zajaros wholeheartedly and without hesitation.”

– John Farnan, Bay Village, Ohio

“Dear Professor Z,

Thanks for your all your help with my senior project. I know you spent a lot of your own time with me and I will never forget it. Things are great at M.U. I couldn’t have done it without your help. I was buried and you pulled me out. I “owned it,” just like you taught me to, and I came through it. I also found out that school was a whole lot more important than sports. Just like you said. Say hello to everyone back there for me.”

– Matt P.

”Hey Mr. Jack! I sure do miss your funny stories. You got me to smile when nothing else could. The A in biology gave me a case of the grins too. And at C.U. no less. Yeah! The phone calls have really helped me stay focused. Thanks. I am using the things you taught me, especially the time management stuff. The study skills lesson has really helped. I can almost hear your voice. “Set goals, Sas, small ones and big ones, short term and long term. And don’t forget the intermiddle. Keep it simple.” I can still hear it. “Intermiddle.” That always made me laugh. Still does! God Bless!”

– Sas

Read More Testimonials from Westside Tutoring & Testing Services’ Students & Parents.