Manhattan Review Test Prep Services in Berkeley (California)

» Go to Prep Courses and Tutoring

Berkeley is a popular city in the San Francisco Bay Area for people who are looking to continue their education, launch a career, or generally take the next step in their lives. With a greater than average number of residents in the Berkeley area pursuing higher education, competition at universities is becoming increasingly fierce. Because of this, students may find themselves looking to advance their odds of getting into the school of their dreams by seeking out study assistance when preparing for a particular standardized exam. Students in the Berkeley area looking to set themselves up for academic and professional success should look to Manhattan Review for the greatest variety of local options in standardized test prep. Students who choose to work with Manhattan Review have a wide variety of options to choose from in their course of study, whether they are focusing on the GMAT, GRE, LSAT, SAT, ACT, TOEFL, or IELTS.

Students who work with Manhattan Review will have access to experienced instructors who have helped many students in and around the Berkeley area with their standardized test prep. We are proud to offer test prep options including classroom-style group courses, online courses, and private tutoring sessions. Whether you prefer to learn in the company of others, need the flexibility of online instruction, or desire the individualized attention only available through private tutoring, we have an option that is certain to work for you and your schedule. Manhattan Review has been providing world-class test prep for students and professionals since 1999, and we pride ourselves on keeping our curricula and practice tests updated to ensure students have an accurate reflection of the formatting and content of the most frequently taken standardized tests.

Over the past few decades, Berkeley has grown from a sleepy town by the bay to a leading center of technology, education, arts, and engineering, consistently recognized and beloved for its creatives, outdoor enthusiasts, culinary entrepreneurs, museums, schools, and coffee shops. Located on the eastern shore of the San Francisco Bay in the northern part of Alameda County, there is something for everyone in this dynamic and proudly progressive city. 

Berkeley is perhaps best known for its association with the University of California, and the beautiful Berkeley campus is the oldest campus within the state's UC system. The University of California at Berkeley is respected worldwide for its undergraduate and graduate programs, including the UC Berkeley School of Law and the Haas School of Business. The university is one of 14 founding members of the Association of American Universities and is the proud home of world-renowned research institutes such as the Mathematical Sciences Research Institute and the Space Sciences Laboratory. Among other noted partnerships, UC Berkeley maintains a close and collaborative relationship with the Graduate Theological Union, one of the largest institutes of religious study in the world. The university is also well-known for the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, a US Department of Energy Office of Science national laboratory managed by the UC system. The Berkeley-located lab is a pioneer in the development of radiation treatment for cancer, as well as for making significant and important gains in advanced materials, efficient energy, life sciences, and technology accelerators and detectors. Those in Berkeley are not only concerned with higher education, however, as the city is home to award-winning public and private schools focused on educating students in grades K-12. For those seeking a public education option, the Berkeley Unified School District is a highly rated public school system consistently lauded as one of the best in the nation. For those seeking a private education, schools such as The Berkeley School, Maybeck High School, and Black Pine Circle offer numerous opportunities and cutting-edge courses for enrolled students.

Starting at the UC Berkeley campus and running north-south to Oakland stretches Telegraph Avenue, the historically famous site of the famed "hippie" culture of Berkeley, and along with People's Park, this street is considered a center of counterculture from the 1960s. The Greek Theater is well-known for hosting visiting musical acts in addition to being the home of the annual Berkeley Jazz Festival. Berkeley is proud to host the Chilean-American La Pena Cultural Center, the largest cultural center for this community in the United States. The oldest music venue west of the Mississippi River is located in Berkeley, and The Freight and Salvage is an established performance hall for folk and traditional music. The Berkeley Repertory Theater, locally known as "Berkeley Rep," is a fixture in the artistic community, featuring two stages and a school, and this off-Broadway theater company has received a Tony Award for Outstanding Regional Theater. The Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive, operated by UC Berkeley, offers exhibitions and screenings of history films while also providing educational outreach programs within the community. Every year thousands of avid readers descend on the city for the Bay Area Book Festival, and other annual events include the Jewish Music Festival in March, the Berkeley Arts Festival in April and May, the Berkeley Juneteenth Festival in June, the Berkeley Kite Festival in July, and the Solano Avenue Stroll in September. Whether you prefer literature, theater, music, or dance, there is truly something for everyone in this vivacious and expressive city. 

For those who enjoy outdoor activities, Berkeley is home to countless exciting and enjoyable nature-related past times. The city boasts extensive bike trails and pedestrian jogging paths from Ohlone Greenway to the San Francisco Bay Trail, in addition to countless others. For those who are happiest on the water, there is the Berkeley Marina, which offers a yacht club, sailing club, boat slips, and a canoe center, in addition to kayaking, stand-up paddle boarding, windsurfing, and kiteboarding. The Berkeley Path Wanderers Association maintains a guide of walkable pathways known as the Network of Historic Pathways, walkways that link winding neighborhoods together and offer panoramic views of the East Bay. Berkeley is also a safe haven for bicycle and pedestrian commuting, with one of the highest rates of non-automobile commuting in the United States. In fact, the city maintains a separate grid of streets for bicycles known as Bicycle Boulevards, with more bike lanes and less car traffic than nearby major streets. Car sharing through networks such as U-Haul Car Share, Zipcar, and Gig Car Share are quite popular in the area, and using alternative forms of transportation is highly encouraged in this environmentally conscious city. 

Of course, no overview of Berkeley would be complete without mention of the city's impressive culinary offerings. Walking down University Avenue or Solano Avenue, one can smell and taste everything, ranging from Sichuan, Thai, French, and Japanese food to classic pizza and farm-to-table, organic California fare. With more than 350 restaurants across the city, there's an impressive array of plant-based, vegan, and vegetarian options alongside meat-based dishes. Coffee shops are beloved places to both work and gather socially, offering sustenance to college students and tech start-up founders alike, and while anyone you ask will undoubtedly have a favorite coffee shop, everyone agrees on the necessity of the drink regardless of where or how it is consumed.

Manhattan Review has helped a wide variety of Berkeley students pursue their individual academic goals: attending graduate school via the GMAT and GRE, college via the SAT and ACT, law school via the LSAT, and learning the English language via the TOEFL and IELTS. Students have paired the guidance they have received with their own dedication and hard work, earning themselves coveted acceptance offers to top-tier colleges and universities, including Harvard University, Stanford University, MIT, Yale University, Princeton University, Columbia University, New York University, the University of California at Los Angeles, the University of Southern California, Oxford University, the University of Cambridge, the University of Texas at Austin, the University of Pennsylvania, and Dartmouth College, to name but a few. Former Manhattan Review clients have used their stellar educations to establish meaningful and successful careers around the globe, counting their work with us as a significant contributor to their well-deserved success. If you, too, seek collegiate and professional success, we encourage you to contact us today to find out how we can partner with you to assist you in achieving your goals and making your dreams come true.

Meet a Berkeley Tutor: Kristie J.

Kristie J. grew up in New York City and lived on the East Coast as a child. Her mother was a professor at a respected university, and she recalls being fortunate to grow up in a home where learning and education were beloved and valued. "I always knew I wanted to be a teacher, like my mom," Kristie shares. "Sometimes I'd go and sit in the back of the lecture hall she was teaching in and I'd watch the students ask questions…they were so excited when they learned something new and felt like they'd really mastered a concept, and I wanted to be a part of that. I wanted to make a difference." Kristie worked exceptionally hard in high school, writing for her school newspaper about current events and competing in varsity soccer, cross-country, track, and tennis. She chaired numerous committees dedicated to social justice and environmental responsibility and even won a tri-state speech and debate competition. Kristie's school offered a group prep course to help students prepare for the SAT or ACT and in addition to taking advantage of this, Kristie completed a few study sessions with a private tutor to focus on specific issues she wanted to overcome before taking the SAT. Kristie's hard work and dedication paid off when she scored in the 99^th percentile on the SAT and received offers of admission to numerous prestigious colleges and universities.

While she loved New York, Kristie was also excited at the chance to see more of the United States, and although her family was sad to see her move, they also fully supported her decision to attend the University of California at Berkeley. Kristie loved her time at Berkeley, making new friends and developing strong professional connections that continue to play an important role in her professional life. After graduating with a degree in education, Kristie attended nearby Stanford University and obtained a master's degree focused on educational policy. She then accepted a consulting position with a nonprofit organization back in Berkeley, focused on providing high-quality education to students with varied academic needs. As she gained promotions and accepted additional responsibilities, Kristie found herself missing the direct interaction she'd previously enjoyed with students, and when an opening appeared at the Berkeley office of Manhattan Review, she applied and was almost immediately welcomed to the team.

Students love Kristie's straightforward, no-nonsense method of teaching, but also appreciate her ability to diffuse feelings of frustration related to learning challenging concepts. She offers both group courses and one-on-one private tutoring, and there is often a waiting list to work with her. "I love what I do," smiles Kristie. "There's a method to performing well on standardized tests, and it shouldn't be some closely guarded secret. If you're willing to learn, I'm here to teach you, and I love hearing from former students about everything they've accomplished, both in college and beyond." When she isn't preparing the next generation of college students for their own individual successes, Kristie can be found creating lesson plans in her favorite coffee shop, kayaking the Bay with her husband, and attending outdoor concerts at the Greek Theater.