Dane Ochis-ONeil (BEST TUTOR REVIEWS on Thumbtack)

Offers remote services

$60/hour

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Math type

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Introduction: Thank you for viewing my Thumbtack profile. I am a former actuary who had a successful but unfulfilling career in "Corporate America". I am now pursing my passion: helping high school students get admitted to their preferred college/university. I love my job, and it shows: I am one of the highest-rated ACT/SAT tutors on Thumbtack, and my reviews are second-to-none. I scored 1560 on the SAT (800 math, 760 verbal) and 36 on the ACT as high school junior (back in 1986). I attended MIT, where I was an Applied Mathematics major, on a full academic scholarship. After three successful years there, a family situation required me to leave MIT and return home. I completed my undergraduate experience at the State University of New York at Albany, from which I graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Science in Actuarial Science, a Bachelor of Science in Statistics, and minors in both English and Computer Science. I later returned to school to earn my Master of Science in Applied Statistics. I have over 25 years of experience as test prep tutor --- the past five years being full-time --- and my students have achieved excellent results (an average SAT improvement of over 200 points, and an average ACT improvement of almost 7 points). I am excellent at establishing rapport with students and creating an environment in which they are comfortable asking questions and being honest with me when they are confused --- which is CRUCIAL to the success of any tutor. I have multiple ways to present the ACT/SAT content, so I can nearly always find an approach that makes sense to students that have struggled with the "standard" presentation of that content. In addition to teaching/reinforcing the ACT/SAT content, I also teach students methods to evaluate the reasonableness of their answers and various methods to help them catch their arithmetic/reasoning errors. I focus on making sure that my students have a conceptual understanding of whatever topic I'm presenting rather than simply teaching a process that helps them solve certain type of questions. Process-based instruction has its place and can be valuable in some cases, but that type of preparation generally does not enable students to handle the variety of question types present on the ACT/SAT. I believe that students should not work with tutors who cannot achieve the student's goal score themselves. As a result, I take one SAT and one ACT every year to prove to myself that I can work with anyone that expresses interest in working with me. I scored 36 on the ACT from 2017-2021, and I scored either 1590 or 1600 on the SAT in those same years. As a result, I am certain that I know ALL of the ACT/SAT content both forwards and backwards. Students who take their preparation seriously and apply the tips/strategies that I teach them get outstanding test results in just 6-10 weeks. One important difference between me and most other Thumbtack Test Prep tutors is that I am not part of a test prep service (where you can't be sure which tutor will be assigned to your student). Every student works directly with me, so all of my reviews are based on prior students' experiences with me and only me. I am certain that I can help you or your student achieve his/her ACT/SAT goal. Please contact me today to find out more about my tutoring program/services. Best of luck to you. IMPORTANT NOTE: Thumbtack is a national service, and it often recommends tutors who live too far away to provide in-person service for you or your student. I live about 10 miles west of Philadelphia, PA. I service the surrounding 25 miles or so in-person, but less than 15% of my business is in-person. If you or your student live outside my in-person service area and you/your student are not interested in remote/virtual tutoring, then I am not the tutor for you. Having said that, I can assure you that remote/virtual tutoring is every bit as effective as in-person tutoring --- as my reviews indicate. If you are unsure about remote/virtual tutoring, I offer a free trial tutoring session so that you and your student can evaluate the virtual interface and my communication style before committing to work with me. Thank you. Sincerely, Dane Ochis-O'Neil

Overview

Hired 114 times

Serves Conshohocken, PA

Background checked

1 employee

7 years in business

Payment methods

Cash, PayPal, Square cash app, Venmo, Zelle

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Customers rated this pro highly for work quality, professionalism, and responsiveness.

Excellent 4.9

77 reviews

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Akshay G.

Sep 10, 2021

Hired on Thumbtack

It gives me a great pleasure to share this feedback. Dane has been instrumental in helping my son get a 1520 in his first SAT attempt during his summer vacation after 10th Grade (gave the exam in August 2021). When we began the sessions with Dane, my son was clocking between 1350-1390 range by self prep, and felt he was getting "maxed out". A 1500 seemed pretty out of reach back then. In a few short sessions with Dane, my son was able to make real good progress in Reading/Writing/Math. What I really liked about Dane is his ability to connect with him, be a coach, a Mentor and helped boost his confidence by a lot. By exam time, my son was consistently clocking above 1500 in his practice tests, ended up getting 1520 in the real one. His confidence is now high and wants to work with Dane & get higher if possible in a second attempt. For the parents out there searching for a good tutor, its going to come down to this - can the Tutor connect with your child 1:1, address your child's specific needs and provide the support your child needs to achieve their goals. I feel Dane does that really well, and we feel happy that we could engage with him Good luck to all the students and parents out there!

Details: 10th grade • ACT • Reading • Writing • Math • Remotely (phone or internet)

Test Prep Services

Serena R.

2 weeks ago

Hired on Thumbtack

Mr.O’Neil is an excellent tutor to work with. He is really patient when working with students ensuring that they understand all the concepts and techniques he is teaching. Additionally, he is really quick at replying which means if you have any last minute questions or concerns before a test or quiz, you won’t have to worry about them not getting answered as he is always available to assist any of your needs. I’ve worked with many tutors, but I’ve never met such an experienced and flexible teacher like Mr. O’Neil. I would definitely recommend him to anyone who wants to boost their grades and see a difference in their performance at school.

Details: Middle school • Algebra • 14 - 17 years old • Learn new topics and techniques • More than once a week • Remotely (phone or internet) • My home, venue, etc.

Math Tutoring

Angela S.

Mar 8, 2022

Hired on Thumbtack

Dane is a great tutor. He has been very helpful tutoring my son in Algebra II. Dane is very professional and responsive, and I highly recommend him.

Details: High school • Algebra • 14 - 17 years old • Improve grades at school • Learn new topics and techniques • Once a week • Remotely (phone or internet)

Math Tutoring

Sandy G.

Mar 7, 2022

Hired on Thumbtack

Dane saved me! He assisted me with a college level math course and I couldn't be more appreciative. He is professional and incredibly flexible. Thank you a million times!

Details: Graduate school • Algebra • 26 - 44 years old • Improve grades at school • More than once a week • Remotely (phone or internet)

Math Tutoring

Jenny L.

Oct 24, 2021

Hired on Thumbtack

Dane greatly helped my daughter improve her score and thought process on the reading test. He taught a systematical approach to the questions that helped my daughter increase her score when prep books could not. I highly recommend his tutoring!

Details: 11th grade • PSAT • Reading • Remotely (phone or internet)

Test Prep Services

Credentials

Background Check

Dane Ochis-O'Neil

FAQs

What should the customer know about your pricing (e.g., discounts, fees)?
My hourly rate for online math tutoring for middle school or high school non-AP/IB courses is $60 per hour. My hourly rate for online AP/IB course tutoring (calculus, statistics, or physics) is $80/hour. My hourly rate for college course tutoring (calculus, statistics, or physics) is $80/hour. My hourly rate for online ACT/SAT preparation is $100 per hour. I never ask for any money up front, nor do I require a minimum number of tutoring sessions. My payment model is strictly pay-as-you-go. That way, if a student is ready for their test sooner than expected --- which often happens --- then you have no further financial obligation.
What is your typical process for working with a new customer?
I always have an introductory phone call with a parent to discuss the student I will be working with and the goals that both the student and parent have for tutoring (test prep or academic). Before getting started with test prep, I try to find out why each student has decided on the ACT or SAT so that I can ascertain whether or not I feel that test best aligns with the student's relative strengths/weaknesses. While the two tests have a significant amount of content overlap, the tests are very different in some ways. As a result, some students are likely to perform much better on one test than the other. I recommend that we prepare for the test that the student is most likely to perform well on, but the final decision is made by the student and their parents. For test prep, the first session is a general overview of recommended tips/strategies to utilize on the applicable test. I assign a full test as homework each week and during subsequent sessions we go over all the questions that a student misses from the homework. In addition to explaining why the student's answer was incorrect, I demonstrate how using the recommended tip/strategy could have helped them choose the correct answer. For academic tutoring, I review whatever topics the student is currently going over in his/her class and make sure that the student has mastered the current material. If the student isn't struggling with the current material, we will go over past assessments (test or quizzes) and make sure that the student understands the questions that he/she got incorrect.
What education and/or training do you have that relates to your work?
I have a B.S. in Actuarial Science (essentially a double-major in Math and Statistics), a M.S. in Applied Statistics, and over five years of full-time experience as an academic and Test Prep tutor.