Ethan Butler

SAT/ACT Math Specialist, Economics Specialist, SHSAT, ISEE, TACHS

Ethan Butler attended Cardinal Spellman High School where he was the Salutatorian of a graduating class of 250 students and the President of the National Honors Society. In addition, he was the Captain of the Varsity lacrosse team and co-captain of the Varsity football team. Ethan scored in the 99th percentile on the SAT and graduated as an AP Scholar with Distinction which helped earn him a full academic scholarship to NYU. He has tutored students in mathematics, economics, and physics, individually and in a small group setting, with a high level of success. Ethan has worked with students of various levels of abilities and enjoys helping his students build their confidence and reach their maximum potential.

Kate Dowling

AP US History and AP World History Specialist, College Essay, SAT/ACT Language Arts

Kate Dowling is a passionate and experienced high school teacher, tutor, and seasoned writing coach. Over the last 20 years, she has equipped students with the skills, techniques and strategies to achieve success in school, on standardized tests, and in life beyond the classroom. Kate holds a B.A., cum laude, from Colgate University in both History and Education, and was the captain of the Colgate University Rowing team. Shortly thereafter, she received her M.A.T. from Teachers College, Columbia University. Kate has been teaching at Rye High School since 2003, where she has taught various social studies classes, including AP World History and AP US History. She is also a writing coach who has helped many students throughout all aspects of the essay writing process. Kate's passion for sports has led her to coach basketball, soccer, and volleyball at the high school and middle school levels. The lessons from athletics - specifically the importance of determination, and the belief in oneself - have guided Kate throughout many walks of life. She takes pride in creating a learning environment that minimizes anxiety and maximizes opportunities for students to achieve success. Because many students view standardized tests as roadblocks on the path to success, Kate makes an effort to reframe that view, and help her students stay loose, stay calm, and approach exams with confidence.

Steve Armstrong

SAT/ACT Mathematics & Language Arts Specialist

Steve Armstrong graduated summa cum laude from Binghamton University with a BA in English and holds a Master of Divinity from Bethel Seminary. Since 2001, he has helped thousands of students prepare for the SAT and ACT, many of whom gained admissions into Ivy League schools and procured sports scholarships. Steve has worked individually with students (online and in person) on all sections of both tests, and has taught dozens of different classes in area schools, including Mamaroneck, New Rochelle, Purchase, Hackley, and Greenwich Academy. Additionally, Steve has served in academic drop in centers, including local community colleges and middle and high schools. Combining a dry wit with what some students have called a "Zen-like" demeanor, Steve has provided many with a calming influence through what would be an otherwise stressful experience. Besides working with students, Steve follows most pro sports, enjoys writing, and loves Ultimate Frisbee.

Ethan Butler

SAT/ACT Math Specialist, Economics Specialist, SHSAT, ISEE, TACHS

Laura Nicolae

ACT & SAT, Math and Economics Specialist, AP Calculus, AP Statistics, AP Microeconomics and Macroeconomics, AP Spanish

Laura Nicolae graduated magna cum laude from Harvard University, where she earned a B.A. with Highest Honors in Applied Mathematics and Economics and won several awards for her senior thesis. She is currently a Ph.D. student in Economics at Harvard University and Harvard Business School, and she previously worked as an economist on Wall Street. In high school, she scored in the 99^th percentile on the ACT and SAT composites and scored a 5 on 14 AP exams, including Calculus AB and BC, Statistics, Microeconomics, Macroeconomics, and Spanish.

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Diagnostic SAT/ACT Tests

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Personalized Approach

Our personalized approach has consistently increased student's acceptance rate into some of the top schools in the world. Students who were enrolled in Zoffness College Prep in 2021 showed an average super-scored SAT improvement of 180 points and an average super-scored ACT composite improvement of 7 points!

Our Approach

Our Team

Average super-scored SAT improvement 2021

in scholarships have been earned

Average super-scored ACT composite improvement 2021

Customized

We design our own instructional materials, which emphasize concept development and the most effective test-taking strategies.

Practice

We provide a comprehensive online performance analysis database for students to develop their test-taking abilities, and improve their specific areas of weakness.

Experience

Our team is composed of inspired, skilled specialists with a proven track record of success.

Confidence

We design our programs to instill confidence in each and every student, providing the preparation required for exceptional performance.

Andrea Coady

Math Specialist, SAT/ACT, Math Level I & II Subject Tests, AlgII/Trig

Andrea Coady graduated with honors from Mercy College in Dobbs Ferry, N.Y. where she received a B.S. in Mathematics and a M.S. in Mathematics Education. She holds New York State teaching certifications in Secondary Mathematics, Mathematics for Students with Disabilities, Generalist for Students with Disabilities, and Teaching English to Students of Other Languages. She has seven years of experience teaching high school mathematics and special education in New York City and Westchester County. In addition to teaching a variety of regents level mathematics courses, Andrea has experience working individually and with small groups of students to increase their mathematics scores on the ACT and SAT for the past eight years. She has helped students of various levels of ability to improve their study skills, learn test taking strategies, and equip them with the confidence needed to achieve success on standardized exams.

Daniel Riseman

Daniel Riseman is a New York State certified teacher (grades 7-12) in Math, English Language Arts, Biology, Chemistry, Earth Science, Physics, and Social Studies and has an Advanced Certificate in Special Education. For the past 20 years, Daniel has been customizing lessons to prepare students for the SAT, ACT, SAT Subject Tests, ISEE, SSAT, and TACHS. As a member of the National Association for College Admissions Counseling, Daniel assists students with every step of the college admissions process. He has helped students get admitted into MIT, Harvard, Princeton, University of Chicago, Dartmouth, and University of Pennsylvania, among many others. He also helps college students with the transfer process and graduate school admissions. Daniel has served as a featured education writer and contributor for Psychology Today, The Fiscal Times, Yahoo Finance, Fox News, The Week, Education News, MSN Money, Institute of Sport, STEM Education Digest, The Awakened Wire, Special Needs Digest, Entertainment News, and LifeZette. He has also served as an on-air educational expert for EWTN.

Helen Cespedes

SAT, ACT, SSAT, ISEE, SHSAT, AP French, Subject Tests

Helen is an experienced private tutor who grew up in Boston in an academic household. After graduating from Barnard College magna cum laude with a BA in Comparative Literature, Helen went on to receive her MFA in acting from the Juilliard School. She is currently a teacher, working actor, and writer. For more than 6 years, Helen has enjoyed guiding her students from New York’s top high schools and middle schools to build the skills they need to achieve their goals in the classroom and on college readiness assessments. She teaches all sections of the SAT and ACT, as well as the SSAT, ISEE, SHSAT, AP French and several SAT subject tests. Helen curates her practice material and curricula to fit the needs of the individual student, and she helps her students cultivate critical thinking skills that will serve them beyond the exam and through their college careers.

Liba Vaynberg

SAT, ACT, Biology Subject Test, College Essays

Liba graduated with distinction from Yale with degrees in Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology and International Studies. She then received her master's from Columbia University. She has taught at Xavier University, and has years of experience working with students in various private and public schools and universities in New York. She is a passionate tutor, who is devoted to building confidence in her students in and outside the classroom.

Michael Ritacco

Mathematics Specialist, SAT/ACT, Math Level I and II Subject Tests, AlgI, AlgII/Trig Regents.

Mike graduated with a B.A. from SUNY Purchase in Mathematics and Computer Science. He graduated from Lehman College with two master's degrees in Mathematics Education and School leadership. He also holds a post master's certificate in District Leadership focusing on curriculum design and progressive instruction from Manhattanville College. Mike taught high school mathematics for 10 years in the South Bronx and East Harlem. Changing the lives of New York's most struggling and underprivileged students, Mike truly found his passion and excelled at helping students close the gaps. After much success, Mike became a city-wide math coach and worked with teachers one-on-one to help improve instructional practices and make mathematics more relevant for students. Wanting to make a larger impact, Mike became the Director of Mathematics for a school district in NYC consisting of 24,000 students in over 50 schools. Currently Mike is the Supervisor of Math and Science for Port Chester Public Schools. His love for teaching and helping students continues to fuel his passion for education. Mike believes in making math meaningful and that all students can achieve greatness.

Caiden Leavitt

SAT/ACT Specialist, AP Language, AP Literature, Literature Subject Test, and College Essays

Caiden graduated from Cornell University with a B.A. in English Literature. Upon graduation, she worked at the prestigious Windward School which specializes in language based learning disabilities, where she was intensively trained in PAF (Preventing Academic Failure) and TBWS (Teaching Basic Writing Skills). Since then, she has worked for several years with students of all ability levels on standardized test prep. Many of her students have gone on to earn scores that were above their goal score and many have also scored in the 99th percentile. She also specializes in College Essays and has helped many of her students get into the college of their choice. She believes that test prep is a skill that can be learned and does not set any limits on what her students can achieve!

Robyn Steiner

History Specialist, U.S. & World History SAT Subject Tests, AP History

Robyn Steiner holds a B.A. in English and Political Science from SUNY Buffalo where she graduated magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa. Robyn received her J.D. from Cornell Law School, cum laude, and finished her post-Masters Certification in Education from Manhattanville College. After teaching numerous history courses in various Westchester high schools with success, she became a proud founding staff member of Bronx Community High School in the South Bronx for students who read and write below grade level. She currently teaches Global and U.S. History and provides individual tutoring to students in preparation for the New York State Regents Exams in U.S. and Global History.

Alyssa Dembek

Classroom ACT & SAT English Specialist

Alyssa Dembek holds a B.S. in Secondary Education: English and Communications from Pennsylvania State University and a M.S. in Literacy from Long Island University. She has been teaching English 11 and English 11 Honors at New Rochelle High School for nine years, and electives such as Creative Writing, World Literature, Shakespeare, and College Reading. In addition to regularly integrating SAT and ACT preparation into her curriculum, Alyssa equips students with the skills necessary to be successful on the NYS Common Core English Regents. She helps numerous students, who have a range of ability levels, with their college applications and conducts workshops for college essays. As the head coach of the girls Varsity volleyball team since 2011, Alyssa has enjoyed a great deal of success motivating students to reach their full academic and athletic potential.

Erin Ott

SAT/ACT Reading/Writing Specialist, PSAT, SHSAT, TACHS, ISEE

Erin Ott graduated with a M.A. in English Literature, and dual major B.A. in Creative Writing and Psychology, from Hofstra University. Erin teaches composition and literature at the collegiate level, and has worked with both university and community college students. She has been helping middle and high school students score higher on various standardized tests for the past decade. Erin’s passion is to help students build academic confidence and succeed in their college application process. She firmly believes that all students are different, and works diligently to help her students uncover which test-taking strategies apply best to each of them. As a former rowing coach, and captain of her college varsity rowing team, Erin is well-versed in the benefits of self-motivated hard work, and strives to help her students embrace this practice.

Jack Canfora

SAT & ACT English and Reading Specialist

Jack Canfora, SAT & ACT English and Reading Specialist, is an award-winning playwright, writer and educator, whose background includes a Summa Cum Laude degree from Hofstra University. Jack has 18 years of experience teaching AP Literature to high school students in both urban and suburban environments. Having scored in the 99th percentile on the Verbal section of the SAT, Jack has been an SAT and ACT tutor for 28 years, achieving great results for all levels of students. He is a passionate believer in working together with students to discover the best ways they learn individually. Among his recent non-academic accomplishments are two successful Off
Broadway productions of his plays, the publication of his plays Jericho and Poetic License, and the 2016 Webby Award for Best Writing for his web series The Small Time. Most recently, his play Fellow Travelers opened at the Bay Street Theater in 2018 to rave reviews and is slated to go to Broadway in 2019.

Peter O’Byrne

SAT/ACT Mathematics & Language Arts Specialist

Peter graduated magna cum laude from Georgetown University where he earned a B.A. in mathematics and economics. Shortly thereafter, he received an M.A. in Secondary Education from National-Louis University. Peter began his career in education at Bogan High School, in Chicago IL, and then spent nine years teaching at KIPP NYC College Prep in the Bronx, NY, where he also coached their varsity football team. Peter has worked with Zoffness College Prep since 2015 and helped countless students significantly increase their SAT and ACT scores through proven motivational and academic techniques. He is New York State certified in both social studies and math, and currently teaches economics at Mamaroneck High School while coaching the MHS varsity football team.

Alexandra Trow

SAT & ACT Specialist, SHSAT, ISEE, AP exams,

Alexandra Trow is a double Yale graduate (B.A., M.F.A.) with 99th percentile SAT and ACT scores, who loves working with students to make standardized testing more fun, engaging, and rewarding. Originally from Colorado, Alex has helped hundreds of students achieve substantially higher scores on the SAT, ACT, and AP exams, among several other tests. Alex is passionate about listening to students and working with them to create customized learning plans that translate into ease and comfort in what can often be a stressful environment; Alex knows what it’s like to perform under pressure: when she is not helping students achieve their academic goals, she is a working actor in New York City.

Ben Zoffness

President & Program Director

The founder of Zoffness College Prep. He holds a B.A. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and received his M.B.A. from Fordham University. Ben began tutoring students 15 years ago after mastering the SAT and ACT strategies required to score in the 99th percentile. Since then, he has helped thousands of students maximize their academic performance with confidence. After developing his own unique software to help students identify various areas of weaknesses, Ben has been able to save valuable time for his students, while reducing the cost for his clients. His company provides classroom and individualized instruction to the community, with a focus on innovative solutions to allow students to grow personally and professionally. Ben works with students in the classroom and on an individual basis to prepare for the SAT, ACT, Mathematics Subject Tests, and a variety of additional standardized tests. His motivation is continuously fueled by celebratory phone calls and emails from his clients sharing that they gained acceptance into their top collegiate choices, which is often paired with merit-based scholarships. Visit the testimonials page to read more about the impact that Mr. Z and his team have had on students from Westchester, N.Y.

Ethan Butler

Ethan Butler

Zoffness College Prep

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Kate Dowling

Steve Armstrong

Ethan Butler

Laura Nicolae

SAT/ACT Classes

Enrichment Classes

Diagnostic SAT/ACT Tests

SAT/ACT Classes

Enrichment Classes

Personalized Approach

Average super-scored SAT improvement 2021

in scholarships have been earned

Average super-scored ACT composite improvement 2021

Why Zoffness?

Customized

Practice

Experience

Confidence

Andrea Coady

Daniel Riseman

Helen Cespedes

Liba Vaynberg

Michael Ritacco

Caiden Leavitt

Robyn Steiner

Alyssa Dembek

Erin Ott

Jack Canfora

Peter O’Byrne

Alexandra Trow

Ben Zoffness