A GMAT student of mine in Boston recently scored a 790 after studying with me for four months. We connected for a celebratory drink and he shared a few reasons the he believed his GMAT tutoring was useful. As context, Paul came in with a 630 on one previous attempt on the exam. He had taken a GMAT course, which did help him improve his score by 30 points, but he had stalled out in the mid-600s. Because his situation is one that many GMAT test takers face, I thought I would pass along his advice.
Here is his feedback on the value of GMAT tutoring and what makes for a successful GMAT tutor:
1.GMAT tutoring helps you feel like you’re back in school.
One of the toughest aspects of gearing up for the GMAT is relearning the cadences of studying, memorizing, and simply making time for what a tough test requires. We believe that the GMAT requires somewhere between 3 and 4 months of prep. Our comprehensive syllabus is 16 sessions. A capable tutor will keep you honest, help you think about blocking out time on your calendar and making the exam a priority rather than allowing it to fall to the back of the line. We recommend spending around 15 hours a week studying for the exam, with longer sessions on the weekend. One small tip on this though, when you do study for 2-3 hours (with 3 hours the maximum), make sure to take breaks, walk around, stretch, do pushups…
2. GMAT tutoring is expensive and it encourages you to use your time more efficiently.
Finding 2 hours a day to study for the GMAT isn’t easy. My student, who was a consultant, found time during some clever moments: during his commute to work on the train and at the other times before work, during lunch, on the elliptical machine, and before bed. Different aspects of studying for the GMAT are more amenable to different times of day, but tasks related to memorization (grammar, math rules, etc.) are very easy to pick up during dead time.
3. It’s the GMAT methodology stupid… but it’s also seeing the patterns.
The GMAT like, the GRE, LSAT, SAT, and ACT are all about pattern recognition. A good GMAT tutor can help you see the patterns more efficiently and help you understand which methodology to employ. Any decent tutor can help you solve a problem, but a great tutor can help you see learn to see the matrix, to see which problems call for what. Toward the end of my GMAT tutoring sessions, I cycle through 10 problems and ask students to explain in 15 second how they would solve the problem. A good GMAT tutor teaches you GMAT instincts.
4. Good GMAT tutors keep track.
Your tutor should memorialize every moment in the process. I keep track of everything, wrong answers, long answers, time management issues, practice test scores cut by every metric possible. And then I remind. A good GMAT tutor helps you focus on the problems and takes care of the process for you. You need to push, but your tutor should show you where and how. For most of my students I end up with a log of 200 or so problems that were noteworthy during the course of the process.
5. Good GMAT tutors are invested in your success.
Most tutors go through the motions. They teach you the stuff, but with and eye toward the clock. They see hundreds of GMAT students and you’re no different. I think students like Cambridge Coaching GMAT tutors because we simply care about our students. I get to know my students, I think about their progress and I think of them on their test day. Find a GMAT tutor who cares about you. That tutor will not only be more effective, but he or she will be a pleasure to work with.
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