Last Updated on April 30, 2023
If you need to take the GRE exam for graduate school admissions, you may be weighing various test prep options and wondering whether private GRE tutoring is right for you. Alternatively, you may be at a point in your GRE prep where you’re not sure whether your current resources are enough to get you to your target score.
Whatever the reason, if you’re wondering whether GRE tutoring is worth pursuing, this article can help. We’ll go over the top 5 benefits of private tutoring for the GRE, points to consider when deciding whether to work with a tutor, and more. You’ll get all the information you need to determine whether GRE test prep tutoring is right for you.
Here are the topics we’ll cover:
- Do You Need a Tutor for the GRE?
- Which Is the Best Prep for GRE Students?
- How Much Do GRE Tutors Cost?
- How to Choose a GRE Tutor
- GRE Tutoring: Key Takeaways
- What’s Next?
Let’s start by discussing the top 5 benefits of GRE tutoring.
Do You Need a Tutor for the GRE?
To help you determine whether you could benefit from working with a GRE test tutor, let’s discuss the top 5 benefits of GRE tutoring. If you think you’re in need of any of the following types of help with your GRE study plan, test-taking strategies, or mastery of questions on the GRE, some tutoring sessions may be just the thing to get you on the right track.
#1: A Tutor Can Help You Learn More Quickly
The most fundamental benefit of working with a GRE private tutor is that a tutor can help you learn more quickly. How, exactly? By teaching GRE concepts, strategies, and other material in ways tailored to you. Also, learning from a tutor in ways that are optimal for you can make retaining GRE verbal and math concepts easier.
The fact is, private tutors can tailor your GRE prep to a degree that group classes or prep books simply can’t. For example, while a book can explain how to answer different types of GRE quant questions, a tutor can show you how to answer those questions in ways that you personally understand. The result of this personalization can be both less time needed to prep and higher GRE scores.
So, if your test prep feels inefficient or your study time hasn’t been resulting in skill mastery, consider GRE tutoring.
TTP PRO TIP:
Working with a GRE tutor can significantly speed up the learning process and make retaining GRE verbal and math concepts easier.
#2: A Tutor Can Diagnose Sticking Points
If you aren’t making the progress that you expected, a tutor could help. Likewise, if your performance on GRE practice tests has plateaued and you aren’t sure why, a tutor could help. By talking with you and observing how you answer practice questions, experienced GRE private tutors can diagnose “sticking points” that are stalling your prep. A tutor can then give you personalized recommendations about what to do differently to get better results.
This kind of objective, expert input has helped many struggling GRE students achieve their score goals.
TTP PRO TIP:
A tutor can help you move past sticking points and score plateaus.
#3: A Tutor Can Help You Break Bad Habits
A GRE tutor can help you identify bad habits and mistaken beliefs that are hindering your progress. In some cases, you may have habits or ideas that seem to make sense to you but aren’t actually effective ways to master GRE concepts or improve your GRE performance. In fact, you may not even be aware of the bad habits and faulty thinking that are holding you back.
An impartial GRE expert with lots of teaching experience will be well-positioned to identify bad habits plaguing your prep. Moreover, an expert tutor will be able to help you easily implement solutions.
TTP PRO TIP:
You may not be aware of the bad habits and mistaken ideas that are holding back your GRE progress. A tutor can identify them and help you implement solutions.
#4: A Tutor Can Provide Inside Info
One benefit of private GRE tutoring that students often don’t consider is that a good tutor has deep knowledge of the GRE. Thus, a good tutor can provide information about the test that you may not get anywhere else. Whereas Official Guides and group classes generally provide information geared toward the average student, a tutor can be a source of all types of little-known GRE facts and insights that will be useful specifically to you and your goals.
TTP PRO TIP:
Good GRE private tutors tend to be a source of little-known facts about the GRE and what different students will need to do to reach their target scores.
#5: A Tutor Can Keep You on Track
GRE students often don’t realize how much they benefit from the support a tutor gives until they have it. As you may have already experienced, preparing for the GRE can be an arduous process full of surprises, setbacks, and frustrations. A good GRE tutor will have been through this process many, many times. Thus, the tutor will know just how to keep you focused, motivated, confident, and on track to your target score.
The fact is, a big determining factor in whether students achieve their GRE score goals is their ability to persevere through the study process without becoming distracted, discouraged, or disengaged. A tutor can be that coach in your ear helping you operate at a high level throughout your prep.
TTP PRO TIP:
Experienced GRE tutors have been through the test prep process many times, so they know how to keep you focused, motivated, confident, and on track to your goal.
Now that we know the main benefits of GRE tutoring, you may be wondering, What is the best prep option for GRE students? Is it private tutoring?
Which Is the Best Prep for GRE Students?
There are many different GRE prep options out there. So, given the advantages of private tutoring, is working with a tutor the best option?
Here’s the thing: there is no one best option for GRE prep. Some students learn well by studying on their own with a self-study course. Others prefer a classroom environment and study sessions with friends or colleagues. And others prefer to work one-on-one with someone. If you fall into this last category, then private tutoring may make sense for you.
Another thing to realize is that even if you work with a tutor, those tutoring sessions shouldn’t be your only source of GRE prep. You’ll still have to do a lot of studying and practicing outside of the hour or two you spend with a tutor each week. So, you will still need another high-quality resource for your “solo” test prep time.
In fact, many students end up using a couple of different resources to fully prepare for the GRE. For instance, a student using a self-study course may schedule a few private tutoring sessions to talk through specific problem areas, worries, or concerns. And we at TTP always recommend to our students that they take the 5 full-length, official practice tests from ETS at strategic points during their prep.
So, while it’s never a good idea to cobble together a bunch of random GRE prep materials, supplementing your primary study resource with a source of further practice or targeted instruction could help you get over the GRE finish line.
TTP PRO TIP:
Even if you work with a GRE tutor, you’ll still have to do a lot of studying and practicing on your own to properly prepare for test day.
Now, let’s discuss one more key factor in deciding whether to pursue tutoring: cost.
How Much Do GRE Tutors Cost?
A major deciding factor for many students considering GRE tutoring is cost. GRE private tutors may charge anywhere from around 100 to several hundred dollars per hour. So, use the points we discussed earlier in this article to do a cost-benefit analysis that takes your personal needs and goals into account.
Remember, getting into the right graduate program can significantly affect your career and earning potential over your lifetime. So, particularly if you’ve hit a wall in your progress, you have limited time to reach your goal, or you just haven’t been able to gain significant ground despite your best efforts, the benefits of GRE tutoring may greatly outweigh the cost.
That said, if you have cost concerns, research various tutoring companies to find something that fits within your budget. Also, keep in mind that you may be able to get significant benefit from even just a few tutoring sessions. You don’t have to commit to more than you can afford!
Another important thing to remember is that you shouldn’t assume that “highest price” means “highest quality.” With that in mind, let’s discuss how to select a good GRE tutor.
KEY FACT:
GRE tutors charge anywhere from around 100 to several hundred dollars per hour.
How to Choose a GRE Tutor
There are a couple of things you can do to ensure you choose a great GRE tutor. The first is to find out about a tutor’s years of experience and other qualifications. The second is to consider whether a tutor’s teaching style and areas of expertise match your needs.
Let’s discuss each of these in further detail.
Evaluate Experience
Possibly the most important criterion in selecting a GRE tutor is experience. The fact is, tutoring is something a person becomes more skilled in with time and student interaction. Even tutors who know a lot about the GRE or have gone through training programs learn more about what works for students by simply working with students and seeing what consistently gets results. So, consider how much experience a potential tutor has.
You’ll also want to consider what a potential tutor’s experience with the test itself is. For instance, math tutors who know a lot about various mathematical concepts but not much about how those concepts are tested on the GRE are not ideal. Remember, the GRE tests verbal and math concepts in specific, unique ways. So, a tutor with GRE-specific knowledge, as opposed to general knowledge of a subject, is likely going to be better able to prepare you for the challenges you’ll face on test day.
Additionally, consider a tutor’s official GRE score. After all, if a tutor has scored high on the GRE, then that tutor knows how to master the test. That said, I would not consider high GRE scores the be-all and end-all in selecting a tutor. Remember, scoring high in itself does not make a person skilled at teaching others how to score high. So, I would still consider tutoring experience and GRE-specific knowledge more important criteria than high GRE scores.
TTP PRO TIP:
In selecting a GRE tutor, evaluate a tutor’s experience, GRE-specific knowledge, and GRE scores.
Evaluate Fit
Regardless of how knowledgeable or skilled they are, some tutors will fit you better than others. For example, if you need significant help with Reading Comprehension, a tutor who is particularly strong in GRE Verbal will probably be a much better fit for you than a tutor who focuses on GRE Quant.
Furthermore, it may be that the teaching styles and strengths of certain tutors don’t mesh well with your learning style or needs. For example, some tutors are very patient and comfortable helping students starting with low scores work their way to their targets. Other tutors are well-versed in helping students who are already scoring relatively high make the final push to the 99th percentile.
Both of those tutors may be “good tutors,” but that doesn’t mean they’re the best tutor for you. So, talk with tutors you’re considering to see whether their strengths match your learning style and your goals.
Remember also that, even if you think you’ve found the right tutor, you don’t have to go all in from the outset. Instead, book one or two tutoring sessions and see how things go.
TTP PRO TIP:
You don’t have to go all in with a particular tutor from the outset. Book one or two tutoring sessions and see how things go.
GRE Tutoring: Key Takeaways
When thinking about whether you need GRE tutoring, remember these 5 points:
- A tutor can help you learn more quickly.
- A tutor can diagnose sticking points.
- A tutor can help you break bad habits.
- A tutor can provide inside info.
- A tutor can keep you on track.
If you’ve decided that private tutoring is right for you, use the following 5 questions to evaluate potential tutors:
- How many years of tutoring experience does the tutor have?
- What GRE-specific knowledge does the tutor have?
- What is the tutor’s GRE score?
- Do the tutor’s teaching style and areas of expertise match my needs?
- Does the tutor fit my budget?
Why not schedule a time to talk with one of Target Test Prep’s GRE tutors? We’ve helped hundreds of students of all skill levels earn impressive GRE scores.
What’s Next?
Need some tips on how to improve your GRE score? Get expert advice here.
Not sure whether you should retake the GRE? This article can help you decide.
