GMAT & MBA Admissions Blog

The Verbal Reasoning Section of the GMAT consists of 3 question types: Reading Comprehension, Critical Reasoning, and Sentence Correction. In this article, we’ll be discussing the methodology necessary to address critical reasoning questions. Generally speaking, these kinds of questions are formatted as a set of facts followed by a conclusion. Designed to measure your logical thinking ability, CR questions require that you assess an argument’s premises to either strengthen or weaken it. To help you master this process, we’ll cover the following foundational elements:

Although preparing for the GMAT requires a sizeable investment of your time and money, doing so will increase your chances of being accepted into top MBA programs with high-earning job placements—not to mention receiving significant academic scholarships. With this in mind, one of the most effective ways to ensure a stellar performance on the GMAT is to hire a personal tutor. Because anyone can present themselves as a “qualified” tutor regardless of experience level, it’s your responsibility to make sure you choose wisely. To make your decision a little easier, we’ve listed 5 non-negotiable traits an effective tutor must have. Keep these in mind as you embark upon your search!

1. High GMAT Score

Perhaps it goes without saying that you should only place your trust in the hands of someone who knows what it takes to achieve a high score on the GMAT. Generally speaking, a qualified GMAT tutor will have scored at least in the 99th percentile. If a tutor’s resume doesn’t include this critical information, don’t be afraid to ask! More specifically, an ideal tutor will demonstrate equal mastery of all four sections of the GMAT: analytical writing, integrated reasoning, quantitative reasoning, and verbal reasoning. You don’t want to end up with a tutor who excels at some, but not all of these key elements.

2. Tutoring Experience

Though there is certainly some overlap between the two, performing well on the GMAT does not guarantee that someone can teach it well. In other words, just because someone knows how to take the test doesn’t mean they have the skills necessary to clearly explain their methodology to others. For this reason, it isn’t enough for a potential tutor to have a stellar score. It is equally if not more critical that your tutor have significant experience teaching the GMAT. Some clear indicators of a tutor’s credibility include the number of students they’ve taught and the duration of time they’ve been doing so.

3. Student Centered

If you were looking for a one-size-fits-all approach, you would have opted for an alternative that’s cheaper than tutoring—like a textbook, a prep course, or an online app. If you encounter a tutor that uses the same methodology on all of their clients, you should therefore run the other way. A skilled tutor knows how to assess a student’s particular strengths and weaknesses and utilizes that information to build a unique study plan that caters to their needs. For this reason, make sure you find a tutor that demonstrates a commitment to understanding your unique goals, study habits, and challenges. A tutor who fails to ask questions about your thoughts, questions, and concerns is not worth paying for.

4. Location and Availability

The most practical consideration to make pertains to your schedule. Before you begin your search for a tutor, make note of your weekly availability as well as the maximum distance you’re willing to travel for in-person meetings. If you live in a relatively isolated area, or if you simply do not have the time to commute, consider the option of online tutoring. With the development of applications like Skype, Zoom, and Teams, there are a few things that can’t be accomplished remotely. So long as your tutor is available at the same times as you, distance shouldn’t be a serious impediment.

5. Passion for Subject Matter

Have you ever taken a class about a subject you thought you hated, only to have your teacher’s unbridled passion rub off on you? This is because enthusiasm is contagious. Although standardized tests don’t usually arouse excitement in most people, you might be surprised to know how much the best tutors care about the subject matter. A tutor who is passionate about teaching will resonate on a different level than a tutor whose only in it for the money. You would therefore be well advised to work with a tutor who is passionate not only about the GMAT, but also about sharing that passion as a means of empowering their students.

In conclusion, trust your gut. A tutor who genuinely sees your potential will make you see your own potential in a new light as well. It’s also worth noting that you have the right to take potential tutors for a trial run before making any commitments. If you still feel like you need more information, feel free to ask for references from previous clients. If a tutor is not willing to comply with these requests, walk away. When your hard earned money is at stake, don’t settle for anything less than a qualified, professional, attentive, and passionate tutor.

Combinatorics is the art of counting. You’ll need to understand this art to do well on the GMAT.

It is common for GMAT students looking for a 700+ score to have many questions about GMAT combinatorics problems. These are the GMAT questions that ask you to count up all the possible arrangements of individuals and groups in a variety of situations: How many ways can 5 men and 5 women be ordered in a line? How many high fives occur in a group of 15 people on a basketball team? GMAT tutors often find themselves spending an inordinate amount of time helping students improve their ability to answer these types of GMAT questions.

Our Director of Online Tutoring recently sat for the interim online GMAT, a new version of the test offered by GMAC starting April 20^th, 2020 due to the restrictions placed on gatherings of people in order to limit the spread of COVID-19. We’re sharing his experience with GMAT students considering taking the online version of this test so that, hopefully, they can be better prepared and know exactly what to expect going into this unprecedented testing situation.

We believe investing in GMAT tutoring is an easy decision for a student who really struggles with standardized tests and is performing well below average on practice tests. But if you are an above average test taker and trying to understand how to get a 700 score or higher on the GMAT exam, a private tutor is also a good option. In either case, the return on investment in GMAT prep can be very high, because sitting in a test prep class or using an app designed for the “average” test taker is not relevant for you. Customized 1-1 help tailored to your situation is likely required for you to see score improvement.

At the end of March, GMAC responded to the release of an ETS at-home GRE by announcing that it too would be offering a temporary online, at-home exam option for business school candidates in need of a GMAT score while global in-person testing centers are closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. After two long, silent weeks, on April 14, registration opened for online GMAT administrations as soon as April 20 and many interesting details were revealed: