Are you trying to improve drastically your GMAT score? I can help you choose the right tutor for your needs. I studied for the GMAT, intending to get into a leading management degree, which requires a high score (700+ old version). After months of hard work (and tutoring help), I reached the 6th best percentile (720)!
For context, when I studied for the GMAT, I had just finished my bachelor’s degree in Humanities and had not done any maths for the last three and a half years. My first language is French, and even though I am bilingual, my level of English is not near the level of a native speaker. On my first try, I received a 510 score, and I could not believe how bad my score was. I needed to ace the test and get a 700+ to apply for my dream Management degree. I studied unsuccessfully for two months with the wrong mindset and materials. On the second try, I got a 470. I needed to change my study strategy. My score only improved once I started using a tutor. I went from 470 to 600 and got a 720 on test day! My score improved drastically in only two months! If I succeeded, so can you with the right tutor!
If you have struggled in the last few weeks with the test, no worries. If a non-native English speaker from a Humanities background with no particular talent in math or English can do it, so can you! The GMAT is a test that can be learned. I will give you my honest opinion on the different materials and tutors that I used.
Before we start, what is the GMAT? The GMAT exam is a test used by most of the graduate business degree as a selective tool for future students. It is meant to evaluate your commitment to and eligibility for the MBA or business master’s degree. The test evaluates your problem-solving and critical reasoning skills. It is a challenging test that must be studied in advance. Fortunately, many resources on the internet exist to help you navigate it.
My Opinion on GMAT Tutors I Tried and My Recommendation
Content
The Basic Materials
- Target Test Prep
- Gmat Ninja Tutoring
- Gmat Club
- Magoosh
- Manhattan Prep
The Basic Materials
When studying, you will need to work with certain types of questions. Many different editors have published books for the GMAT test, to name a few: Manhattan Prep, Kaplan, GMAC, etc. I recommend you get one and read the question types. Those books can be costly, and if you need help with the test, you might have to buy more than one. Look at your local library to see if any of them are accessible. You might avoid paying for it. You will thank me later when you know the price of the actual test and some of the tutors.
I have only tried the books from Manhattan Prep and the official GMAT institution (GMAC). I first tried the Manhattan Prep and was very disappointed by the product. I kept getting the most challenging verbal questions right in their prep product, while in the official online test, I got a bad result, particularly in the verbal section. It gives you a good idea of the question type but not the difficulty level. After that, I switch directly to the official product. The GMAC publishes a book with real GMAT questions used in old tests.
Be careful to use those official questions sparingly because a limited number of them exist. I sometimes saw the same questions in different GMAC books. Nevertheless, don’t stop yourself from studying them.
Target Test Prep
Start looking for tutoring classes such as Target Test Prep or Magoosh before taking a 1-on-1 tutoring class. The price is more affordable, and you only need a review of the subjects.
I recommend Target Test Prep the most for the Quantitative section. This class saved me. In one month, I raised my quantitative score immensely. My problem was that I didn’t remember my high school math classes and could not find all the information anywhere on the Internet.
Target Test Prep prepares you with a thorough math lesson and tests after each chapter. They use active recall methods. They are very strict about following the lessons from A-to-Z and do not recommend following their class in any other way. You start by choosing your score goal, and the platform generates a tailored study plan. You are taken by the hand with the plan; you don’t have to make any decisions. I realized it was a relief to trust the process and not worry about anything other than learning the concept.
Each chapter is very long, so this could be inconvenient if you already know most of the content or want to go fast. However, sometimes, to be more efficient, it is good to go slower and be more intentional in your study. I was initially scared by how long the lessons were, but I could finish them when I needed to. I only used the service for one month when it should have probably taken me two or three months. I don’t think you can finish the lessons properly in one month, but it did raise my score.
Gmat Ninja Tutoring
Even if I recommend TTP more than Gmat Ninja Tutoring, they helped me significantly in the Verbal section. This service is free on YouTube, which is nice since everything else around the GMAT is not free. I recommend watching their videos even if you go with another tutoring service. They will present each problem differently than your other tutor and make you understand a concept better.
Gmat Ninja Tutoring is a YouTube channel that makes videos on all the content of the Verbal, Quantitative, and Data Insights sections. They talk about everything you will see in each section. This is a good option if you don’t want to spend money. I particularly liked the content in the verbal section because they used real questions and showed you how to get the answer right. It is a complete guide.
They have different teachers on each video. If you want private tutoring, look at their videos and ask your preferred teacher for help.
Gmat Club
The GMAT Club is another helpful tool for studying the GMAT. Even if it is not a tutoring service, it can help you understand and learn concepts. When you don’t understand a question or an idea, look it up in the forum. The forum answered all my questions on a specific question test. The forum also provides good tips and tricks about all aspects of the GMAT: how to learn, stay motivated, prepare before the actual exam, lower your stress, etc.
The good thing about it is that other students who lived or are living the same things as you are are helping you. Therefore, they have the same mindset as you.
Magoosh
I have not personally used Magoosh tutoring services. I only watched their videos on YouTube, which I thought were superficial, and never gave helpful advice. Those videos are catchy and make you want to watch more. However, after 2 or 3, I realized I got nothing meaningful out of it.
I still hesitated a lot to purchase it instead of TTP. It has excellent reviews and presents all the GMAT concepts well. In reality, TTP and Magoosh have the same teaching quality but have fundamental differences. Some students might have a preference.
While TTP has a strict study plan and wants you to follow it perfectly, Magoosh allows the students more freedom. This aspect means you are more on your own with Magoosh. Some students prefer studying more independently and choosing their subjects each day. Yet, I felt I needed more guidance.
An aspect that made me prefer Magoosh over TTP is that the explications are in video format instead of written down. Videos are more interactive, and you feel less alone while studying. On TTP, you will have to read a chapter of 30 pages. As for Magoosh, you have access to someone explaining it on video.
Manhattan Prep
The Manhattan Prep has many of the same pros as the Magoosh tutoring services. It offers the explication in video format and helps you build your understanding from the ground up. From what I could see, the videos seemed well-made but sometimes slightly silly (using puppets to explain). Like all the other brands, they offer private tutoring with excellent reviews.
I didn’t choose this brand because of my bad experience with their prep book. It didn’t prepare me to face hard GMAT questions since I was aiming for a 700+. However, I do remember liking their introduction to each section of the quantitative questions. Their YouTube videos were the best I had seen (much better than Magoosh’s). I could not rely on those videos to learn the quantitative section since they increased the difficulty of the questions too fast for me to follow. Of course, they don’t give all their teachings for free, so it is understandable.
Their Live GMAT Online Prep (live classes) has excellent reviews. Those classes would have helped me during my studies. I felt alone during the GMAT studying process since I knew no one who was doing it or even who had done it. This is excellent support.
Overall, I put Manhattan Prep on the list because I trust their expertise and know that their service is outstanding.
In conclusion, the reason I improved my score was my ability always to find answers to my questions on the Internet. Whenever you feel like you are stagnating in your learning or you don’t understand a concept, research on the Internet for help. The Internet is filled with content for GMAT students. I recommend investing in a tutoring service since the GMAT is central to an MBA or master’s application. If you don’t have the money, look on YouTube for Gmat Ninja Tutoring videos or read the Gmat Club forum. They help!