Q: Can you provide references from past GMAT students?
A: Of course. Just ask. If you’re in NYC or DC, I might even be able arrange for you to meet a former GMAT student in person.
And if you want some instant references from people who have worked with me, feel free to check out some random online accolades here or here or here or here or here or here.
Q: I’m not in NYC, and I don’t plan to hire you as a GMAT tutor or MBA admissions consultant. Will you answer my questions anyway?
A: Unfortunately, I can’t promise that I’ll be able to answer questions from people who have no interest in hiring me as their GMAT tutor. This is especially true during the GMAT and MBA admissions frenzy that typically runs from June through December or January each year–please don’t be offended if I don’t respond to requests for (unpaid) help during this time.
That said, I’m a nice guy, and if you’re polite in your approach, I’ll do my best to answer your questions if time permits. Just be warned that I might answer your GMAT question publicly on my blog, in case other readers have the same question.
Here’s what I ask for in return: if I do manage to find time to help you out and you actually learn something useful from me, please do a little bit to publicize my little website. Encourage another GMAT website or blog to post a link, or email some friends, or put in a good word for me somewhere else online. Deal?
Q: What are your rates?
A: Current rates for GMAT tutoring in NYC and online can be found here. Please be aware that rates may change based on seasonal demand; rates are likely to be higher during peak GMAT season (usually June-December). If you’re curious, you can also check out the rates charged by major NYC-area test-prep companies.
And while, we’re on the topic of GMAT tutoring rates, you might be wondering…
Q: Can I get a discount?
A: Sometimes. I don’t offer any sort of “package” or “volume” discounts, but I occasionally offer discounts for weekday morning or afternoon sessions during the GMAT “off-season” (usually January through May). I also very happily offer GMAT tutoring discounts for MBA applicants who work in full-time in the arts or for non-profit organizations. Please visit my rates page for current details.
Q: What is your cancellation policy?
A: Life gets tricky sometimes, and I do everything I can to accommodate reasonable schedule changes. But the reality is that it really, really sucks for me when students cancel a few hours before a GMAT tutoring session–it means that I’m able to accommodate far fewer GMAT students in any given week, and that’s bad for everybody.
Bottom line is that I’m much happier if everybody just shows up to their appointments. If your life is suddenly interrupted by a terrible act of nature (swine flu, subway fire, bedbugs… you gotta love NYC), I’ll cut you some slack. Otherwise, if you’re just canceling for work or personal reasons without giving me a good 24 hours’ notice, I think it’s fair to ask that you pay for the slot that you occupied, since 24 hours usually doesn’t give me a chance to offer that slot to anybody else. Sound reasonable?
Q: Do you also tutor for the GRE?
A: Yes, but not as often as I used to. I started teaching GRE classes in 2002, and I still help a handful of GRE-takers every year. The GRE tests many of the same concepts as the GMAT, and much of my GMAT expertise translates comfortably to the GRE… but I won’t pretend to be the world’s foremost GRE expert at this point, especially considering the recent changes made to the exam.
If you’re looking for a GRE tutor in NYC, drop me a line with some specifics on your situation, and I’ll tell you if I think I can help. A good friend of mine here in NYC spends much more of his time focusing on the GRE, and I will happily refer you to him if I think he would be a better fit for your needs.
Q: How do you structure your GMAT tutoring sessions?
A: This is probably the question I’m asked most often. The quick answer is that the structure of GMAT lessons depends entirely on each student’s strengths, weaknesses, interests, and needs. You’re (presumably) looking for a GMAT tutor because you want somebody who will efficiently teach you exactly what you need, rather than wasting time with, say, a one-size-fits-all GMAT class.
Keep in mind that the GMAT, more than any other major standardized test, is extremely nuanced. We’ll look for the most efficient ways to help you gain points on the test, and that inevitably means different things for different people. Give me a call, and we can discuss an approach that will be effective for your GMAT and MBA admissions goals.
Q: Where are GMAT tutoring sessions held in NYC?
A: Most sessions take place in Midtown Manhattan, near Grand Central Station. In very rare cases, I can travel to other parts of NYC for tutoring, but please be aware that the hourly tutoring rate will be substantially higher in other parts of NYC to compensate for travel time and expenses.
Q: How long is a typical GMAT lesson?
A: I generally recommend two-hour GMAT tutoring sessions in most cases, simply because most students need a little bit of time to get fully “warmed up” for learning. GMAT sessions longer than two hours usually suffer from diminishing returns, but I’ve tutored some intense students who manage to survive three or four hours of non-stop GMAT fun. So there’s some flexibility, but it’s usually best to start with two-hour sessions.
Q: Do you provide any of your own GMAT study materials as part of a tutoring plan?
A: I do offer dozens of sets of practice GMAT questions that I’ve developed over the years, but these sets are only designed as supplements for students who may need extra practice with certain GMAT question types. The GMAT has its own unique question style, and there’s absolutely no substitute for using official GMAT materials, including the GMAT official guide, the quant and verbal review books, and the GMATPrep tests.
So the answer is yes, but I would be a pretty crappy GMAT tutor if I pretended that my materials were somehow better than the materials developed by the people who actually write the GMAT.
Q: Do you tutor on weekends and evenings?
A: Yes, but please be aware that there is much higher demand for GMAT tutoring during evenings and weekends, so you might need to schedule sessions well ahead of time, especially during the peak of MBA admissions season. I usually have a lengthy waiting list for evening and weekend sessions, so please plan ahead if you possibly can.
Q: You’re booked for the next several months. Can you refer me to another GMAT tutor?
A: Yes, I’m always happy to refer you to another GMAT tutor if my schedule is too packed. I almost always have a waiting list (especially for evening and weekend sessions), and I know that not everybody can afford to wait for tutoring… so I’m prepared with the names and emails of some of my favorite colleagues in the GMAT world. Just ask if you need a referral.
Q: Do you provide online GMAT tutoring? How does that work? Is online tutoring as effective as live GMAT tutoring in NYC?
A: Yup, I definitely offer online GMAT tutoring, usually via skype. You’ll be able to see both a dry-erase board and anything I type on my computer screen, so the experience is a pretty solid replacement for a live, one-on-one GMAT tutoring session. A few nuances are inevitably lost via the internet (it’s hard for me to see your reactions, and I generally can’t see what you’re writing down), but I routinely work with GMAT students online, and it works surprisingly well. If you live outside of NYC and are interested in long-distance GMAT tutoring, let me know, and I can put you in touch with somebody else who has worked with me online.
Our essay editing and MBA admissions consulting services are also offered online. We (by “we,” I mean the team of editors who occasionally work with me on large projects) have worked remotely with applicants in India, Singapore, Egypt, the U.K., Australia, and South Korea, as well as locations throughout the United States.
A longer rant about the benefits and drawbacks of online tutoring can be found here.
Q: How much GMAT tutoring will I need before I take the test?
A: Nearly everybody asks this question, and my answer is always the same: it depends. If you’ve never touched a GMAT prep book in your life but dream of getting into HBS or NYU or Stanford, you might need more tutoring than somebody who is just fine-tuning his approach after months of self-study. If you’ve taken only a single practice test and scored 200 points lower than your goal, then you might need a whole lot of time with a GMAT tutor. Everybody learns at their own pace, some people are just better about doing homework than others, and some people have set more challenging GMAT goals than others.
So I know that the answer is unsatisfying, but until I know a lot more about you and what you’re trying to achieve, I have no idea how much GMAT tutoring you’ll need. Sorry.
Q: How much can I expect to improve my GMAT score?
A: You probably know what I’m going to say here: it depends. I’m a brutal realist, not a salesman… and I hate to say this, but it’s very unlikely that you’ll be able to your GMAT score by 200 points. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve seen it happen a few times–one of my favorite students went from a 380 to a 610, but it took him a long time. He had a limited budget and didn’t rely too heavily on his GMAT tutor, but he had one heck of a work ethic.
Also, keep in mind that it’s a lot harder to improve your GMAT score if you’re already scoring in the 600s or 700s. A 150-point improvement is a realistic goal for somebody who starts in the 400s (I’ve seen this happen quite a few times), but is extremely unlikely for somebody whose first test score is around 620. If you’re starting in the 600s, a 100-point improvement will require some extremely heavy lifting from both you and your GMAT tutor. Yes, I’ve seen it happen, but it isn’t easy to do. Call or email if you want to discuss your specific situation.
Q: How does MBA essay editing work? Do you make changes directly to the essay?
A: Regardless of whether you need editing services for an MBA application or any other project, we never make changes directly to your essay. We’ll make thorough suggestions using MS Word’s comment feature, but it’s up to you to execute our suggestions. We’ll provide plenty of help on both grammar and content, but the essay still needs to be substantially yours, so we want to make sure that you have the final say on all editing.
Q: I worry that if I use an MBA admissions consulting service for my application, it will sound like somebody else wrote the essays. Will this be a problem?
A: Good question. If you’re writing a bunch of essays for an MBA application, you want to make sure that you write your essays in a consistent style. We make sure that our editing is does not disrupt the natural flow and voice in your writing, even if we recommend major changes to your application essay. Other admissions consulting services may handle things differently, but we take extreme care to respect your authorship when making changes to your MBA essays.
Q: Will you write my MBA application essays for me?
A: No, never, not at any price.
I regularly receive these requests, and find them insulting and unethical. Along with a few grammarian colleagues, I provide editing services, admissions advice, and general guidance regarding your candidacy for MBA programs. We really aren’t into plagiarism, and we think it’s pretty lame to put your own name on somebody else’s writing. If you want somebody to write your MBA essay for you, please find somebody else.
Q: Can I see your official GMAT score report?
A: Sure, no problem… though I think we can all agree that a high score does not, by itself, guarantee that anybody is a good GMAT tutor. I retook the GMAT on September 14, 2010 and again on July 13, 2011, and the official score reports are on my bookshelf for anybody who wants to see them.
Q: Why haven’t you posted anything new on your GMAT blog lately? Are you still tutoring in NYC?
A: Yup, I’m still here! I enjoy writing articles for my GMAT blog, but I’ve had a packed schedule (and a lengthy waiting list) for well over a year now, and it’s increasingly difficult for me to find time for blogging. My first priority is to do everything I can to help my students kick the crap out of the GMAT; unfortunately, the GMAT blog takes a backseat to tutoring and to fine-tuning my GMAT curriculum. As soon as life slows down, I’ll start posting new GMAT articles again.
