Your first session typically focuses on assessment and goal-setting. A tutor will review your target score, timeline, and any practice test results you have, then identify your strongest and weakest areas across the three sections. This foundation helps create a personalized study plan that prioritizes the skills and content areas where you'll see the biggest score gains.

Timing is one of the most common GRE challenges—the test gives you limited time per section, and rushing leads to careless mistakes. A tutor can teach you strategic approaches like which questions to tackle first, when to guess and move on, and how to allocate your time across different question types. With practice tests and timed drills, you'll build the stamina and rhythm needed to stay confident under pressure.

That depends on your baseline scores and target program requirements. Some graduate programs weight math more heavily, while others focus on reading comprehension. A tutor can review your practice test results to determine where you have the most room for improvement and which section will have the biggest impact on your overall score. Many students benefit from balancing both sections rather than neglecting one entirely.

Most test prep experts recommend taking a full practice test every 2-3 weeks to track progress and get comfortable with the test format and timing. Between full tests, you should focus on targeted drills for weak areas. A tutor can help you interpret your practice test results, identify patterns in your mistakes, and adjust your study plan based on what you're learning—making each test a learning tool rather than just a progress check.

Test anxiety often stems from feeling unprepared or unfamiliar with question formats. Working with a tutor builds confidence by ensuring you understand the material deeply and have practiced extensively under timed conditions. Tutors can also teach you stress-management strategies like pacing techniques, how to reset mentally between sections, and how to approach difficult questions without panic—all skills that reduce anxiety on test day.

Most students benefit from 8-12 weeks of focused preparation, though this varies based on your starting score and target goal. Students aiming for highly competitive programs may need 12-16 weeks. A tutor can help you create a realistic timeline based on your baseline scores and available study hours per week, then keep you on track with a structured plan that builds skills progressively rather than cramming at the last minute.

Look for tutors with strong GRE scores themselves, experience teaching test prep, and knowledge of the specific skills tested on each section. It's also valuable to work with someone who understands graduate program requirements and can help you set realistic score goals. Varsity Tutors connects you with expert tutors who have proven track records helping students improve their GRE performance and gain admission to their target programs.