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Certified Tutor
9+ years
Having earned three bachelor's degrees and a master's in biology, Thomas has written his way through an unusual volume of academic argumentation — from lab reports defending experimental conclusions to humanities essays building interpretive claims. That range matters for GRE Analytical Writing, whe...
Columbia University in the City of New York
AM
Dartmouth College
AM

Certified Tutor
11+ years
Hi, really nice to meet you! I have 10 years experience teaching GRE. I taught GRE and GMAT as an Adjunct Professor at American University for 3 years, which enhanced my ability to create a standardized GRE itinerary for the classroom. I have taught GRE at Varsity Tutors for 5 years, in person and v...
Vanderbilt University
AM
Certified Tutor
6+ years
My teaching philosophy is focused on a single objective - that students learn. I have a Ph.D. in Criminology from the University of Pennsylvania and a J.D. from Temple Law School. My GRE score was a 326, and my LSAT score was a 173. I've tutored over 60 students through Varsity Tutors. I'm co...
University of Pennsylvania
PhD
Moravian College and Moravian Theological Seminary
PhD
Certified Tutor
10+ years
Teaching high school English and science in the Peace Corps — then producing research-driven writing for an MPH at Emory — gave Irina firsthand practice in the exact skill the GRE Analytical Writing section tests: building a clear, evidence-based argument from scratch under constraints. She teaches ...
New York University
Undergraduate Degree
Certified Tutor
12+ years
I am a graduate of Grinnell College, a private liberal arts college located in Grinnell, Iowa. I have a Bachelor of the Arts in Computer Science from Grinnell's Department of Math and Computer Science. Since graduation I have tutored students of a wide variety of ages and background in a number of...
Grinnell College
AB
Certified Tutor
9+ years
Hello, my name is Destiny and I graduated from Howard University. I majored in Psychology with a minor in Biology and Administration of Justice. One of the most important lessons I've learned from school is the value of asking for help. This can be the difference between simply memorizing some facts...
Howard University
BS
Certified Tutor
15+ years
Reviews from students: "I loved how you explained math. You were able to explain formulas so they made sense and it was engaging. Thank you for making math interesting." - Ferol Conklin "I have published over 20 articles, and no one has ever edited my articles as thoroughly or as helpfully as you...
University
Bachelor's
Certified Tutor
6+ years
Mimi
I am an interdisciplinary educator with an Ed.M. from the Harvard Graduate School of Education and a B.A. from Dartmouth College. My background is primarily in integrated arts learning and museum education and I specialize in visual arts, history and art history, and object-based learning. In all su...
Harvard University
Masters in Education, Education
Dartmouth College
B.A.
Certified Tutor
10+ years
Aaron
I'm not tutoring or buried in my textbooks, you will either find me rock climbing at the Triangle Rock Club, playing Ultimate Frisbee, working on my car, or enjoying the great outdoors (beaches, mountains, forests--you name it, I love it). On rainy weekends I enjoy tinkering with computers and old e...
The University of Texas at Dallas
Bachelors, Mechanical Engineering
Duke University
Current Grad Student, Mechanical Engineering
Certified Tutor
10+ years
Nina
I am a recent graduate from a masters program in biostatistics at Columbia University. I received my Bachelor of Arts in biological sciences, with a focus in neurobiology at Northwestern University. In August, I will be starting a doctoral program in biostatistics at NYU. I was a teaching assistant ...
Columbia University
Masters in biostatistics
Northwestern University
Bachelor of Arts in biological sciences (focus in neurobiology)
Columbia University in the City of New York
Current Grad Student, Biostatistics
Top 20 Graduate Test Prep Subjects
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Reid
Pre-Algebra Tutor • +35 Subjects
I am a graduate of Wesleyan University, where I received my Bachelor of Arts in Sociology with High Honors. With eight years of experience working in education, I've tutored students in math, science, history, and English, as well as helped students prepare for standardized tests. I've guided adults towards passing the US Citizenship Exam and taught English in India, where I lived for six months. Whenever I work with a student I personalize the lessons to fit their particular learning style, since I know every student is unique and having the right fit can make all the difference in making learning fun and effective. My strengths are tutoring the social sciences and humanities, as well as making math and standardized tests approachable to students that normally don't like those subjects. In my spare time I like traveling, spending time in the outdoors (climbing & backpacking), meditation, and playing soccer. Next fall I will be beginning my PhD in Education at Harvard University.
Charles
AP Calculus AB Tutor • +25 Subjects
I am a junior Mechanical Engineering major at Yale, and I hope to become a Naval Aviator after college. I am also a varsity sailor, and enjoy playing music with friends when I can get some free time. I have been tutoring my fellow students throughout my entire academic career, and I would best describe my tutoring style as one that adapts to each students' needs. For example, I have always tried to frame questions in a different way so that the student can better understand the question. Some students need visual representations of numbers and systems to understand them, and others benefit more by understanding the concepts behind each formula. I prefer to tutor in math and physics, and especially with real world application problems. I hope to help students improve their standardized test scores and their understanding of the math and sciences so that they can achieve their academic goals! Hobbies: art, books, running, reading, music, writing
Liz
Pre-Algebra Tutor • +41 Subjects
I am a graduate of Washington University in St Louis, where I received my Bachelor of Arts in History with minors in Humanities and Anthropology. Since graduation, I have worked as a tutor, teacher, and director of tutors at a charter public middle school in Boston. During this time I also received my Masters in Mild to Moderate Disabilities from Simmons College. I have worked extensively with students with a range of abilities, including students with specific learning disabilities, emotional impairments, dyslexia, and ADHD. My teaching experience has given me a deep understanding of the knowledge and habits essential to academic success and has given me the opportunity to hone a variety of strategies that ensure students at each level can achieve their academic goals. While I tutor a broad range of subjects, my favorite ones are Reading, Elementary/Middle School Math, History, and Test Prep. In my experience, tutoring is the most rewarding when a student has that "aha!" moment and achieves a new level of understanding and confidence in his/her abilities. I am a firm believer in the transformative power of education, and I see my role to be that of a facilitator and coach who is there to help the student reach his/her goals through individualized support and rigorous practice. In my free time, I enjoy reading, running, practicing my Spanish, and discovering new music. I am also an avid traveler and just got back from a 3 month trip to South America. I look forward to the opportunity to work with you!
Clara
Pre-Algebra Tutor • +31 Subjects
I am tutoring I tend to ask my students to try to "teach" me concepts they are struggling with, or walk me through a problem that is challenging them, so that any conceptual mistakes or assumptions they are making become clear. In addition, I am a firm believer in never providing the answer to a specific problem, but instead empowering students to work toward it by asking directed questions and teaching them to use their resources.
Christopher
AP Calculus AB Tutor • +51 Subjects
I am a rising sophomore at Harvard College and am about to declare as a Mechanical Engineering concentrator, working towards a Bachelor of Science degree. I've always enjoyed sharing my knowledge with my peers and those around me and have done so in both formal and informal settings. I've been a tutor for both Math and Spanish programs in high school and enjoyed the strides I made with students. I am willing to tutor any subject I have a background in, but am strong in mathematics, the sciences, Spanish, history, writing, and ACT prep. I enjoy teaching mathematics most due to the joy I can see in children once they master a topic and can answer even pointed questions meant to stump them, and maybe even put their knowledge to real world use. As a tutor, I like to give a strong foundation to orient my student, and then gradually grant them more freedom and independence until they can feel themselves grasp the concept, pointing out pitfalls or common errors along the way; teachers who used these methods on me always left the most lasting impressions. Outside of my studies, I really enjoy listening to music, both old favorites and new interests, reading classics, and gaming/playing basketball with my friends. Hobbies: writing, art, books, reading, gardening, music
Solange
Calculus Tutor • +31 Subjects
I'm Solange - a recent graduate from Harvard where I studied Sociology & Women's Studies. I've been tutoring for eight years now, and have worked with a wide range of ages and in a wide range of subjects. Some of my specialties are college prep/test taking II worked in the admissions office on campus); social sciences; and literature/writing. Hobbies: books, hiking, reading, music, writing, art
Michelle
Pre-Algebra Tutor • +28 Subjects
I am proud to be a part of Varsity Tutors! I am originally from San Antonio, TX; I completed my undergraduate education at Rice University in Houston where I received a bachelor's degree in Biochemistry and Cell Biology. Currently, I am in my second year of medical school at Baylor College of Medicine.
Justin
AP Calculus BC Tutor • +48 Subjects
I am an aspiring applied mathematician, with particular interest in image processing and climate science. I graduated in May 2017 from Washington University in St. Louis with a bachelor's in physics and mathematics, and am beginning a PhD program in September 2017 at the University of Chicago in Computational and Applied Mathematics. I've tutored introductory physics students for three years and enjoyed it thoroughly, as a chance to help other students while revisiting fundamental concepts to enhance my own knowledge. I'm eager to continue reaching out and helping students of math and physics to succeed and, furthermore, to appreciate the beauty and power of these subjects.
Ingrid
Pre-Algebra Tutor • +51 Subjects
I am exploring my creativity by pursuing a double major in Asian Languages and Cultures with a focus in Korean, studying abroad in South Korea as a Benjamin A. Gilman Scholar, leading workshops that teach 3D printing and CAD for undergraduate students as the president of 3D4E, advocating for the first-generation and low-income student community as the Outreach Chair of the Quest+ Scholars Network, and getting involved with the Society of Women Engineers' outreach committee. I currently hold a work-study position as an administrative clerical aide in the Institute of Sustainability and Energy at Northwestern and was an undergraduate researcher in the John Rogers Lab. As I look forward with aspirations of applying to graduate school, areas of research in biomedical engineering and biotechnology that I am particularly interested in include biomaterials, pharmaceuticals, and drug delivery systems. Outside of the classroom, I enjoy learning on my own and sharing my experience and knowledge with my peers and other students. I hope to make use of my experiences with academics and learning in high school and so far in my undergraduate career in order to effectively tutor students who may be experiencing the same struggles in learning that I also experienced.
Daniel
Pre-Algebra Tutor • +26 Subjects
I am excited to be home and help fellow straphangers on their educational paths! My largest wealth of tutoring experience is in foreign languages--particularly French--but I also feel very comfortable editing essays of any kind and working through standardized test concepts. My availability is extremely flexible, and anywhere in New York City works for me. I look forward to working with you.
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Frequently Asked Questions
The two essays—Analyze an Issue and Analyze an Argument—require fundamentally different skills that don't come naturally together. Students often struggle with time management, trying to write perfectly polished essays in just 30 minutes each, when the real challenge is demonstrating clear reasoning and structure under pressure. Many also misunderstand what "analysis" means on the GRE; they write opinion pieces instead of examining the logical foundations of arguments, or they fail to identify unstated assumptions and counterarguments that scorers expect to see.
Analyze an Argument requires you to critique someone else's reasoning—identifying logical fallacies, unsupported claims, and missing evidence. You're not stating your own opinion but rather dissecting the argument's weaknesses. Analyze an Issue, by contrast, asks you to take a position and defend it with nuanced reasoning, acknowledging complexity and counterarguments. A tutor can help you recognize these distinct purposes and develop separate strategies: for Argument essays, learning to spot common fallacies and structure a critique; for Issue essays, building the ability to construct a balanced, multi-faceted argument that goes beyond surface-level agreement or disagreement.
The key is planning before you write. Spending 5 minutes on a clear outline—identifying your main points, examples, and counterarguments—actually saves time because you write with direction and avoid false starts. Many students waste minutes mid-essay realizing their structure is weak. A tutor can teach you templates and sentence starters that feel natural but accelerate your writing, plus help you identify which ideas are worth developing versus which are filler. Practice under timed conditions is essential; working through 10-15 full essays with feedback reveals where you're losing minutes and helps you build realistic pacing habits.
Scorers evaluate your ideas, organization, language use, and grammar—but they weight ideas and organization most heavily. A 6-score essay doesn't need perfect prose; it needs clear thinking, logical flow, and specific examples that support your reasoning. This means spending your energy on outlining and developing substantive points rather than polishing every sentence. For Argument essays, scorers specifically reward identifying multiple weaknesses and explaining why they matter. Understanding this scoring rubric helps you prioritize what to focus on during writing, and a tutor can show you real score-6 essays so you see exactly what "good enough" looks like under time pressure.
Generic examples—"for example, in today's society"—weaken your essay because they show you're thinking in abstractions rather than specifics. Strong examples are concrete (historical events, personal observations, research findings) and directly connected to your point with explanation. Many students write an example then move on; scorers want to see you analyze it—explaining exactly how it supports your claim. A tutor can help you build a library of versatile, substantive examples you can adapt across different prompts, and teach you the "example + explanation" framework so you're not just listing facts but demonstrating analytical thinking.
The GRE Argument section repeatedly tests your ability to spot fallacies like hasty generalization (drawing broad conclusions from limited evidence), correlation-causation confusion (assuming two things that occur together have a causal relationship), and appeal to authority (trusting an expert's claim outside their area of expertise). You'll also encounter circular reasoning, false dichotomies, and unsupported assumptions. Rather than memorizing fallacy names, a tutor focuses on teaching you to ask critical questions: "What evidence supports this claim?" "Could there be alternative explanations?" "Who says this is true, and why should I believe them?" Practicing with real GRE arguments helps you internalize these patterns so you spot them quickly during the test.
Reserve 3-5 minutes for revision, but use it strategically. Don't rewrite entire paragraphs; instead, scan for clarity issues (confusing sentences), logical gaps (where you jumped to a conclusion), and obvious grammar errors that distract readers. A tutor can help you develop a personal revision checklist based on your recurring mistakes—if you consistently write run-on sentences, you'll scan for those; if you forget counterarguments, you'll check for that. The reality is that perfect essays don't happen in 30 minutes, so revision is about damage control and ensuring your strongest ideas come through clearly.
Writing practice essays without feedback is like practicing tennis against a wall—you might stay busy, but you won't improve. Each practice essay should be followed by detailed feedback identifying patterns in your thinking (Do you support claims with evidence? Do you address counterarguments?) and writing (Are your sentences clear? Do you vary structure?). A tutor reviews your essays against the actual GRE rubric, showing you exactly why a point earned a 5 instead of a 6, then targets your next practice essay on that specific weakness. Most students benefit from 8-12 guided practice essays spaced over 4-6 weeks, with tutoring focused on analyzing what's working and what needs adjustment.
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