Your first session focuses on assessment and strategy. A tutor will review your baseline score (or administer a practice test if you haven't taken one), identify your strongest and weakest sections, and discuss your target score and graduate program timeline. From there, you'll build a personalized study plan that prioritizes the areas where you'll see the biggest score improvements.

The three biggest hurdles are pacing (managing time across 170 minutes of testing), reading comprehension (dense academic passages with tricky inference questions), and quantitative problem-solving under pressure. Many students also struggle with the adaptive format—where difficulty shifts based on performance—which requires different strategies than traditional tests. Personalized tutoring addresses each of these through targeted practice and strategic techniques.

Absolutely. Many students are stronger in verbal reasoning but need help with quant, or vice versa. You can work with a tutor to concentrate on your weaker section while maintaining your strengths through independent practice. This focused approach is often more efficient than studying all three sections equally, especially if you're working toward a specific score deadline.

Practice tests are essential—they're the most accurate predictor of your actual test performance and reveal pacing issues, question types that trip you up, and endurance challenges. Most test prep experts recommend taking full-length practice tests every 1-2 weeks during your study period. A tutor can help you interpret your practice test results to identify patterns in your mistakes and adjust your strategy accordingly.

Most students benefit from 8-12 weeks of consistent preparation, though this varies based on your starting score and target. If you're aiming for a top-tier program, you may want 12-16 weeks. A tutor can help you create a realistic timeline based on your current level, goals, and schedule—and adjust it as you progress through practice tests.

Test anxiety often stems from uncertainty about question formats and pacing. Working through hundreds of practice problems and full-length tests builds familiarity and confidence—when you've seen similar questions before, test day feels less intimidating. A tutor can also teach you specific strategies like time management techniques, how to identify when to skip and return to questions, and mental approaches that keep you calm under pressure.

Look for tutors who have scored well on the GRE themselves, understand the test's adaptive format deeply, and can explain both the 'why' behind answers and strategic approaches to different question types. Experience working with students at your target score range is valuable too—preparing for a 160+ requires different strategies than aiming for a 150. Varsity Tutors connects you with expert tutors who meet these standards and can customize their approach to your specific goals.