Your first session typically involves taking a diagnostic practice test or reviewing your recent scores to pinpoint your strengths and weaknesses. From there, a tutor will work with you to create a personalized study plan that addresses your specific challenges—whether you're struggling with pacing, data sufficiency questions, or reading comprehension—and establish realistic goals based on your target business school.

Pacing is one of the most common GMAT challenges, and tutors excel at teaching strategic approaches like identifying question types you can solve quickly versus those requiring more time. A tutor will help you practice time management techniques, learn to recognize when to guess strategically, and build the stamina needed for the full 3.5-hour test through targeted drills and full-length practice tests.

Absolutely. Many students connect with tutors to focus intensively on their weakest section—whether that's quantitative reasoning, verbal reasoning, or integrated reasoning. This targeted approach allows you to make faster progress on the areas dragging down your overall score while maintaining your strengths in other sections.

Practice tests are essential—they familiarize you with the test format, help identify weak areas, and build test-day confidence. Most experts recommend taking multiple full-length practice tests under timed conditions throughout your preparation. A tutor can help you interpret your practice test results to focus your studying where it matters most and adjust your strategy as you progress.

Most students benefit from 8-12 weeks of focused preparation, though this varies based on your starting score and target score. Working with a tutor can accelerate your progress by creating an efficient study plan tailored to your needs rather than generic prep materials. Your tutor can help you establish a realistic timeline based on your goals and current performance.

Test anxiety often stems from uncertainty about question formats, timing pressure, or past test-taking experiences. A tutor builds confidence by demystifying the test structure, teaching you proven strategies for each question type, and providing ample practice in low-pressure settings before test day. This familiarity and skill-building naturally reduces anxiety when you sit for the actual exam.

Look for tutors with strong GMAT scores themselves, experience helping multiple students improve their scores, and deep knowledge of the test's structure and question types. Ideally, your tutor should be able to explain not just the correct answer, but why wrong answers are traps and how to think strategically about each question type. Varsity Tutors connects you with expert tutors who meet these standards and can tailor their approach to your learning style.