What is your teaching philosophy?

I am very practice oriented. While our time together is important, I believe that practice problems and exams are the best pathway to success.

What might you do in a typical first session with a student?

At our first session, I will gauge your needs and introduce the material that we will be covering during our sessions. For GMAT, this typically includes a breakdown of the exam and a strategy for approaching the data sufficiency question type.

How can you help a student become an independent learner?

I encourage students to engage in a lot of practice, but also to analyze patterns in their errors and in the practice sets to better learn where to apply strategies.

How would you help a student stay motivated?

I encourage my students, and I am quick to point out the progress they have made.

If a student has difficulty learning a skill or concept, what would you do?

I will attempt to break down the topic as much as possible, and if I am unable to communicate the concept, I will refer the student to outside sources that may offer a different style of explanation.

How do you help students who are struggling with reading comprehension?

I have a strategy for reading comprehension that works on both college and graduate school admissions exams. We can either work through passages together or compare notes afterwards to make sure you are on the right track.

What strategies have you found to be most successful when you start to work with a student?

My strategies differ depending on a student's needs, but I move quickly to get the student applying the most useful strategies in their practice.

How would you help a student get excited/engaged with a subject that they are struggling in?

I try to make the material accessible.

What techniques would you use to be sure that a student understands the material?

Practice problems, homework, practice exams, and in-session problems.

How do you build a student's confidence in a subject?

Start small and simple, but build to more difficult problems.

How do you evaluate a student's needs?

I evaluate each student based on prior performance, in-session performance, homework, and feedback provided by the student, parents, and teachers.

How do you adapt your tutoring to the student's needs?

Each student performs differently. Depending on the student's skill level, I will focus on different material and strategies.

What types of materials do you typically use during a tutoring session?

I usually stick fairly close to materials that I have cultivated over time and the guides published by the test makers.