Events & Promotions
|
|
GMAT Club Daily Prep
Thank you for using the timer - this advanced tool can estimate your performance and suggest more practice questions. We have subscribed you to Daily Prep Questions via email.
Customized
for You
Track
Your Progress
Practice
Pays
Not interested in getting valuable practice questions and articles delivered to your email? No problem, unsubscribe here.
May 0608:30 AM PDT
-09:30 AM PDT
In Episode 3 of our GMAT Ninja Critical Reasoning series, we tackle Discrepancy, Paradox, and Explain an Oddity questions. You know the feeling: the passage gives you two facts that seem completely contradictory....- May 05
10:00 AM PDT
-11:00 AM PDT
GMAT Inequalities is a high-frequency topic in GMAT Quant, but many students struggle because the concepts behave differently from standard algebra. Understanding the right rules, patterns, and edge cases can significantly improve both speed and accuracy. - May 08
08:00 AM PDT
-08:30 AM PDT
Join the special YouTube live-stream for selecting the winners of GMAT Club MBA Scholarships sponsored by Juno live. Watch who gets these coveted MBA scholarships offered by GMAT Club and Juno.
mcelroytutoring
Expert
Tutor
Joined: 10 Jul 2015
Last visit: 28 Apr 2026
Posts: 1,207
Own Kudos:
Given Kudos: 282
Status:Expert GMAT, GRE, and LSAT Tutor / Coach
Affiliations: Harvard University, A.B. with honors in Government, 2002
Location: United States (CO)
Age: 45 (10 years and counting on GMAT Club!)
GMAT 1: 770 Q47 V48
GMAT 2: 730 Q44 V47
GMAT 3: 750 Q50 V42
GMAT 4: 730 Q48 V42 (Online)
GRE 1: Q168 V169
GRE 2: Q170 V170
Expert reply
09 Jun 2016, 18:24
Kudos
Bookmarks
I make my living as a professional GMAT tutor who charges upwards of $200/hr, so I am obviously somewhat biased on this issue. However, I pride myself on my honest opinions, and and am happy to share them with you.
Obviously there is no one “right” answer to this question. Ask yourself a few questions:
-If you don’t have extra money to spend, then you probably can’t afford a class, and you definitely can’t afford a private tutor.
-If you only have a moderate amount money to spend ($100-500), then self-study is probably the right choice…you should save your cash for quality practice materials.
-If you have a decent amount of money to spend ($1,000-2,000), then a class is probably the best option. I’ve heard good things about Manhattan GMAT, but it’s really luck on the draw depending on your instructor.
-If you have a healthy amount of money to spend (>$2K), then a private tutor is best. A talented GMAT tutor will be dedicated to your success and will simplify your job by providing expert guidance at every step.
If you’re not too motivated, then a class or self-study might be the way to go…no reason to waste your money.
If you are motivated, then a tutor might work well, because you will maximize your investment.
-If you need results quickly, then a professional tutor is sometimes the only way to go.
-If you have 6-8 months, it probably makes sense to take a class / self study first, then check back in with 6 months to go.
-If you have 4-6 months, then you can still get away with taking a class, but you won’t have too much time for tutoring afterward.
-If you have 2-4 months or less, you can either take a class or find a private tutor, but you won’t have much time for both.
I would say that the ideal duration for GMAT prep is 3 months if you can dedicate at least 3 hrs a day, and 6 months if you can only dedicate at least 1.5 hrs a day (but 3-4 months is preferred).
-For certain students, higher test scores means more grant money and/or financial aid. For others, it means the chance to attend a school of high prestige, a springboard to future business opportunities.
-For most students with average scores, classes make more sense than private tutoring, because they are not Top 10 candidates and thus will not gain admission to "name brand" b-schools.
-For most students going for 650 or 700-plus on the GMAT, private tutoring is often needed to give them that final push before the test, what I refer to as the “fine tuning process” where students can go from about 650 to the 700s.
-Improvement on the GMAT does not happen magically. You need to work hard and work smart. Ultimately, it doesn’t matter whether you pay to be taught or tutored, only that you put in the work and paid what you thought was fair for the benefit you received.
-It’s hard to put a price tag on business school admission. Personally, I would say that paying $3K to attend the b-school of your dreams is a bargain. But it's all relative.
-GMAT tutoring doesn’t work nearly as well as it should if the tutor is the only person who works hard. Don’t sign up for GMAT tutoring unless you are willing to put in at least one hour of study, ideally 2-3 hours of study, for every hour with your tutor.
Obviously there is no one “right” answer to this question. Ask yourself a few questions:
1) What is my budget?
-If you don’t have extra money to spend, then you probably can’t afford a class, and you definitely can’t afford a private tutor.
-If you only have a moderate amount money to spend ($100-500), then self-study is probably the right choice…you should save your cash for quality practice materials.
-If you have a decent amount of money to spend ($1,000-2,000), then a class is probably the best option. I’ve heard good things about Manhattan GMAT, but it’s really luck on the draw depending on your instructor.
-If you have a healthy amount of money to spend (>$2K), then a private tutor is best. A talented GMAT tutor will be dedicated to your success and will simplify your job by providing expert guidance at every step.
2) What is my motivation?
If you’re not too motivated, then a class or self-study might be the way to go…no reason to waste your money.
If you are motivated, then a tutor might work well, because you will maximize your investment.
3) What is my timeline?
-If you need results quickly, then a professional tutor is sometimes the only way to go.
-If you have 6-8 months, it probably makes sense to take a class / self study first, then check back in with 6 months to go.
-If you have 4-6 months, then you can still get away with taking a class, but you won’t have too much time for tutoring afterward.
-If you have 2-4 months or less, you can either take a class or find a private tutor, but you won’t have much time for both.
I would say that the ideal duration for GMAT prep is 3 months if you can dedicate at least 3 hrs a day, and 6 months if you can only dedicate at least 1.5 hrs a day (but 3-4 months is preferred).
4) What are the upsides/downsides?
-For certain students, higher test scores means more grant money and/or financial aid. For others, it means the chance to attend a school of high prestige, a springboard to future business opportunities.
-For most students with average scores, classes make more sense than private tutoring, because they are not Top 10 candidates and thus will not gain admission to "name brand" b-schools.
-For most students going for 650 or 700-plus on the GMAT, private tutoring is often needed to give them that final push before the test, what I refer to as the “fine tuning process” where students can go from about 650 to the 700s.
-Improvement on the GMAT does not happen magically. You need to work hard and work smart. Ultimately, it doesn’t matter whether you pay to be taught or tutored, only that you put in the work and paid what you thought was fair for the benefit you received.
-It’s hard to put a price tag on business school admission. Personally, I would say that paying $3K to attend the b-school of your dreams is a bargain. But it's all relative.
-GMAT tutoring doesn’t work nearly as well as it should if the tutor is the only person who works hard. Don’t sign up for GMAT tutoring unless you are willing to put in at least one hour of study, ideally 2-3 hours of study, for every hour with your tutor.
Moderators:
196 posts
