{"id":14774,"date":"2014-04-01T09:00:55","date_gmt":"2014-04-01T16:00:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/gre\/?p=14774"},"modified":"2018-08-30T18:30:06","modified_gmt":"2018-08-31T01:30:06","slug":"how-to-find-a-great-gre-tutor","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/gre\/how-to-find-a-great-gre-tutor\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Find a Great GRE Tutor"},"content":{"rendered":"

Finding a good tutor is not easy. Sometimes they are attached to a class or company. Sometimes they are r\u014dnin<\/i>,<\/b> making them hard to find. Sometimes you can\u2019t tell how competent they are. Sometimes you need to take out a loan to pay them.<\/p>\n

So how do you go about finding a good tutor that will help you improve your score?<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s find out. In this article, you\u2019ll learn how to evaluate a tutor, where to look for a tutor, and what your responsibilities will be once you find a one.<\/p>\n

\"GRE<\/p>\n

What to Consider When Choosing a Tutor<\/h2>\n

You need to know what to look for in a tutor. Interview your potential tutors. Find at least a few that you can sit down and talk to before signing up for tutoring sessions\u2014a phone call works too.<\/p>\n

Years of Experience<\/b><\/p>\n

Having experience in test prep helps. It\u2018s not the silver bullet that guarantees a good tutor, but it\u2019s definitely something to look for. A tutor who has been working for awhile will have a better idea of how to prepare different students and an established curriculum and method for teaching a class. A newer tutor will still be figuring these things out.<\/p>\n

Takes the Test Semi-Regularly<\/b><\/p>\n

You don\u2019t want to end up with someone out of touch. Ideally, you\u2019d like to find a tutor that takes the test once a year to stay attuned to the idiosyncrasies of the test. But this might not always be possible. Taking the test is also invaluable for empathizing with students and understanding what they will go through. Finally, a tutor who gains knowledge from experience will be better than a tutor who merely memorizes the recommendations of a test prep book.<\/p>\n

Talk with Previous Students<\/b><\/p>\n

Nothing can beat talking to previous students. They\u2019ll be able to tell you all the things that won\u2019t be on a resume. And they can confirm teaching style, materials, and score increases. Ask the tutor for students to email or talk to. And if you use a service online to find a tutor, it will be easy to see student reviews of the tutor.<\/p>\n

Ask About Method and Approach<\/b><\/p>\n

What does this tutor do differently from other tutors? Why do their methods work? And will these methods fit with your learning style? All important questions to ask when sitting down and interviewing a tutor. Try to find out what the tutoring sessions will be like and ask how many sessions the tutor thinks you will need to be ready for the test.<\/p>\n

What Am I Paying For?<\/b><\/p>\n

Does the price include materials? A custom study plan? Find out what you are paying for when you are choosing a tutor. If you are just paying for their time, then you might want to look elsewhere. Great tutors should be able to provide you with something more than just a few hour-long sessions. Some tutors might even provide support for grad school applications.<\/p>\n

Qualitative Results<\/b><\/p>\n

I\u2019d be surprised if you could find a private tutor who could guarantee certain results. Regardless, a good GRE tutor should be able to provide some sort of qualitative results in the form of student reviews and\/or student score increases. This can fit nicely into \u201cTalking with Previous Students.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Where to Find Private Tutors<\/h2>\n

Truly a difficult task\u2014finding tutors to interview and compare is not easy. Obviously we would all like to have a few recommendations from trusted friends, but this is not always the case. So we have to rely on other resources.<\/p>\n

Online Market Place<\/b><\/p>\n

The Internet is a beautiful thing. We now have great opportunities to connect with stellar tutors. Before we were limited to in-person meetings with people in our area, but now we can find tutors around the world and have tutoring sessions over Skype or Google Hangouts. Many of the criteria that I talk about for evaluating a tutor will be easy to find on these websites as well. Here are some of the better networks for finding tutors.<\/p>\n