How GRE Private Tutoring is a Potential Alternative

If you are too concerned about your GRE test preparation, and have searched for all of the available options to help you in your preparation, you have probably noticed that most GRE review courses offer

private tutoring

on a one-on-one format. If you are one of them who are still wondering if those one-on-one courses are worth the money you need to invest, here are a few things you may consider having a look at.

Why You Might Need One:

Considering that there are plenty of study materials available — including free materials from the test makers themselves — to help the students with their studies, the most significant question seems to be whether or not an advanced


private tutoringcourse is required at all. However, when it comes to private tutoringcourses, what matters most is not the amount of available studymaterials, because if a student is able to prepare for the test byhimself, there are plenty of  studymaterials available. On the other hand, if a student finds that he isunable to make use of the materials he has access to, and feels theneed for further guidance to improve his test taking skills, that iswhen he might be in need of a

private tutoring

course. There can be several reasons why these private teaching courses can be useful; here are a few of them:

  • As mentioned above, if you find that the available GRE study materials, even the best


    preparation books,are lacking in some way, you may think of such courses. The reason maysimply be that you are unable to follow those books or that you needmore than they can offer.

  • Call it lack of motivation or whatever, some students may not be able to prepare on their own, no matter how much study material is available. As a result,


    private  courses might be helpful, as these guide them through the test.

  • Time is a huge factor while preparing for any test you might take. You need to make proper planning to utilize the time you have. An experienced instructor may help you out in preparing a schedule.
  • Sometimes, merely hard work may not be able to do the job for you. If you want advanced test taking strategies, you may consider consulting with private tutors.
  • If you are not comfortable in classroom environment, but want to take up a preparation course, then one-on-one private teaching is probably the option for you.
  • Finally, as most of the private  courses clearly mention, these courses are advanced ones; as such, if you want to take your test taking skills to the next level, you can take up an advanced private tutoring course.

Things to Consider While Choosing One:

As you can see, these private teaching courses might be required when all other options fail to work. As a result, before deciding on a


private tutoringcourse, you need to make use of all the available study materials thatyou might have. Even after that, if you feel the need for taking such acourse, you can go ahead and join one. However, while choosing theright course for yourself, be careful to take into account the qualityof the instructors, and not the amount of available study materials, asyou can find enough good study materials elsewhere too.

Teaching hours is another point to consider: most of the courses provide limited hours of teaching, and the cost per hour of private tutoring can go really high. Depending on the quality of the tutor and the length of the course, you can decide whether it is value for money or not.

Also, it is important to decide how you want to avail the course. Most of the courses are offline ones, where you can sit together with the instructor to prepare for the test, and you can avail such courses only if these are offered in your area. However, some online one-on-one courses are also available, and then there are a few over-the-phone courses. These might sound interesting if the offline courses are not available in your locality, but it is always a better idea to join an offline course as that way you can actually reach the private tutor you have hired.


Here we take a look at some of theavailable test preparation

courses which offer one-on-one private tutoring, to see what reasons you may have to choose one of these:


PrivateTutoring from Princeton Review:

The most significant difference you will notice while comparing this course with the other ones available, is that Princeton Review actually grades the instructors and lets you choose an instructor based on his or her level of knowledge and skills. As mentioned above, it is the quality of the instructor which should matter the most while choosing a one-on-one course. Acknowledging that fact, Princeton Review goes on to rate the teachers so that it is easier for the students to choose one. How the grading is actually done might be a concern for some students, but the option is certainly a welcome one. There are Premier Tutors, Master Tutors and Private Tutors to choose from; the first category being that of the most experienced ones. You can choose for how many hours you need to take private tutoring. However, this course is not available online, and as a result, you may not be able to take the course if it is not offered at your locality.


TestmastersGRE Private Course:

This course guarantees a minimum of 10-point increments (applicable to the new revised GRE score scale) right away! You can choose a full


private  course, or you can take a fewhours’ teaching. Additionally, you have access to study materials thatcome with other test courses that Testmasters offers. These studymaterials include


The Official Guideto the GRE Revised General Test

from ETS. This course is also not available in online format, and you need to contact the authorities for availability and price of the course.

KaplanGRE Private Tutoring:

The one-on-one private tutoring course form Kaplan can be availed in 15-hours, 25-hours or 35-hours packages. You are free to set up a schedule consulting with the private tutor you choose. This course not only gives you access to extra study materials, but also lets you take classroom courses from Kaplan if any of those are available in your locality. The course also includes standard GRE study books from Kaplan. The Adaptive Learning Technology developed by Kaplan further ensures that you get customized assignments. This is also a course available in selected places; check the Kaplan website to learn whether or not it is accessible to you. However, there is an online alternative to this course which is called GRE Private Tutoring Anywhere. This online version of the course is also available in 15-hours, 25-hours and 35-hours packages.

STAY IN THE LOOP

Subscribe to our free newsletter.

Don’t have an account yet? Get started with a 12-day free trial

Related Posts

View all
  • Nam lacinia arcu tortor, nec luctus nibh dignissim eu nulla sit amet maximus.

    Continue reading
  • Nam lacinia arcu tortor, nec luctus nibh dignissim eu nulla sit amet maximus.

    Continue reading
  • Nam lacinia arcu tortor, nec luctus nibh dignissim eu nulla sit amet maximus.

    Continue reading
  • Nam lacinia arcu tortor, nec luctus nibh dignissim eu nulla sit amet maximus.

    Continue reading