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Elizabeth scored 730 Verbal and 770 Quantitative on the GRE and teaches exclusively from ETS materials, since those mirror test-day question styles more closely than third-party prep books. She built her approach over years of classroom instruction at American University and Princeton Review, creating structured guides for every section — from Data Analysis formulas to Issue Essay frameworks — so students always know exactly what to study next.

Thomas covers both the quantitative and verbal sides of the GRE, drawing on a math-heavy science background that spans calculus through statistics and a graduate education built on reading and writing analytically. For the Quantitative Reasoning section, he digs into probability, number properties, and data interpretation — areas where many test-takers lose easy points. On the Verbal side, he teaches strategies for breaking apart dense reading passages and eliminating answer choices systematically.
Ruth has taken the GRE from both sides — as a test-taker entering her PhD program in Criminology and as someone who now teaches all three sections. Her doctoral training sharpens the Analytical Writing component, while her math teaching background means she can break down Quantitative Reasoning problems involving probability, combinatorics, and data interpretation without relying on shortcut tricks. Rated 4.9 by students, she builds section-specific strategies that adapt to each person's score gaps.
Preparing for the GRE as a whole means juggling Verbal, Quantitative, and Analytical Writing — three sections that reward very different skills but share a common thread of logical reasoning. Irina's science background covers the quantitative side, while her years of teaching English abroad and earning an MPH give her genuine range across the verbal and writing sections. She builds study plans around diagnostic weaknesses rather than generic timelines.
Scoring 5s on both AP English exams and the AP Psychology exam, Destiny knows how to dissect reading passages under pressure and construct tight analytical arguments — two skills that drive GRE Verbal and Analytical Writing scores. Her psychology background at Howard University also built the quantitative reasoning habits (interpreting data, working through statistical relationships) that carry over to the GRE's math section. She breaks the test into repeatable strategies so students spend less time second-guessing and more time executing.
I am a graduate of Grinnell College, a private liberal arts college located in Grinnell, Iowa. I have a Bachelor of the Arts in Computer Science from Grinnell's Department of Math and Computer Science. Since graduation I have tutored students of a wide variety of ages and background in a number of subjects. I have tutored middle school students in the Chicago area in Math and science and high school students in advanced Math, chemistry, writing, and helped them prepare for standardized tests for college admittance. I have also tutored adults preparing for academic proficiency tests for their jobs and with GRE prep for those interested in going to graduate school. Additionally I have taught English grammar, reading, and conversational skills to ESL students in Chicago, Ecuador, and Colombia. While I tutor a number of subjects, I particularly enjoy helping students with standardized test strategy and following their scores as they increase towards their goal. When I tutor, I aim to lead students to an answer by example so that they can see the reasoning involved themselves, rather than me just telling them the answer. The more the students can come to their own solutions, the more memorable the lessons will be. In my spare time I enjoy reading, playing skill games like scrabble, bridge, and poker, and outdoor activities like biking, camping, and canoeing when the weather is nice.
Reviews from students: "I loved how you explained math. You were able to explain formulas so they made sense and it was engaging. Thank you for making math interesting." - Ferol Conklin "I have published over 20 articles, and no one has ever edited my articles as thoroughly or as helpfully as you did." - Mark Ragel "The instructor was the best I had at this university." - Spanish student, University of Illinois "Elle was kind, patient, and funny. She seemed to really enjoy teaching." - Spanish student, University of Illinois I have three years professional teaching experience and several years of tutoring experience. I have always been a teacher at heart. I feel my biggest strength as a tutor is looking at material from the perspective of the student. I have also been described as a calm, patient, passionate, and fun tutor. I think lesson plans should be interesting to motivate students to care about the subject and engage in the process of learning. I worked as a Spanish TA at the University of Illinois for two years as as the main instructor for over 200 students. I have also worked as a middle school teacher. I have experience tutoring a variety of subjects, including test prep, reading and writing, and various levels of math. My degrees are in Linguistics, Spanish, and Journalism, with a minor in Math.
I am an interdisciplinary educator with an Ed.M. from the Harvard Graduate School of Education and a B.A. from Dartmouth College. My background is primarily in integrated arts learning and museum education and I specialize in visual arts, history and art history, and object-based learning. In all subjects, I take a creative, inquiry-based and learner-centered approach, designing opportunities for each unique individual to meet their learning goals.
I'm not tutoring or buried in my textbooks, you will either find me rock climbing at the Triangle Rock Club, playing Ultimate Frisbee, working on my car, or enjoying the great outdoors (beaches, mountains, forests--you name it, I love it). On rainy weekends I enjoy tinkering with computers and old electronics, playing Pokemon, or picking at my guitar.
I am a recent graduate from a masters program in biostatistics at Columbia University. I received my Bachelor of Arts in biological sciences, with a focus in neurobiology at Northwestern University. In August, I will be starting a doctoral program in biostatistics at NYU. I was a teaching assistant at Columbia University in my department and also have tutored graduate students and undergraduates privately as well. My primary areas of tutoring are math and statistics coursework in addition to math sections on standardized tests such as the GRE and GMAT. I am very passionate about helping students feel more confident and excited about math. In my spare time, I enjoy running, playing piano, and spending time with friends and family.
I am a graduate of Wesleyan University, where I received my Bachelor of Arts in Sociology with High Honors. With eight years of experience working in education, I've tutored students in math, science, history, and English, as well as helped students prepare for standardized tests. I've guided adults towards passing the US Citizenship Exam and taught English in India, where I lived for six months. Whenever I work with a student I personalize the lessons to fit their particular learning style, since I know every student is unique and having the right fit can make all the difference in making learning fun and effective. My strengths are tutoring the social sciences and humanities, as well as making math and standardized tests approachable to students that normally don't like those subjects. In my spare time I like traveling, spending time in the outdoors (climbing & backpacking), meditation, and playing soccer. Next fall I will be beginning my PhD in Education at Harvard University.
I am proud to be a part of Varsity Tutors! I am originally from San Antonio, TX; I completed my undergraduate education at Rice University in Houston where I received a bachelor's degree in Biochemistry and Cell Biology. Currently, I am in my second year of medical school at Baylor College of Medicine.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Score improvements depend on your starting point and study commitment, but students typically see gains of 5-10 points per section with focused preparation. If you're starting around the 50th percentile (around 150 per section), concentrated work with a tutor often yields more dramatic improvements than if you're already scoring above 160. Most students benefit from 8-12 weeks of regular tutoring combined with consistent practice between sessions. Your tutor can assess your baseline performance and create realistic goals based on your target graduate programs.
These sections demand different skills and timing strategies. The Quantitative section requires you to balance accuracy with speed—most students struggle with pacing rather than content, since you have roughly 1.5 minutes per question. The Verbal section tests reading comprehension, text completion, and sentence equivalence, which means you need strong vocabulary and the ability to identify nuanced meaning from dense academic passages. A tutor can help you identify which section is your actual weakness (many students discover it's the opposite of what they assumed) and develop section-specific strategies, like tackling easier questions first or using elimination techniques effectively on Verbal.
Taking at least 4-6 full-length practice tests under timed conditions is standard for solid GRE prep. The first test gives you a baseline; the next 2-3 help you identify patterns in your mistakes and test your strategies; the final 1-2 should happen close to your test date to build confidence and stamina. Between full tests, you should do targeted practice on specific question types and weak content areas. A tutor can help you pace these practice tests strategically throughout your study timeline and, more importantly, teach you how to analyze your mistakes rather than just retake tests.
Test anxiety often stems from uncertainty about question formats or running out of time, both of which are solvable with the right preparation strategy. Familiarity breeds confidence—regular practice with authentic question types and timed sections desensitizes you to the test environment. For pacing, many students benefit from a deliberate strategy: know which question types you're fastest at and which need extra time, mark difficult questions early rather than getting stuck, and practice skipping strategically. A tutor can teach you concrete anxiety-management techniques, help you build a sustainable study schedule (cramming increases anxiety), and conduct timed practice sessions that simulate test conditions, so you walk in feeling prepared rather than panicked.
Start by taking a diagnostic practice test, then analyze your results by question type, not just overall score. For example, you might realize you're strong on data interpretation but weak on reading comprehension, or solid on arithmetic but struggling with algebra. Many students guess wrong about their weak areas without this data. Once you know where you're struggling, a tutor can target those specific gaps with tailored exercises and strategies rather than having you redo entire content areas. This focused approach is much faster than generic test prep, especially if you're pressed for time before your application deadlines.
The GRE penalizes unanswered questions the same way it penalizes incorrect answers, so leaving questions blank doesn't help your score. That said, you shouldn't waste 5 minutes on a single difficult question when you could answer three easier ones. The strategic approach is to move through the test with a clear plan: answer questions you're confident about quickly, flag harder questions and return to them if time permits, and if you're running low on time, make educated guesses rather than leaving blanks. A tutor can teach you to recognize which questions are actually hard versus just unfamiliar, so you know when to skip strategically versus when to invest more time.
Most students benefit from 2-3 months of consistent preparation, though this varies based on your starting score and target schools. A typical strong schedule involves 5-7 hours of studying per week, spread across 4-5 sessions with different focuses: content review, targeted practice on weak areas, full-length practice tests, and error analysis. Cramming doesn't work well for the GRE because it relies on building strong foundational knowledge and test-taking intuition over time. A tutor can help you design a personalized timeline based on your current score, target score, and application deadline, then adjust the pace as you progress rather than following a one-size-fits-all schedule.
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