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Best GMAT Tutors
A comprehensive guide to the best GMAT private tutoring available online
If your goal is to score over 700 on the GMAT Focus, you very well may be able to get away with some books or a self-paced prep course. However, for those looking for an extra edge, there’s likely no better way to prep than with 1-on-1 private tutoring. To help you choose which GMAT tutor best fits your needs and budget, our team has booked sessions with the tutors from all of the major GMAT tutoring companies out there and ranked the best ones here.
To help you navigate this detailed guide, we’ve added jump-to links above so you can quickly jump to the company that interests you.
Video: Best Online GMAT Tutoring Programs
In the video above, John from the Test Prep Insight team runs down the best GMAT Focus tutoring services available. For more detail, be sure to continue reading our full guide below.
UPDATE: Kaplan has merged with Manhattan Prep and adopted the Manhattan Prep tutoring packages as their own. As such, you will see that the Manhattan Prep tutoring packages are still available, but now they are labeled as “Powered By Kaplan”. Just wanted to clear that up for anyone that might be confused.
Manhattan Prep takes the crown for two main reasons: their stellar team of tutors and the inclusion their self-paced GMAT course (along with all of the extra resources and study materials that come with it).
Let’s start with our thoughts on the Manhattan tutors themselves. Essentially, after reviewing GMAT tutoring packages from close to a dozen different companies and being allowed to audit sessions with students, it was clear to us that Manhattan’s instructors are the best.
The included GMAT video lessons from Manhattan Prep
Not only do they have a clear mastery of GMAT Focus content and strategies, but they also seem to be the best communicators. This is likely because Manhattan has a company policy to screen their instructors for both smarts and personality, making communication skills and the ability to engage with students a key hiring factor.
This generally results in a team of tutors that are able to adapt to each student and provide totally customized sessions. In other words, they know what buttons to press to get you some extra score gains.
So in short, we just thought Manhattan’s tutors were simply awesome and rated them out as the best from a pure quality perspective.
The other thing we really like about Manhattan’s tutoring packages is that they all include access to the company’s On Demand GMAT course. This is Manhattan’s on demand, self-paced study program and it’s a prep course that we rate out as one of the best GMAT prep courses on the market. This is in large part due to all of the tools and study materials you get.
To be specific, you get approximately 35 interactive and on-demand video lessons, thousands of practice problems, 6 full-length computer adaptive practice tests, GMAT math workshops, a set of super robust hardcopy prep books, and some other cool resources.
And when you consider that this course is usually priced at around $850, it’s like effectively getting a three-digit discount on your tutoring, as you’re almost certainly going to need a course anyway.
You also get access to full-length practice exams
However, on the point of value and pricing, it should be noted that Manhattan is slightly more expensive than the other GMAT tutoring providers on this list. On a per hour basis, you’re looking at spending more than $250 per hour. With that said, however, their tutors do rate out as the best, and this being a best list after all, it’s enough for them to nab our #1 spot.
The key point people should takeaway with Manhattan Prep is that if price isn’t a concern and you’re planning to absolutely immerse yourself in GMAT prep with private tutoring AND a mountain of other study materials and resources, then Manhattan Prep is a top tier option.
Next up on our list of best GMAT tutoring services is Princeton Review. Now, Princeton offers two different GMAT Focus tutoring packages to choose from: a 10-hour option and and an 18-hour option. Pretty simple.
On a per hour basis, both of these packages are more affordable than those from Manhattan Prep. In fact, Princeton Review offers some of the most competitive tutoring rates in the industry. Their options are also cheaper than what PrepScholar and Target Test Prep charge for their tutoring packages.
Plus, what really sets Princeton Review apart is the fact they offer the option of in-person tutoring.
The lessons you go over with your tutor are top-notch
If you’re the type of learner who does best with in-person, face-to-face instruction, as opposed to tutoring via Zoom, then Princeton Review may be the way to go.
They’re just very good in this regard. Their instructors are really good interpersonal communicators and still leverage the Princeton Review learning framework.
Now, obviously the in-person option from Princeton isn’t available everywhere in the US (so don’t get excited if you live in the upper peninsula of Michigan), but if you do happen to live in an area where there is a Princeton Review GMAT tutor nearby, it’s definitely a nice option as opposed to going 100% online.
It’s also worth noting that if you opt for the 18 hour tutoring package from Princeton Review, it includes a score improvement guarantee or you get your money back.
And like Manhattan Prep, you also get access to Princeton’s self-paced prep course, which includes a ton of top-notch GMAT study materials. This includes an industry best 10 full-length practice tests. The Princeton self-paced course is about an $800 value, which makes their tutoring packages even more of a bargain.
Nabbing the third spot on our list is Magoosh, who takes a slightly different approach to GMAT tutoring.
Rather than offer traditional in-person or live online tutoring sessions, Magoosh gives students access to tutors via email. That’s right, there are no set meeting times.
Instead, you work through Magoosh’s GMAT Focus study materials and you email their expert tutors whenever you have a question or need advice. And the best part is, there is no cap on your emails. You can send 10 per day if that’s what you need or want.
Now the downside is that obviously their response does not come right away. It usually takes around a few hours to get a response.
Magoosh’s tutoring package includes their prep course as well
And because there are no live tutoring sessions, the price for this GMAT Focus prep package is insanely low (less than $350). To put things in perspective, that is about the same price as you would pay for one hour of tutoring from Manhattan Prep.
Plus, you also get access to Magoosh’s other study materials, including 340+ video lessons, 1,300+ practice questions, and two full length practice tests.
I think the bottom line here is that if you’re just looking for some extra assistance here and there and don’t need traditional tutoring sessions to keep you on track, then Magoosh is a very attractive option.
In addition, I should just mention that despite it’s pretty affordable starting price, Magoosh still frequently runs special promotions and sales (sometimes offering 10% off their packages), so be sure to check for promo codes and coupons before buying.
Last up on our list is the tutoring company Wyzant. Now, in my experience these more generalized tutoring services, where you choose an independent tutor from a list of hundreds, are a little bit more hit and miss than the tutors from focused test prep companies like Target Test Prep and Magoosh or Kaplan and Princeton Review.
And that’s largely because the instructors from Wyzant really don’t follow a defined teaching framework. Rather, each individual tutor has their own methods of teaching to the GMAT Focus, with distinct strategies and hacks.
Don’t get me wrong, you might be able to find a dynamite GMAT tutor for half the cost that some of these test prep companies charge.
However, you might also spend a bunch of time trying to find the right tutor only to discover out he or she teaches you questionable GMAT strategies or methods that just don’t really work with your learning style. So in short, in can be a little hit and miss.
By contrast, the tutors from GMAT focused test prep companies are fully trained to follow specific methods and strategies that have been proven to be successful year after year. That’s ultimately why our team trusts Manhattan Prep, Magoosh, and Princeton Review a little more than companies like Wyzant.
With that said, however, the hourly rates you can get with Wyzant can be substantially lower than regular old test prep companies (as low as $20 per hour).
Plus, with Wyzant, you’ll likely be able to find a tutor in your area if you prefer in-person instruction. So there are definitely some nice perks with Wyzant; it’s not all negative.
If you’re looking for a budget-friendly option, especially in-person, I’d recommend checking them out and at least going through the initial screening process. You never know what you might find.
Given all the advances with online tutoring through video conferencing like Zoom, the best GMAT tutors don’t even need to be physically near you. See our comprehensive guide of the best GMAT Focus tutors.
How much does a GMAT tutor cost?
GMAT Focus tutors can range drastically in price, from $20 per hour on the low-end all the way up to $200+ per hour on the high-end.
Is an online GMAT tutor worth it?
Yes, in our team’s opinion, online tutoring is a perfectly viable option, and in fact, can be more efficient and effective than in-person tutoring.
Will a GMAT tutor help raise my score?
Yes, based on our experience, GMAT tutors help students raise their scores substantially. On average though, expect to see a score increase of 40 to 80 points by working with a GMAT Focus tutor.
