Where tutor support pays dividends - from 350 to top business school!

The path towards completing the GMAT is indeed well trodden and well documented these days. Whether you are just starting this journey, or find yourself at an impasse like I did, I hope my example can offer you some guidance and encouragement.

My journey was long and at times a struggle. When I decided to take the GMAT, I knew that it was going to be tough, but I never anticipated how tough. The last time I had grappled with maths was at the age of 15 when I finished my GCSE's. Some 12 years later, with a language degree and brand consultancy career behind me, I set about learning Maths again from scratch. After 2 months I had studied the Manhattan Foundations Quant book from cover to cover and buoyed with confidence, sat my first mock....which was a disaster. 350. At this point I realised that if the GMAT was my Everest, I had yet to arrive even at basecamp.

Undeterred, I set about another month's study, concentrating my energies on the higher-level Quant questions, however further mocks showed only modest improvements. By this stage, deadlines for business schools were fast approaching and I realised I needed to reach out for help.

It was about early December 2016 that I was introduced to Michael Maietta, (@GMATNinjaTwo) via Charles Biblios, aka GMAT Ninja. Mike came highly recommended by Charles. As I was studying from the UK, I questioned whether working with a teacher based in the USA was a sensible plan. However, Mike quickly found a schedule that worked for me and we set to work via Skype.

From the moment we started, I knew that working with Mike was going to be a rewarding experience. He is both hugely talented, professional and insightful while at the same time bringing a level of fun and energy into the classroom that kept me looking forward to the next lesson (something I didn't know was possible with Maths!). He very quickly got the measure of me and created a plan that would build upon my foundation level and enable me to advance towards the harder questions.

Having achieved a top GMAT score himself, he was able to not only give me a secure grasp of the core Quant and Verbal topics, but also teach me those crucial time saving tricks that I wasn't able to learn from pouring over books or watching online videos (I had watched a lot of self-help videos to little avail!). As Maths was not a natural discipline for me, it was even more impressive that he was able to translate these concepts, at times very complex, into a language I could understand and use.

I also would not have prevailed were it not for Mike's remarkable ability to motivate and push me forwards. Given the size of the task ahead, it was easy on occasion to lose focus/spirit and whenever this happened, he would find a way to get me fired up again. His level of dedication to my cause was exemplary and far exceeded what I expected. This is a real string to his bow and again another reason why going down the tutor route paid dividends.

One final credit I would like to bestow upon Mike was his insight into the tactics of taking the test. Mike helped work towards my deadlines and had a solid strategy for using the precious Mock tests/ practice material. As the test date neared, he adjusted the intensity to ensure I was exam fit and was always conscientious of the external factors that would also play an important role in optimising my test day performance, such as sleep, exercise and diet. I trusted in his guidance and when the big day came, I felt as ready as I ever could be.

When I left the exam centre, I not only had a 280 point improvement over my previous scores (I'll let you be the judge of the scale of this improvement), but also a score that got me into IESE Business School, one of the top 3 business schools outside of the USA. So, if you're reading this and are thinking tuition might be something for you or you've hit an impasse and don't know how to move forward, I really can't recommend getting tutor support more. You can check both Mike and Charles' profiles on their GMAT Ninja web-page (google search). Thanks to Mike, the GMAT didn't stand in the way of my career aspirations. I am forever grateful.