Your first session focuses on understanding your baseline skills and goals. Expect to take a diagnostic assessment or review a recent practice test to identify your strengths and specific challenge areas—whether that's pacing through dense reading passages, tackling quantitative reasoning problems, or mastering the analytical writing section. From there, your tutor will create a personalized study plan that targets your weak areas and builds test-taking strategies tailored to your timeline and target score.

Pacing is one of the most common challenges on the GRE, and it improves through structured practice with timed sections and full-length tests. A tutor can help you develop strategies like identifying which question types to tackle first, recognizing when to skip and return to difficult questions, and building mental stamina for the 3+ hour test. Working through practice tests under real timing conditions, with feedback on your decision-making process, helps you find a rhythm that balances accuracy with speed.

The answer depends on your target score and current skill levels—this is exactly what a diagnostic assessment reveals. Some students are naturally stronger in reading and writing but struggle with math concepts, while others face the opposite challenge. Your tutor will help you allocate study time strategically: spending more time on your weaker section while maintaining your strengths, and identifying which specific question types (like reading comprehension vs. sentence equivalence, or geometry vs. algebra) need the most attention.

Practice tests are essential for GRE prep—they build test-taking endurance, reveal pacing issues, and help you understand question patterns and your own decision-making under pressure. Most students benefit from taking 4-6 full-length practice tests spaced throughout their study period, with careful review of every question (especially the ones you got wrong). Your tutor can help you interpret your practice test results to identify trends, adjust your study focus, and build confidence as you see your scores improve.

Test anxiety often stems from unfamiliarity with question formats, uncertainty about timing, or weak foundational skills—all things that personalized tutoring directly addresses. As you build confidence through targeted practice, understand the test structure deeply, and develop proven strategies for different question types, anxiety naturally decreases. Your tutor can also teach you mental techniques for managing stress during the actual test, like how to reset after a difficult question and maintain focus through the full exam.

Most students benefit from 8-12 weeks of consistent GRE preparation, though your ideal timeline depends on your starting score and target score. Students starting further from their goal may need 12-16 weeks, while those with stronger foundational skills might prepare effectively in 6-8 weeks. Your tutor will help you create a realistic timeline based on your diagnostic results, how much time you can dedicate each week, and your target application deadline.

The Analytical Writing section requires both strong reasoning skills and timed writing practice—two things that benefit greatly from expert feedback. You'll learn the specific formats (Analyze an Issue and Analyze an Argument), develop strategies for quickly planning essays under time pressure, and practice writing sample responses that you can review with your tutor. Getting feedback on your actual writing, argument structure, and how to address counterarguments helps you move beyond generic essay tips to writing that scores well on the GRE.