What about using a local tutor for another company? Surely there are other GMAT prep companies with offices near you. For the money, I'd do in-person.

i know you mentioned mgmat, but this applies to all gmat test prep cos (veritas, kaplan, princeton review, mgmat, etc)

situation 1 - you know the fundamentals of both verbal (sentence structure, grammar rules, idioms, etc) and math (add, sub, mult, div fractions, decimals, percents; how to solve an equation; dist/assc properties of numbers, exponents, radicals, etc)...
THEN YES, it is worth the gmat test prep online tutor - they can add to your fundamentals

situation 2 - you dont know the fundamentals of both verbal and math
THEN NO it is not worth it - look to brush up on the basics first by doing one of the following PRIOR to commiting money to a gmat test prep tutor (a) self study: take 15-20 hours to study math and 15-20 hours to study verbal - focus only on fundamentals by using a comprehensive study guide or book (b) take a class: esp a class that focuses on fundamentals (c) use another inexpensive tutor (like a hs math or english teacher or recent math or eng college grad) in your area to teach you the basics/fundamentals

i think these prep companies are good for prepping for the gmat after you build your fundamentals - that is how you get your money's worth. if you expect the test prep cos to teach you the fundamentals - that could take at least 10-15 hours (if not more) out of your package. and youll likely use 400-500 level gmat questions as your examples when initially applying the fundamentals. but if you want to target a 600-800 score, then get a good base before you go to a gmat prep test tutor.

Hi jazzcat4u,

Thanks for your suggestions.I feel exactly the same and will strenghten my fundamentals first.

The way it was explained to me, is tutors are more effective after you have done your practice and fundamental prep so they can answer more of your specific questions or concept. I would recommend doing your practice for a bit to get your concepts down pat. Then, take a CAT every week or so, once you have extinguished your OG materials and prep material, then employ a tutor to help you with specifics and unknowns that show up in the harder questions. That way, you get more for your money so to speak.

I agree. I always feel bad when I get tutors who have not learned the fundamentals yet since we have to spend out tutoring time doing things like going over how to factor quadratics, which is a skill most people can acquire on their own. Since tutoring time is expensive, most students only have 10-20 hours to work with, and that's definitely not a good use of time.

The students who get the most out of tutoring are those who have very specific questions and problem areas to work on. If you want a general overview of fundamentals, you should take a class instead, then maybe tack on some tutoring afterwards (many of my students do this and it works really well).

I personally don't think it's worth it and I also kind of think it's inefficient. If you are disciplined and can stay focused, you really don't need a tutor. All the information you need to do well is online. Just do your best to find the right study materials, stay focused, and you will do well.

Online tutoring is actually quite efficient. Good tutors, the ones who have many students, want to minimize the number of classes you take. Effective tutoring saves a lot of time and focuses on what you need. Manhattan GMAT's tutors are uniformly excellent.

Are you short of time and don't mind parting with $4000? Go for it, especially if you need a structure and discipline imposed on you! (I do, for example!)

Do you have lots of time on your hands? Are you self-motivated? Then go the self-study route!

If you do go the MGMAT route, ask them to throw in an on-line course...$3,800 is a LOT of money!

Having done lots and lots of both - online tutoring and in-person tutoring - let me say that the two are not that different in the way that they function. The interface that we use is very good and in some cases can even be more efficient than in person. And no travel time!

I think that the biggest difference in effectiveness is not online vs in person, but the quality of the tutor and the preparedness of the student.

I would take a true expert tutor online over a local tutor that is less experienced.

And the student can do a lot to make the most as well -- jazzcat4u is right; the way that tutors can best help students is with strategy for the GMAT.

Having done many, many of each over the last 18 years I can say there there are pros and cons to online tutoring. The biggest drawback is that a tutor can't actually look at your handwritten work, which can tell a lot about your test taking issues - I often have students scan and email me copies of this and a good online tutor should do the same.

I agree that you should deal with fundamentals first but actually think that those fundamentals should only be worked in a non-GMAT question style setting. Meaning that you should work through number property rules, and algebra manipulation on your on but only with math worksheets.

What I teach is highly stylized and really helps students work through any type of problem - I often see students work through easier problems on their own and then have difficulty on harder problems becuase they have not laid a foundation that will help them build their skills. It is much easier to show how to use a technique like plugging in on a complex problem that involves higher level thinking and multiple steps if a student has been plugging in on simpler problems - they understand the technique and how to apply it. Similar things come up in all types of problems - if you start with a standardized way of approaching problems when the problems are easy then that approach will be automatic on difficult problems and will free you up for the more complex thinking involved in harder problems.