Hi amiee,

I know you're looking for a private tutor, but I just wanted to apologize that you didn't get what you were looking for out of your Kaplan course. If you'd like to pm me to tell me what parts of the course didn't meet your expectations, I'll see if there is anything we can do to help make it up to you!

Eli

Definitely go private. I would recc Ian Stewart (not in Seattle) if you can get him. I'm sorry to say this but Kaplan/Princeton are the Walmarts of test prep. They are geared toward getting people above 600. I took them a while back and have to say its a complete waste of time and money. Manhattan gmat books are superior to the $1,800 classes. (There are exceptions ofcourse, theres one guy from Kaplan that posts on here often(I think Toronto branch). He's awesome, if you can get him on private tutoring that will be helpful)

If you look at Kaplan's 800 gmat book, you will see what I mean. The title says 800 but those questions are more 600 level. The questions are unrealistic. Questions are difficult because they are esoteric or cubersome. How they can help is to make sure your basics/ easy-mid question skills are honed thats about it.

There are a lot of really awesome teachers at every test prep company. I know, I used to work at one, and was overwhelmed every day at the passion and commitment of some of my colleagues. The key is -- some. Some are great. Some aren't. You can't tell ahead of time, but later on when your scores aren't improving.... you'll know.

I would suggest that you go on Craig's list -- a lot of the tutors on there are willing to give the first session free, or at least a free first hour. Prepare for your first lesson by doing 10 or so questions from the Official Guide, and keep your notes. (If they're easy, try some harder ones -- you should have something to ask about!). Bring your OG and ask for help on the questions you found tough. A good tutor should be able to get into your head and figure out why you're getting questions wrong. A tutor who explains questions without asking YOU any questions isn't a good tutor. That's how you can tell.

Don't make your decision based solely on cost -- you get what you pay for, you know? Look to spend between 70-120 dollars an hour if you want someone who's any good. I checked really quickly, here's the link for you to craig's list: https://seattle.craigslist.org/search/ls ... srchType=A I don't know any of them personally or anything, but it looks like there are some good options.

Good luck!

amiee02 - Thanks for your post. Kaplan would be happy to offer you a free 30 min trial with a tutor in the Seattle area. If you PM me your contact information I'll pass it along to get it set up at your convenience.

Good luck!
-Andrew