What is GMAT® Coaching?

The Graduate Management Admission Test, also known as the GMAT®, is a requirement for most business schools offering instruction in English, including those in the United States and Canada. Although GMAT® score is among several factors considered by business school admissions committees, it is often regarded as one of the most important. For this reason, many applicants devote a significant amount of time to exam preparation, often purchasing study guides or paying for GMAT® coaching services. GMAT® coaching is professional tutoring, offered either one-on-one or in a small class-like setting. Exam coaches assess individual test-takers’ strengths and weaknesses, and create personalized problem drills and exercises designed to improve the student's overall score.

Most of the time, the primary goal of GMAT® coaching is to tailor exam preparation strategies to specific students. Like the coach of a sports team, a graduate admissions exam coach strives to improve the skills and abilities of his or her students. The goal is not to win the big game, but rather to score well on exam day. It is the coach's job to come up with the drills and practices needed to make test-day success more likely.

The GMAT®, like most other tests for graduate school, has a specific format and asks questions in a particular way. In some respects, preparing for the GMAT® requires as much understanding of how to take the test as it does actual knowledge of the subject matter. Coaches accordingly spend a lot of time helping students figure out the best test-taking strategies. This often involves practice drills, timed problem sets, and simulated entrance exams.

Coaching for the GMAT® involves different strategies than ordinary GMAT® courses or independent GMAT® practice. Courses and practice problems can help students understand the exam format, and often provide insight into different test-taking strategies. Rarely do either of these options provide individualized GMAT® prep, however. One of the benefits of GMAT® coaching is how tailored it is.

Most of the time, coaches work with one or two students at a time, acting as their personal guide through the tests for graduate school. They will meet with students either in the students' homes, or in mutually agreeable places like libraries or coffee shops. Coaches can often be hired through commercial test prep companies, either as a solo service or in conjunction with enrollment in a prep class. Sometimes, graduate students who themselves scored well on the aptitude tests will offer their services as GMAT® coaches. Coaches are sometimes also professors, teachers, or tutors who are not affiliated with any corporation.

Independent GMAT® coaching services often cost less than services administered through an official test preparation company, but there are trade-offs to either route. Many professional coaches have access to more detailed information and practice problems, and often have more varied experience with the exam and its contours. Most commercial GMAT® coaching services come with a score guarantee, as well, which can allow students to receive a refund or credit for re-enrollment if test day brings with it a lower score than anticipated.