[Improved 19 points in GRE] Fast increases 7 points in GRE verbal after a month. Thanks to tutor Jonah teaching in a bilingual, guiding style

Student: Zi-Jun Sharing

[Actual Results]

First Attempt: 146 + 154, 300 total
Second Attempt, After courses: 157 + 162, 319 total
Preparation period: September 2022 – January 2023

1. September – October, Attended Large-group GRE classes + Practice questions randomly: After consideration, I quit my job in September, and started to prepare for the GRE tests.

Verbal: At this point, I began cramming vocabulary, using online textbooks. But usually,
I couldn’t understand the reading sections and blank-filling questions. Sometimes, it took me over an hour just to comprehend one long passage.

Math: During this period, I attended a large-group GRE program five days a week, 3 hours every time.
However since it was a large class, the teacher didn’t have a systematic method and time to meet every student’s level.
As a result, I found the classes quite painful. I hardly understood and felt afraid to ask questions since this might slow down the class schedule. For someone like me who is neither good at nor enjoys math, this kind of class is ineffective and torturous.

2. October – Late December, gradual progress in Math

After the experience mentioned above, my struggles with math became overwhelming, so I decided to search for an online math tutor, and I found Candice. After the trial lesson, I started the courses. For about eight weeks, we focused on nonstop learning basic concepts and reviewing questions. Candice’s method was to first cover all the foundational concepts and then begin practicing questions. After, she will ask the student to note all the mistakes, and categorize them for follow-ups and reviews. Candice would also target your weak points by giving extra assignments to practice. For someone like me who’s terrible at math, this was a really practical and effective approach.

Once I had built a solid foundation, I began practicing questions by using Candice’s method. Even without her supervision, I was able to keep my progress efficiently, spot my weaknesses, and then track them. One thing I’m sure of is that learning and reviewing all the foundational concepts really helped improve my GRE math score.

3. Late December – February, intensive practice period:

During this period, I continued taking Candice’s math courses and followed the study schedule she required. For Math, I practiced with Magoosh and exercises that Candice gave based on my weak areas. Gradually, my scores on Magoosh mock tests improved which boosted my confidence. My scores rose from 153-154 to consistently 160+ before the actual test. On the day of the official test, although I was nervous, I felt relieved when I saw questions with similar concepts to what Candice taught. Eventually, I scored 162 which I believe did not seem impressive to Asian students, but for someone who barely passed math since elementary school, it was a huge improvement—10 points more than I started the course. I’m really proud of this achievement. I hope students who are not science majors and struggling with math can gain confidence after reading my story. Candice can truly help you rebuild your foundation!

Also, in the later stage, I took tutor Jonah’s courses. Jonah not only taught me how to memorize vocabulary but guided me through reading and shared techniques. He also helped me gain real experience in reading and comprehension. Eventually, my Verbal score improved by 7 points in just one month. If you have limited time, don’t want to waste a lot of money, share resources with other students, and feel uncomfortable asking questions, I sincerely recommend Candice’s tutoring team.