I eventually achieved my target score (730), but only after leaving TPU to work with another GMAT prep company. I worked with TPU for 4 months in 2017-18. I was scoring in the mid-high 600 range after a couple of months of self-study and was hoping to push my score above 700 with TPU's help. I was not able to accomplish that goal with TPU (I only increased my official score by 10 points, despite countless hours of targeted studying and almost two dozen hours of tutoring). I do not blame TPU for my inability to sufficiently increase my score (it is my fault and mine alone for not executing well on test day) but I do have a perspective on their services that I'd like to share. I hope this will be helpful to others looking into TPU's GMAT tutoring. Pros: - Smart, friendly, and supportive tutors. Came to lessons well-prepared and I felt that they were invested in my success - Verbal tutor (Michele) was fantastic: kept me on task, helped me learn all of the sentence correction rules very effectively. Without her help I definitely wouldn't have scored as well on the verbal section - Flexibility of online sessions: I was able to reschedule fairly easily with tutors if I had a conflict Cons: - Inflated claims of "superior test materials". TPU has very few proprietary materials (think 10-15 short study guides on various topics, all in Google doc form, in addition to a couple of longer, sort of disorganized primers on general test strategy). The materials were helpful for sure, but "superior" is a huge stretch...I was underwhelmed. For practice problems we predominantly ended up using pretty standard materials (Official Guides, Meltzer, Aristotle, Sackmann, etc.) - Not an institutional caliber firm. It is clear that Josh & his partners have built a successful business (i.e. they have many clients). Despite having several hundred clients, TPU seemed very unstructured (they did not have a good on boarding process, Josh' response time varied from a few hours to multiple days, and they simply don't have the infrastructure to accommodate that many students while offering a personalized experience.) - Their Quant tutors are very bright individuals, but we didn't spend any time really focusing on approach (which is crucial if you want to achieve a high score on the GMAT). Their strategy was to have me do a ton of practice problems and go over any mistakes, which is a reasonable study strategy if your goal is to get a mid-40s Quant score. But this strategy just won't cut it if your goal is to get 47+. I wouldn't have had this revelation had I not done Quant lessons with another company. The difference was night and day once I learned how to approach problems a certain way, and my Quant score skyrocketed - Classes with Josh aren't worth the price, no matter what he or the TPU website might lead one to believe. I worked roughly half and half with Josh and other TPU tutors, and was disappointed in what I paid for. That's not to say he isn't a good tutor, he is. However the step-up in price for his services is frankly ridiculous. I could've saved hundreds of dollars had I worked with his other partners/junior tutors). I should also mention that even if you do choose to work directly with Josh, do NOT pay his stated rate, he will offer you a slight discount. Buying hours with him is like buying a mattress, you should never pay sticker price. Overall, I had a mixed experience with TPU, but objectively I think they provide a solid service. However given the inflated price point, in my opinion there may be other better and more cost effective options (especially for GMAT Quant). I ultimately achieved my target score with other outside help, but am still thankful for Josh and the team's efforts. read more

I had the pleasure of getting GMAT Sentence Correction tutoring with Kevin. Kevin and I focused on the importance of paying attention to GMAT logic rather than only on grammar. Kevin also taught me how to read a GMAT sentence correction problem faster by not paying attention to unnecessary modifiers. Using Kevin's methods, I learned how eliminating modifiers can save us a lot of time on SC questions. I am very happy to report that I can now solve most GMAT SC questions in less than a minute. During my session with Kevin, I further learned how a single word/modifier in an answer choice can render it incorrect. We solved sample problems together, going over questions ranging from medium to high difficulty. He trained me to pay attention to details and emphasized why it was so important to think like the test maker in all SC questions. For example, a lot of times, I would lean towards an answer choice as soon as I would read it only to find that I chose the wrong answer in the end. To fix this issue, he showed me why it is necessary to eliminate the four wrong answer choices to arrive at the correct one. Kevin also made me aware of how GMAT test creators use clever tricks to hide incorrect answer choices. The following were my major takeaways from our session: 1. I need to pay full attention to details, yet learn how not to read modifiers in a SC question. This is critical to getting faster and accurate on the SC questions. 2. If I get faster on SC questions and can solve them in under a minute, I can drastically increase my accuracy on RC and CR questions by getting more time to solve them. This was an eye-opener for me, and it has already started to improve my overall Verbal performance. 3. Eliminate four wrong answer choices instead of picking one right one 4. I need to look out for patterns in these questions. Also, because GMAT usually recycles a lot of its logic in SC questions, recognizing patterns will make me a lot more efficient. In the past, especially with the Verbal section, I have struggled with SC questions, usually when I'm pressed for time. Under some timed question solving, I ran into similar issues in which I didn't fully follow the SC process and got a few questions wrong. Kevin quickly realized that it was a pattern and prescribed that I need not pay attention to unnecessary modifiers. This piece of advice was invaluable especially because I wouldn't have been able to observe this pattern by myself. Lastly, Kevin advised me that I need to act as my own personal tutor and learn from my mistakes. I need to be honest and objective about my problem-solving process, identifying my mistakes, and deliberately working hard not to repeat them. As I am now studying for the exam, I am paying attention to how I am solving the SC questions and whether I am following the same SC process every single time. I have already started to see a few positive results, and I hope to see a lot more as this process becomes second nature to me. Needless to say that my session with Kevin was invaluable to me. TPU not only helped me find my weaknesses but also showed me how to fix them. I would highly recommend TPU to anyone struggling with the SC. read more

Josh is the man. He took me from a 550 to a 710 GMAT in less than 6 weeks. I contacted Josh in a bit of a panic with my first GMAT appointment looming. After 2 months of intense solo study I was still scoring 550 on my practice tests, but I needed a 700 for my applications. After I submitted an online inquiry through his website, Josh got back to me immediately and we had our first lesson the following morning. Josh designed a complete curriculum for me that was tailored to my strengths, weaknesses and needs. Having a study plan that I could rely on was really important for me, because studying by myself I was pouring in many hours of time and just spinning my wheels. With the curriculum and day by day study plan that Josh created for me, I was able to focus all my energy on studying, without wasting any energy wondering whether or not I was studying the right things, or using my time wisely. Josh is undoubtedly the best tutor I have ever had. He is able to explain efficient methods and thorough approaches to unpacking all of what goes into building official GMAT questions. His knowledge of the GMAT and its question constructions is incredibly deep, and he was able to share this understanding with me. As a student, you can really feel that Josh cares about you. He was in constant contact with me, checking on my progress and was always available to answer questions and provide guidance along the way. Additionally, he is a really nice guy with a warm personality who is super engaged. He goes above and beyond to get you over the line in achieving your goals. Working with Josh honestly felt like a successful athlete/coach dynamic. In addition to the curriculum and excellent tutoring, just having that support there was really helpful in keeping my confidence and morale up. I scored 710 with my first real GMAT appointment, which we were treating as a 'warm-up' for the main event a few weeks later. At that point, I had only completed half of the GMAT official guide questions, and hadn't focused my study on the difficult questions. I was really surprised by the result of that first GMAT, and with Josh's study plan I was poised to do even better in the next test. The final stage in the study plan was the phase of most rapid score increase, because we were focusing on quickly solving the really difficult questions that you need to master in order to score 750+. Unfortunately I suffered a concussion up in Tahoe that prevented me from taking the second test. It was a disappointing turn of events because I know that with Josh's help I would have scored even higher in the second test. In the end though, I am still stoked with my 710, and the fact that I exceeded my target score of 700 on the first try. He can't do the study for you, but if you are committed and ready to put in the time and effort, you will be able to exceed your goals with Josh's tutoring. read more

A month back I was stuck on verbal and I was not able to see any improvement from the popular non native online course. I already knew the basics and it was not doing much to help me in improving my score. In the words of my GMATCLUB guru,as a golfer lacks a fundamental skill to perform a certain movement, Its a waste of time that he/she practices one million of times; he/she will still get the movement wrong. The problem was with my verbal approach. This is when I decided to get online tutor. I did a through research and finally decided to go with Test Prep Unlimited. Jae,the GMAT tutor, helped me step by step on how to tackle RC, the subtle things to be kept in mind and how a difficult passage can be solved without dwelling into a lot of details. Through the session's Jae used to make me work first in the study mode and then in exam mode. Inference was a big problem for me.But after few session's I was finally able to master Inference.I fell in love with inference. How easy it is to answer such questions provided you know the right approach. Previously I was focusing only on the big picture. Para 1 Introduction. Para 2 +ve. Para 3 -ve. Of course its a very important thing but not the only important thing. I learned how the immerse in the passage just enough to be able to solve every RC problem. One more problem, I was facing was the timing issue in the RC. Jae used to time me throughout the Exam Mode session and it was very effective. He used to pinpoint when I used to take more time in reading RC and how that could be avoided without hurting my comprehension ability. One most important thing how to make an educated guess.Tips and tricks of course but a very effective one.How to narrow down on answer choice's in such event and what to look for in answers. No matter how good you are, there will be some question's when GMAT will punch you all your knowledge onto your face. Its okay don't let that one question screw your entire score. Thankyou Test Prep Unlimited. read more

My GMAT tutor for Sentence Correction was Cody. Cody went over a few tricky idioms that even native English speakers have difficulty with. He gave me some little tricks on the elimination process in regards to sentence correction questions, and advised me to be aware of the common mind set people have of thinking that option A is always wrong. My GMAT tutor went over how to spot parallelism and how to take advantage of comma splices in the elimination process. I liked that my GMAT tutor went right into test taking mode with me when going through the questions. Cody timed me as I completed each question. Once I gave Cody my answer, we went through the question together where he pointed out several reasons why some option choices were wrong. This opened my eyes to see things that I had not originally noticed, and things that I can look out for to help guide me to the correct answer. As we worked through the questions, my GMAT tutor pointed out some tricks to look out for and what I can do to overcome them, such as putting different parts of the sentences together and linking subjects and pronouns. Cody went over active vs passive sentences, which I have had difficulty with in the past. Cody was patient with my questions and provided me with many examples and tools I could use to further my knowledge. He gave me great suggestions on study habits, such as when to start taking weekly full GMAT tests, and what to review when. GMAT Prep has had a huge impact on my study habits. I've learned how to make the most of an error log, that timing myself is important, and how to use the answer choices available to me to my advantage through elimination. I found that prior to GMAT Prep, I was constantly looking for the right answer and not justifying why answer choices were incorrect. This method would not only lead me to the wrong answer, but also take up more time as I often would be stuck re-reading answer choices. I really like how personalized the GMAT Prep sessions are. read more

Working with Jerry on Quantitative Reasoning yielded me amazing results. After working with him on exponents, my Quant score went up 7 points! Not only was I able to understand the questions at a higher level, but I also improved my timing and didn't have to guess towards the end of the test. When we covered exponents, he would be on the lookout for the kind of tricks I tend to fall for and where my knowledge gap is. I liked that he constantly assessed my knowledge to identify my areas for improvement. We covered many areas such as simplification, approximation involving decimals and exponents, reciprocals with negative exponents, inequalities and so on. I like that he gave me time to explain my thought process, because he was always able to give me more tips that could help me save time or help me view the question differently so it would be easier to look at and solve. As someone who is not strong at math, it was very helpful that Jerry taught me a simpler way to read and phrase the question(s) in my head. This really helped me in simplification and factoring with exponents. Jerry would also break away from the questions when necessary to add relevant things I should work on remembering or things that I should focus on during my study sessions. After my study sessions, I made cue-cards with the "nice to remember" notes he gave me, and these tips have helped me tackle questions in a more efficient manner. I no longer hesitate to begin solving questions, or stall at calculations. The most important thing to me is that he always made me feel comfortable to ask questions at any time, and always ensured that I would fully understand everything before moving on. Working with Jerry has had a huge impact on my GMAT prep, and the results have been amazing. read more

I really enjoyed working with Josh and Jae who helped me achieve a GMAT score of 750 (48Q 45V) in 6 weeks. I had previously worked with other test prep services, but plateaued at the 710-720 range. I was stuck aimlessly doing practice problems before I contacted Josh, who responded to my inquiry within an hour. Firstly, unlike other test prep services that have very standardized curriculum, Josh diagnosed my weakest areas and customized the curriculum to make sure I was focussed. Secondly, even though his services are not cheap, I was impressed with the amount of work that Josh did: he constantly monitored my performance, assigned new homework, and kept me motivated with check-ins. He also came prepared to every session: for every problem set we went through,he meticulously reviewed my errors and always had constructive feedback for how to improve. This made every penny worth it. (I was originally considering a score guarantee, but given my short deadline, Josh was upfront and recommended a traditional hourly package which ended up being 25% less expensive) Lastly, what I appreciated most was how Josh went above and beyond to make sure I performed well on the test. He always made sure I understood a concept, even if it meant going over our allotted hour (he ended up giving me an extra 1.5h free of charge). When I was traveling, he worked around his schedule to accommodate our lessons. He even called me the day before my test to make sure I had planned out what to eat for breakfast that morning! Overall, I definitely would not have achieved my target score without Josh's help. There are many test prep services out there, but Josh's help made all the difference in achieving (and surpassing) my target score. read more

Score increase: 130 points Hours with Josh: 30 I had just taken the GMAT and done miserably on it and needed to really change up how I study etc.I was doing some GMAT research when I found one of Josh's GMAT articles on Quora. It was really unique and informative, so I reached out. I was skeptical about private tutoring because I had already worked with Manhattan (which didn't work for me) but after talking for a bit I felt pretty good about working with Josh. I was impressed that he offered a specific score guarantee. (My results ended up exceeding the guarantee by quite a bit btw!). He guaranteed that 30 hours would get me to a score slightly below my target, but also said that if I put the work into it, he expected me to exceed the guaranteed score. This turned out to be true! I'm a person that needs structure and he structured my entire course in a very systematic way and provided tons of excellent materials. I wish I was able to get through all the material but I did all that I could. The sessions were very efficient: I always completed the homework between sessions and only brought the most difficult questions, so there was no down time or wasted time--We were always covering new ground at an appropriate pace. I really came away from the lessons having learned a lot and feeling empowered. Overall, he was very encouraging and supportive throughout which motivated me to keep going and not give up. He really cares about his students and if he sensed that I was slacking he would always reach out to see how my progress was going which kept me in line. He is very accommodating to your schedule and really wants to see you do well. I'm so happy with my results and I would recommend him to anyone! read more

Jae was my tutor for GMAT Reading Comprehension. It went really well and I was thrilled to work with Test Prep Unlimited. First of all it's just so convenient to be able to schedule classes as per your comfort and availability. They're almost always available. Jae was extremely cooperative about this. In addition to that, you get a tutor who has already scored a 770 or above. He would have me read a passage and set the timer. After I was done reading it, rather than explain it to me, he would ask me "How do you see the passage? What is the map you follow?" He wants to know what my thought process is and how I understand the passage. He would then tell me how to do it right in my own way, without actually introducing any mathematical formula or rule. This is the part I like the most. He would ask you to draw a map and would ultimately tell you where you went wrong and right in your own method. Then he would tell you the strategies to solve such questions in a proper manner. For example: for one passage, he taught me where to focus in the passage and where not to by drawing a tree-like structure and explaining the important and unimportant parts through the branches. Also, for the answer choices, he would explain not only the correct choice but also why wrong choices are wrong, which I really like because no other GMAT prep would tell you such detail; 'why not to choose the answer you chose'. Overall, even a single class was so productive that it almost changed my reading skills and study habit in a positive way. I highly recommend TPU to anyone who aims to score a 750+ GMAT score. read more

I really wish I had hired Josh sooner. I had about 2 weeks to try to raise my score by 80 points from 600 to 680. I know, I waited waaay too long, but that's another story. We cranked away at it almost every other day (1 day self-study, 1 day tutoring) and by the end we worked for a total of 14 hours together. I was just shy of my goal with a 670, but since I'm not applying to top 15 it was enough for me to get admitted to all of the schools I applied for. I know that another 10 points is mostly a psychological thing, but I'm certain that with another session I would have hit my personal goal. Math was my weakness, and Josh has an uncanny ability to break it all down and build it back up. But I also didn't realize how much room for improvement I had on verbal. At first I didn't believe him, but he showed me a table of quant/verbal/total scores and I realized that had I ignored his advice and studied only quant (which is what I thought I had to do), I would have scored 30 points lower. He not only knows how to teach all the concepts, but he knows the test inside and out, so he showed me how to budget my very limited time in the most efficient way. Helped me a ton. I'm lucky my I didn't have a lot of work to do before the test, otherwise I wouldn't have had time to study. I don't think I could have moved as quickly any other way as I did with his help. Thanks homes, you da man! I'd do it again in a heartbeat. Only earlier! read more

Jerry was my GMAT tutor for exponents and roots. Since the rules on exponents have always been a bit of a shaky ground for me, we spent the first part going over the basic rules of exponents and finding out how to understand them, not simply memorize them. Next, we expanded upon these rules by applying them to basic exponent questions to simply a potential test question answer into its most simplest terms. Once we honed in on this more basic application of the terms we move on to how these terms could be applied in a more test-like setting, we went over mostly problem solving question types and then some on data sufficiency. I really liked how Jerry went through the exponent rules in a very methodical manner to help show why the rules make sense and how they interact with each. Being upon these rules before diving into test questions helped to ensure that I had a firm footing before I tackled bigger mountains. While I do not think it necessarily changes how I approach GMAT exponent questions, my tutor gave me the tools and skillets to better address these problems so that I may find the correct answer. Jerry was a great GMAT tutor and I would recommend him to anyone who could use a little extra help on their GMAT quant studies! read more

Cutting to the chase: 510 to 720 over 32 lessons, so a 6.5-point gain per lesson, since I know that's what I cared about when I was looking for a GMAT tutor. I was honestly terrible at actually doing my homework for the first half of our lessons, so it probably could have been higher if I'd been better at not procrastinating. Michele (the main tutor at this branch) was like a combination parent and tutor to me during this whole thing, helping me calm down and really learn to focus, especially on Verbal. The GMAT Verbal section is weird - it's mostly a ton of tricks, but Michele did a stupendous job teaching me all of them. It's so easy to get bogged down in Verbal as well, but when it came time to do the test, I totally killed the time allocation, and thus, almost aced Verbal (48!) I got about 2 Verbal points per Verbal lesson. I got perfect CR and SC scores with the team, averaging 3 SC points per lesson, 6 CR points per lesson, and 15 RC points per lesson! TPU also (obviously) helped me do so much better in Quant, but Verbal's much, much harder to learn from a book - you really need personalized help from someone who knows what they're talking about. And Michele is definitely that someone! read more

I used Josh for GMAT tutoring. My initial score was a 600, admittedly with limited practice and exposure, that improved to 750 (the next time I took the test) after working with Josh for three months. Josh's approach was very structured and organized. He provided all the materials and customized the studying to areas which needed addressing. Not having to worry about what to study and how to do it was very helpful and time efficient for me. Josh also helped me tremendously in identifying what the GMAT was assessing, which allowed me to be aware of the potential pitfalls while taking the test. TPU's fee may appear, initially, to be high, however the benefits in time efficiency and effectiveness more than justify it. It was quite apparent to me that for one hour of tutoring session Josh puts in a significant amount of time behind the scenes to optimize the effectiveness of each session. I was in a short time able to exceed my target score and in large part that is attributable to the extremely well structured and effective approach Josh took to exposing me to the material. I would highly recommend TPU and Josh to anyone looking for GMAT tutoring. read more

I was recently in the market for a GMAT tutor and as I was evaluating all of the services provided in the area, I stumbled on TPU and their score guarantee. I had the opportunity of speaking extensively with Josh about the tutoring services provided and was I could tell from my interactions with him that their services are top notch. What stood out most was Josh's approach to how he would craft my study plan to fit my needs. Based on my discussions with him and a quick review of a past test of mine, he was able to identify my weaknesses and was already thinking about how he would craft a plan to help me address them. The lesson I took with Jae was very good. The homework was geared towards helping me to prepare for the time limitations on the GMAT test and Jae went over problem questions with me, providing me with insight into strategies that should be used when taking the test. Jae was a great instructor and really knew how to teach the concepts needed for the test. Thank you Josh and Jae. I will recommend you and your service to any of my friends and coworkers. read more

I cannot say enough great things about TPU and how much they have helped me so far in my GMAT studying. I was a little hesitant about GMAT tutoring but spending one hour with them was more productive than any studying I had done so far. I wish I had contacted TPU earlier - the work I've done with them has helped me develop an action plan and has really jumpstarted my studying. They were able to identify that my weaknesses were in my foundation and provided me with tools and clear direction to overcome these hurdles. I've realized how much that has slowed me down in problem solving. From the exercises they provided I've really been able to build these foundations. Another problem I've had is timing and after working together, they provided me with tools to aid my studying that were focused on this challenge. Regardless of if you are just starting to study or in the middle of it I highly recommend you contact Test Prep Unlimited! The support and genuine interest in seeing you succeed on the test is unparalleled. read more

I am currently a student at UC Berkeley with a strong mathematics background who is majoring in Applied Mathematics. This semester, I took Multivariable Calculus, which I highly enjoyed. However, when it came time for the final exam, I ran into some extremely tricky problems on my professor's practice finals (which are similar to what his final would like) that I just couldn't figure out. At this moment, I called Josh for help, and I couldn't be any more thankful. Josh came over to my house for two days and helped me understand the practice finals over a period of a few hours. He also will not move on until a student perfectly understands the concepts behind a problem, which is an amazing quality that all tutors should have. Thanks to Josh, I was able to achieve an A- for my final grade (NOTE: This is because I got a B+ on my second midterm and was able to drop my first midterm). If you are looking for the best math tutor in the Bay Area, Josh is your guy to go to without a doubt. read more

I was starting with a 700 and I went to Josh with a goal of getting my score up to the 720-750 range. My weaker area was math, so Josh's team (no Josh, his rates were way too expensive - in the $500-$600 range) put me through a solid curriculum that focused on the fundamentals of increasing problem solving efficiency and doing so with specific time targets in mind. I think the focus on timing helped my general approach to the math section. My score rose to 720 after 5 weeks with Josh's team, after raising from 660 to 700 over the previous 5 weeks with no tutoring. Honestly, I think even without the tutoring services my score would have continued to go up, and would have gone up to a 720, so it was a very expensive ($2,000 over 9 sessions) way to get a small bump that I could have probably done by myself. It sounds like Josh's curriculum works quite well for those starting with very low scores, but for those that are already near 700, I would not recommend Josh strongly. read more

Kevin did a great job tutoring me for GMAT Critical Reasoning. Earlier during my GMAT prep, I mostly focused on the Reading Comprehension and Sentence Correction sections and dangerously ignored the Critical Reasoning section, as I thought I would do well without much practice. However, during my time studying GMAT CR with Kevin, I was exposed to more challenging problems and I realised how some answers, no matter how much you want them to be, just aren't satisfactory. One of the most important things I learned was how critically analysis is just as important for the answer choices is as for the argument itself. Another would be the simple technique, as taught by Kevin, of reading the question STEM before going to the argument, so I can focus on one aspect more and relate the options to the same. These methods greatly helped equip me to solve the relatively difficult questions. TPU has great, friendly tutors who are always ready to help. Give them a try! read more

My GMAT SC tutor Kevin and I started by warming up on Sentence Correction Basics - The rules and things that are tested. Kevin took an adequate amount of time to ensure that I could recall all there is to notice in questions and it was an immediate help in the questions that followed the warm up, all the way to the end. Kevin, like the GMAT, provided me with a LIVE adaptive approach in that he pushed the difficulty of the questions we practiced as he understood my abilities. This is better than any tuition homework wherein you would have to do 100 questions of each level or something like that in order to be accurately judged. Kevin would discuss runner up options with me in far more detail, giving them at times the consideration of 'innocent until proven guilty' and this far beats the approach at online forums, where at times the reasons 'experts' provide for eliminating options simple state 'awkward' or 'wordy'. read more