Marie B.
5.0
GMAT Tutor ~ 99th Percentile ~ Specializing in Quant ~ 20+ yrs experience.
Studied at Columbia University
Works at Self Employed
Available Sunday at 1:00 PM UTC
Usually responds within 6 hours
Questions? Start chatting with this coach before you get started.
Marie’s GMAT Qualifications
Coaches professionally
Scored a 790 on the GMAT
300+ people coached for GMAT
Open to working with clients outside the U.S.
I've been mentoring students to take the GMAT since 2005. I was already working for Kaplan Test Prep as a SAT, ACT, and LSAT tutor and I took the GRE when I applied to graduate school in 2002. (I have a MA in Math Education from Teachers College, Columbia University.) Based on my GRE score, Kaplan trained me to be a GRE coach. I took Kaplan's GMAT course (for fun--I'm a test junkie), scored a 740 on an official test and then, after attending a training course, started teaching GMAT through Kaplan. I later became a full time high school teacher and my second job was private tutoring. For about 15 years, I only taught SAT and ACT. In 2016, I made a major life change and moved to the Azores, Portugal. I returned to private tutoring. Realizing that there was more demand for GMAT and GRE, I self-studied and began working as a GMAT tutor. I took an official GMAT in August of 2021 and scored a 790. I feel my biggest asset is not my content knowledge or teaching skills, but rather my ability to connect with learners on a personal level. I really enjoy the time spent with my students. I'm not just a tutor doling out facts to memorize--I'm also a counselor who needs to motivate. It may sound cliche, but every student is different! And I enjoy thinking creatively about how to tackle different learning obstacles. My motto is: A good tutor teaches students the steps needed to solve particular problems. A great tutor shows students to how to think ingeniously when faced with unfamiliar content. I go through all the highs and lows with my students while keeping them motivated, positive, and feeling good about their progress. I believe learning should feel like an enjoyable struggle. It's hard work, but the end result makes the effort worth it and that much more gratifying.
Marie can help with:
Quantitative Reasoning
Integrated Reasoning
Analytical Writing
Verbal Reasoning
About Marie
I have been coaching MBA applicants for 18 years and my students have been admitted to top MBA programs such as HBS, GSB, Wharton, Sloan, Haas, Kellogg, Tuck, Columbia, London Business School, Stern, Fuqua and many more. I completed my undergraduate degree in English Literature at Georgetown University and Masters of Math Education at Teachers College, Columbia University. I'm a self-described test-taking junkie. I love puzzles (math problems and crosswords) and in high school I competed in contest-math AMC tests. I started teaching test prep (SAT, ACT, LSAT) while I was in my first year of law school. I later worked full-time for Kaplan teaching GMAT, GRE, SAT, and ACT prep classes. In 2006 I started my own business focusing on private tutoring while I pursued my MA in Math Education at Teachers College, Columbia University. From 2006 to 2016, I maintained a side business tutoring GMAT, GRE, SAT, and ACT while working as a full-time high school and college math teacher. In 2016, I began working full-time as an online GMAT and GRE tutor. Most of my students are based in the US, but I have worked with students from Asia, Europe, and South America. I teach all sections of each test, but my real passion is teaching Quantitative; I have designed and honed unique approaches that I love sharing with my students. I can't count how many times I've heard "Why wasn't I ever taught to look at numbers this way?" Before I begin working with a student, I conduct an initial evaluation to find out his/her target school, scheduling preferences, prior prep/test scores, math proficiency, etc. Based on that evaluation, I plan the first few lessons and assign homework. My students would say I'm very structured and create a disciplined and efficient work environment--we have our goal, and I will steer you to that end. If I'm starting with a student who has no prior prep experience, I begin by assigning and reviewing basic math concepts to create a solid foundation upon which to build. We then focus on 1-3 specific concepts at a time until each is at least partially mastered before moving onto subsequent topics. Verbal instruction depends on the student--some can achieve scores above 90% without any prep, while some need to learn critical thinking and comprehension skills. I assign mock tests every few lessons to gauge weak spots and organize the next few lessons. Evaluate--Instruct--Practice--Assess. That's the basic cycle of my curriculum. If you're serious about getting a competitive GMAT score and you're looking for a rigorous, structured coach who knows everything about how this test is designed, then please get in touch. (Discounts offered for different hourly packages. Please schedule a meeting to learn more.)
Why do I coach?
I didn’t take a traditional path to becoming a math teacher. I was a strong math student in school and always took accelerated classes 1 or 2 years above my grade level, but I always had trouble understanding my teachers’ methods. I couldn’t follow their logic—I often got overwhelmed and frustrated. What they were saying just felt like words coming at me; I couldn’t process any of it. Fortunately, I was good at figuring things out my own way. I did well on tests and would show my classmates my methods. Often they'd say: “Why can’t the teacher teach it like that?” In my last two years of high school, I co-ran the student-to-student tutoring program, my first foray into teaching. Throughout middle and high school I was given math aptitude tests, some mandatory and some given to honors classes. I took first place every year, and I loved my special power. I began to realize I had something my teachers hadn’t recognized. I got the highest math SAT score in my grade. I entered Georgetown University as a math major, but changed my major to English Literature for various reasons. My senior year of college I took the LSAT and did really well. I attended Seton Hall Law School on the school's top scholarship for one year before deciding law wasn’t for me. Around this time, I started tutoring SAT part time to make extra money and I immediately loved it. I liked working with high school kids and I enjoyed opening up students' eyes to seeing math the way I did--as something fun. I also loved teaching SAT math subject tests (trigonometry and precalculus content) and contest math. I was recruited by Kaplan Test Prep to work in its sales department to sell Kaplan products. While at Kaplan, I was also trained to teach GMAT and GRE classes. After a few years, I decided teaching was what I really loved most, so I completed post-baccalaureate math classes, then enrolled in a Masters in Math Education program at Teachers College, Columbia University. I started teaching high school math in 2008; I offered test prep tutoring after school and on weekends, working mostly on the ACT and SAT. I’ve since expanded to the GMAT and GRE, and I consider myself an expert on all tests I teach. I’ve had quite a bit of success as a tutor, and I think there are two reasons for that. One, I’m always trying to perfect my craft. Over the years, I’ve observed what other companies—Veritas Prep, Manhattan Prep, Magoosh, Kaplan, etc—have done and cobbled together my own curriculum, my own best practices. The second reason is that I genuinely love tutoring. I love seeing people solve problems for themselves, love seeing them get to that “aha” moment. For me, the feeling of getting someone to that breakthrough moment when the idea just clicks—it’s indescribably gratifying. That is why I tutor.
Work Experience
GMAT/GRE/SAT/ACT Tutor
Self Employed
September 2006 - Present
• Guide students through content and strategies so they can strategize and problem solve masterfully on standardized tests • Designed my own curriculum (using an amalgam of other curricula) and test-taking strategies in order to implement more engaging and thought-provoking lessons • Show students the subtle intricacies of each test--the way questions and answers are written, which concepts the test makers focus on most, and how traps are created and how to avoid them
Adjunct Math Faculty
Colorado Mountain College
August 2014 - August 2016
• Taught Dual Enrollment College Algebra, Trigonometry and Calculus classes to upperclassmen looking to earn college credits through Colorado Mountain College • Taught an introductory non-credit math course on the CMC Edwards campus in order to help students gain fundamental math skills for future success in credit classes • Implemented the Integrated Math II Honors program, which focuses on Algebra I/II and Geometry topics • Implemented a Problem-Solving based Student Learning Objective in my classes so that my students acquire critical thinking skills when tackling challenging math problems • Taught night classes in ACT math to students looking to improve their performance on the college admissions test
Math Teacher--Grades 9, 10, Grade 12-IB Math Studies, Grade 12--Selectividad
American School of Valencia
August 2013 - August 2014
• Implemented the Algebra I and II curricula to grades 9 and 10 to promote students’ problem-solving skills • Taught the International Baccalaureate Math Studies Curriculum to Grade 12 to prepare them for their internal and external assessments • Prepared Grade 12 students for the Spanish Selectividad Ciencas Sociales Exam required by Spanish universities • Created a tutoring program for high school students looking for extra math help
Math Teacher at Montclair High School (Calculus, PreCalculus, Geometry, Algebra II)
Montclair Schools
September 2008 - September 2013
• Designed and authored the current PreCalculus Honors curriculum being used in the high school • Evaluated student progress based on long and short-term goals, and maintained accurate and complete records
SAT Teacher/Summer Staff
Leysin American School
June 2009 - September 2009
• Designed my own curriculum and test-taking strategies in order to prepare American and international students for the SAT
GMAT/GRE/SAT/ACT Tutor
Kaplan Test Prep
April 2002 - April 2006
• Tutored students in math and reading comprehension to prepare them for requisite entrance exams such as the GMAT, GRE, SAT, SSAT, ISEE, ACT, SAT II Math Subject Tests
Educational Advisor
Kaplan Test Prep
April 2002 - April 2004
• Counseled students and parents on standardized exams such as the SAT I & II, ACT, SSAT, ISEE, and SSHSAT to assess which tests were appropriate for individual high school and college applications • Assessed needs by investigating students’ levels of understanding and learning styles in order to recommend different methods of instruction provided by Kaplan
Education
Georgetown University
Bachelors of Arts, English Literature
I entered GU as a math major, but I didn't enjoy the school's program. I was always a good English student in high school and I had strong writing skills, so I ended up majoring in English Literature. I minored in Spanish and studied in Costa Rica for a semester. (I later lived in Barcelona and Valencia, Spain.)
Columbia University
Masters of Arts, Math Education
Teachers College is the oldest graduate teaching program in the country and became part of Columbia University in 1898, eleven years after it was founded. TC was, undoubtedly, the most rewarding learning experience of my life and I am very honored to be part of its community. While a student there, I learned so much about the components of problem solving, and those studies made me a much better test prep teacher.
36 Reviews
Overall Rating
5.0
Knowledge
5.00
Value
5.00
Responsiveness
5.00
Supportiveness
4.90