Instructor Recommendation - Avi Gutman (Toronto)

[alexqi.43]

I approached Avi a few weeks before my exam date, for private tutoring sessions. I did not take the MGMAT course through Avi, so I cannot attest to how well he does in the classroom. However, after 6 hours of private tutoring sessions, I can certainly attest to his command of the material and his personable approach.

Coming into the tutoring session, I was already scoring consistently in the 700+ range, but I did want to give my score a boost, particularly in the verbal section. Right off the bat, Avi was able to identify key areas of improvement in all three verbal sections (RC, SC, CR). The rest of the sessions were very focused and our time spent well spent on addressing very specific weaknesses. These tips ultimately helped me on test day and with only 6 hours of interaction, I was able to increase my GMAT score by 20 points over what I've been scoring on my practice exams. Needless to say, I was very pleased with the result and my experience with Avi.

What sets Avi apart from other instructors is not his command of the material, but rather his approach in teaching the content. It was fun, engaging and at the end of the day, the time we spend was very productive. At no point did I feel that I was wasting my time going over material I've already mastered.

For those looking to give their scores a boost and just happen to be living in Toronto, I would recommend going to Avi for a few hours of private tutoring.

Alex

[kellyschloesser]

I started online private tutoring with Avi about 6 weeks before my second go-around with the GMAT. I had already taken MGMAT's self study course and had performed reasonably well on practice tests, but froze-up on the real GMAT. My quant score specifically dropped dramatically.
Before our first on-line classroom meeting, Avi analyzed my previous exams and immediately targeted my weakest areas. He thoroughly reviewed problems and provided me the opportunity to explain my approach, he then usually provided at least two ways to solve a problem, allowing me to decide which worked for me. He also applied many real world examples or would get excited about a problem, which made the lessons much more engaging.
Also on another note, I live in a different time zone and travel frequently, and Avi was more than accommodating to such a schedule.
While it's not always easy targeting your weak areas, I can successfully say the plan worked and on test-day my Quant Score rose 12 points.
Highly recommend any opportunity to work with Avi, in person or online.

[mandy0825]

I approached Avi a few weeks before my exam date, for private tutoring sessions. I did not take the MGMAT course through Avi, so I cannot attest to how well he does in the classroom. However, after 6 hours of private tutoring sessions, I can certainly attest to his command of the material and his personable approach.

Coming into the tutoring session, I was already scoring consistently in the 700+ range, but I did want to give my score a boost, particularly in the verbal section. Right off the bat, Avi was able to identify key areas of improvement in all three verbal sections (RC, SC, CR). The rest of the sessions were very focused and our time spent well spent on addressing very specific weaknesses. These tips ultimately helped me on test day and with only 6 hours of interaction, I was able to increase my GMAT score by 20 points over what I've been scoring on my practice exams. Needless to say, I was very pleased with the result and my experience with Avi.

What sets Avi apart from other instructors is not his command of the material, but rather his approach in teaching the content. It was fun, engaging and at the end of the day, the time we spend was very productive. At no point did I feel that I was wasting my time going over material I've already mastered.

For those looking to give their scores a boost and just happen to be living in Toronto, I would recommend going to Avi for a few hours of private tutoring.

Alex

Hi Alex,
May I ask you what kind of advice did Avi provide to you for the verbal sections, in particular with RC, based on your areas for improvement? I am familiar with his approach of skipping the details and focusing on structural words. I would like to get better at RC so truly appreciate your views if possible.
Thanks so much!

[joshbenjamin7]

I approached Avi to help me with my GMAT prep few months back. Before I started my classes with him I did not have a good method for tackling the GMAT. I had consistently scored below 600. With his guidance I was able to raise my score above 600. I especially urge anyone who has issues tackling rate and average problems to use the methods that he teaches as it is simple to understand and effective in its application.He is outstanding in his approach at tackling verbal as well. All in all a very good experience.I strongly recommend him to anyone who wants to increase their score by atleast 60-80 points.

On a personal note he is also one of the best teachers that I have met and all round nice guy to deal with.

[joshbenjamin7]

I approached Avi to help me with my GMAT prep few months back. Before I started my classes with him I did not have a good method for tackling the GMAT. I had consistently scored below 600. With his guidance I was able to raise my score above 600. I especially urge anyone who has issues tackling rate and average problems to use the methods that he teaches as it is simple to understand and effective in its application.He is outstanding in his approach at tackling verbal as well. All in all a very good experience.I strongly recommend him to anyone who wants to increase their score by atleast 60-80 points.

On a personal note he is also one of the best teachers that I have met and all round nice guy to deal with.

[trollasaurus]

I have to take my hat off to Avi - he is amazing. I believe there are two characteristics that set him apart from other instructors.

Not only does Avi know the material well, but he also knows how to bring out the best in you so that you can achieve your full potential. He was able to identify my weaknesses - both technical and conceptual - and teach me how to strengthen them so that I could achieve a score that's reflective of my ability.

Avi doesn't just teach you, he also provides support for you all the way. From the moment I started my course until I wrote my GMAT, I have asked Avi numerous questions on a regular basis via e-mail. Not only does he always respond promptly with thorough explanations, but he also proactively makes sure that you understand what's being discussed.

I'm a very picky person with high standards so I'm very difficult to impress. With that being said, if I'm going out of my way to write a recommendation for someone then it means that that person did an excellent job. If you want an instructor who can bring out your full potential and who will work hard to support you, then Avi is your guy.

[brandon.kuchta]

I worked with Avi a bit over a month before taking the actual GMAT and highly recommend him. He is extremely personable and friendly, so working with him is not intimidating at all. He has strong command of the material and is able to give valuable feedback quickly. Avi helped me improve my timing on the Quant section and develop the skill of more quickly identifying problems that will likely take me substantially longer than 2 minutes - questions for which I should make an educated guess and move on. He was able to provide valuable perspective on how I should mentally approach the test - and how detrimental it can be to spend too much time on the hardest problems while foregoing easier problems later in the exam. I highly recommend Avi to any student looking to improve their score and understand what skill sets the GMAT really tests.

[hilary.a.coles]

I was lucky enough to take both a prep class and private tutoring with Avi. I had written the GMAT once before and had frozen up. With Avi's help, I brought my score up 30 points and scored 700+.

Avi's strategy allowed me to think independently and problem solve creatively - not rely on formulas and note cards. He identified my weaknesses and taught me how to manage time more effectively.

The entire process was motivating and interesting - unlike the scary, overwhelming experience I had previously had studying on my own.

I would not have had the successful experience I had without Avi and MGMAT.

[syedalinadeem]

I recently finished a GMAT course with Avi. He is a great instructor and knows GMAT inside out. I recommend taking the course with Avi. He is very helpful and engages you throughout the course.

[galassosail]

I met with Avi weekly during the month-and-a-half leading up to my exam. When I reached out to Avi, my Quant score had stagnated at about 40-41 and was not improving no matter how many hours of studying I put in.

It goes without saying that Avi has a complete mastery of all the concepts tested on the GMAT. I'm sure that is the case for all Manhattan GMAT tutors. Where he really distinguished himself is in his ability to ingrain a new approach. He facilitated a paradigm shift in the way I approached quant problems. He did this by challenging me to not rely upon 'auto-pilot' - blindly applying methods taught in the textbooks. Instead, he drilled me to think deeply about the questions and the given information. He got me to pause and draw inferences. By going back to the basics and forcing me to understand problems on a deeper level, he helped me improve my score dramatically (by almost 30 percentile points).

I should also mention that I met with Avi via online conference. I was skeptical about this at first, but it proved to be just as efficient as face-to-face meetings.

[galassosail]

I met with Avi weekly during the month-and-a-half leading up to my exam. When I reached out to Avi, my Quant score had stagnated at about 40-41 and was not improving no matter how many hours of studying I put in.

It goes without saying that Avi has a complete mastery of all the concepts tested on the GMAT. I'm sure that is the case for all Manhattan GMAT tutors. Where he really distinguished himself is in his ability to ingrain a new approach. He facilitated a paradigm shift in the way I approached quant problems. He did this by challenging me to not rely upon 'auto-pilot' - blindly applying methods taught in the textbooks. Instead, he drilled me to think deeply about the questions and the given information. He got me to pause and draw inferences. By going back to the basics and forcing me to understand problems on a deeper level, he helped me improve my score dramatically (by almost 30 percentile points).

I should also mention that I met with Avi via online conference. I was skeptical about this at first, but it proved to be just as efficient as face-to-face meetings.

[sergzz]

Avi is the reason I looked forward to coming to class every Tuesday. His method of teaching is very different from a conventional instructor; he loves thinking of alternative and better ways of solving conventional (to the GMAT) problems. Considering the strong belief that I had in Algebra, I did not think I would be open to different options. Over the 10 week course, Avi has successfully changed my framework for approaching problems. In addition, he provided a lot of insightful examples that could not be found elsewhere. I also liked that Avi was always willing to completely stop and explain from the ground up. If you had asked for my recommendation for GMAT course prior, I would be hesitant. Thanks for Avi, I actually considered the course to a friend; he is now Avi's student!

Avi - personal thanks for the wonderful experience! I will be sure to keep in touch.

[CorbinL775]

I have never met a man more passionate about fractions... and I'm not sure that I ever will. That being said, Avi was a great instructor who genuinely seemed to want his students to succeed on the GMAT. I haven't written the test yet, but I feel well prepared going into it.

I would definitely recommend both Avi and Manhattan Prep to a friend.

[HughU646]

I took the 9 week course with Avi. Avi is an excellent teacher. He is extremely committed to the success of his students because he genuinely cares. For example, he mentioned at the end of one of our last classes that, if we were doing all of our work and felt largely comfortable with the material and timing, we should be seeing solid improvement in our practice test scores. He said that if we weren't seeing the improvement that we wanted, we were welcome to reach out to him personally to discuss. It was clear that his offer was absolutely genuine.

Also, rather than simply teaching what's in the books or the online lessons, he focuses on really valuable tricks that he's developed over years of experience. He explains concepts very clearly and simply and he'll help you become much more comfortable with the GMAT content while providing you with guidance and support along the way.

I would recommend Avi to anyone I know without hesitation.

[PeterH917]

I was referred to Avi by two friends who were preparing for the GMAT. They both spoke very highly of him and I decided to look into what other people were saying about him. After doing an in-person 9 week class in Toronto, everything you read is true. He is a brilliant and patient teacher. Going through problems in class, he makes sure to show at least 2 solutions for each quant problem, which is great because you can decide how you like to approach them (algebra, intuition, drawing a picture, etc.). The only criticism I could honestly share about the class is that the time spent on Quant far outweighs the time spent on Verbal, which makes sense because most struggle with that aspect.

The best part about having Avi as your instructor is that he is truly there for you. You can email him whenever you want, and as many times as you want, and he will answer your questions regarding problems during and well after the course. ( I have never waited longer than a couple hours to hear back from him). That is a huge benefit, especially if you get hung up on small details, and I am pretty sure most other teachers will not be that accommodating. To sum up, Avi is an extremely talented and enthusiastic instructor, who creates a fun and positive learning environment, and if I were to do it all again I would not think twice about signing up for his class.