The GRE has been the source of nightmares for millions of students. While some institutes have made this exam compulsory, others consider it optional. But there’s no point in celebrating if you decide to apply to institutes where the exam is optional. That’s because submitting your GRE scores along with your application gives you more credibility. So, any candidate who provides their GRE scores will be prioritized over you.
If you want to obtain an MBA, MS, or a PhD degree abroad, you’ll need to find a reliable coaching service that can help you achieve your dreams. AbroAdvice.com offers the best GRE coaching in India with both online and offline options. But there are many other reliable options. All you have to do is find them.
What Qualities Should You Look for in GRE Coaching Centres?
There are quite a few reliable services in India that can help you fulfil your dream to study abroad. For example, if you want to hire SOP LOR writing services, you’ll visit AbroAdvice. This website provides GRE guidance as well. However, if you want to check your options, make sure to consider the following qualities:
1. Experience of the service
India has witnessed a 63% increase in the GRE test takers in the past decade. With each passing year, the competition is just getting tougher. So, if you choose a coaching centre that hasn’t been around for a long time, there’s no guarantee that it will have the proper infrastructure required to help students score at least 310 or above in the exam. Ideally, your aim should be 325. With this score, you can easily apply to some of the most reputed universities globally.
An inexperienced service cannot possibly fathom the competition that the students have to undergo. Besides, they might not have the capacity to provide the best guidance to all test-takers. That’s why you should always choose a service that has been around for at least 8-10 years.
2. Educational details of the faculty
The educational qualifications of the experts providing GRE training matter the most. Experienced professionals provide the best teaching experience. You’ll never find students dozing off in classes where the teacher makes learning interesting. Even if it’s something as information-heavy as History or Philosophy, students will always pay attention if the instructor knows how to teach.
Usually, when picking any coaching service, students only focus on the experts’ educational qualifications. Of course, subject knowledge is important. Otherwise, these professionals won’t be able to teach how to handle complex questions in the verbal reasoning, analytical writing, and quantitative reasoning sections. But you shouldn’t underestimate the value of teaching abilities. If possible, attend a few trial sessions to check if the expert –
- Uses examples to improve understanding
- Uses simple and easily comprehensible language to teach
There’s no point paying tuition fees to coaching centres when you can’t make sense of the classes. So, don’t jump at the first service that crosses your path. Conduct detailed research and ensure that the experts’ teaching experience is worth the price.
3. Student reviews/success stories
Before buying any new product from Amazing, what’s the first thing that you do? Go through the reviews, of course! That’s where you can find out whether other buyers have experienced any issues using that particular product. Similarly, you can figure out if signing up with a particular coaching centre is worth it if you go through their student reviews or check their success stories.
You’ll usually find student reviews for online tutoring centres. Be wary of services that inflate their ratings by writing fake student reviews. Usually, newer services try this trick. But you don’t have to worry about fake reviews if you hire a reliable and experienced service. Checking the quality of services is easier for offline coaching centres. You can visit the centre to attend trial classes and interact with the students yourself.
4. Emphasis on all sections
Some institutes focus primarily on the Quantitative Reasoning section while ignoring the Verbal Reasoning and Analytical Writing parts. Those sections are equally important. Even if you’re weak in mathematics, you can’t score well on the GRE if you focus only on the Quantitative part. That’s why you should always check that the centre you book provides equal support for all sections.
A great way to check this is to review their schedule. Usually, coaching centres provide a detailed study schedule that highlights the sections that the course will cover for the entire duration. It includes the number of tests that are to be conducted, revision sessions, and more. Check this schedule if it is available. Otherwise, contact the experts directly and request them to share their plans of covering the entire GRE syllabus.
5. Regular practice tests
Appearing for practice tests is a must. The more tests you give, the better idea you have about your strengths and weaknesses. After the first two or three tests, you can figure out the following details –
- Sections that you need to focus on more
- Topics that require additional revision
- Strengths that you can polish more
This information can help you personalize your study schedule. You can dedicate more hours to topics that you need to revise more. If you notice that you’re lagging behind in multiple topics, try increasing your study hours.
6. Course duration & pricing
If you’re planning to study at a reputable GRE coaching centre in India, prepare to spend quite a lot. If you notice any service offering prices that are too good to be true, avoid them at all costs. If you want to get quality training, you have to pay the experts for the training they provide, bear the administrative costs, charges for test conduction, etc. Usually, the prices depend on two major factors –
- The type of instruction (online/offline/private classes)
- Duration of the course
Let’s check out a few examples:
Prices for GRE coaching at TIME
| Course Details | Fees |
| Online classes (recorded) with ematerials | INR 9,950 |
| Online classes (recorded) with hardcopy materials | INR 12,950 |
| Online classes (live) with hard-copy materials | INR 14,950 |
Prices for GRE coaching at Magoosh
| Course Details | Fees |
| 1-month premium classes | Approx. INR 8,230 |
| 6-months premium classes | Approx. INR 10,720 |
| Premium + Admission | Approx. INR 12,380 |
When finalizing a coaching centre, always compare the price charts of various options. That should give you a better idea of the average cost for a particular duration.
7. Personalized support
Students learn at their own pace. Those who are quick to catch on can breeze through their studies. But the ones who require more time to understand complex topics play catch up with their peers if the centre isn’t considerate of their needs as well. That’s why it’s wise to choose an option where you can get personalized services.
Some reputed coaching centres begin their pre-reading sessions with a general approach and adopt a more personalized method as they earn each student’s capacity after the first 1-2 months. The experts provide a new study schedule keeping individual needs in mind. Those who are capable of more advanced training also receive additional support materials. Such assistance goes a long way to ensure students can learn at their own pace without feeling rushed.
8. One-on-one guidance
Group sessions aren’t for everyone. Some students feel too overwhelmed while studying with a group of other aspirants. Meanwhile, some might need special attention, especially if they plan to crack the GRE on the first attempt. Several coaching centres offer one-on-one classes for such test-takers. These sessions are usually of shorter duration and more expensive. But they’re worth it because you can enjoy the undivided attention of the expert.
If you need additional guidance, don’t hesitate to choose a service that offers private coaching. But always check the following –
- Does the service provide recordings of the sessions for you to review later? Can you reach out to the expert for assistance whenever you want?
- What is the average waiting time for you to receive an answer to any query?
- Will the expert personalize the sessions instead of following a strict schedule?
- Is the expert flexible with classes in case you miss a scheduled session?
If the answer is yes to all these questions, don’t hesitate to sign up for the sessions.
9. Doubt-clearing sessions
Practice tests aren’t complete until the coaching institute offers doubt-clearing sessions. After all, what’s the use of knowing which sections you need to improve if you don’t know how to improve them? Almost every good coaching service offers doubt-clearing sessions after every practice test to answer students’ queries. But it’s still best to double-check whether the service is offered before you finalize your choice.
10. Access to study materials
If you search for good study materials online, you’ll barely find good choices. Most of the online resources are paraphrased versions of each other. The ETS provided limited resources free of cost. But these aren’t enough. Fortunately, any reliable centre will provide study materials. All you have to do is check whether they are worth it. Besides, make sure that you can retain access to these materials even if your course ends before you have to appear for the GRE.
In conclusion,
You won’t lack options if you’re looking for GRE coaching centres in India. But finding a reliable one at affordable prices is like looking for a pin in a haystack. Fortunately, this guide should help you identify the qualities you need to look for in any reliable coaching centre.
