29,746Leland Reviews

I scored a 320 (160V 160Q) — improving my verbal score by almost 10 points in just 3 weeks with Saad’s coaching. For context, I intensely studied for ~2 months prior to my first test — learning 1.2K words with Vince Vocab, taking the GregMat 2-month course, and reading the Economist / Scientific Journal. I was able to get a 163Q, but bombed and got a 151V. With three weeks to prepare, I was referred to Saad’s — where I learned the most important lesson: prioritize quality over quantity and go slower to go faster. I currently work as a senior consultant at the Bridgespan Group. Tactically, I: 1. Made an error log and reviewed what I got wrong, diagnosed what in my thought process and approach was not effective, and re-wired my mind / re-designed my approach 2. ⁠Read slower for RC and took notes in the form of an annotated mental map of the passages. This helped me to comprehend the info and have a map to go back to guide me to the evidence I needed to validate (or invalidate) an answer 3. ⁠Prioritized elimination strategy over anything else. The test is deceiving and it’s cognitively easier to disprove rather than validate 4. ⁠Did a crap ton of mock practice problems/tests from Instagram under timed conditions to build my muscles of pattern recognition and making decisions quickly and not looking back. Overall, I recommend going slower to go faster and prioritizing quality over quantity. Also, consider getting coaching from Saad :) Not only is it nice to have the added reassurance of an expert in your corner, but he has an ability to inspire and effectively coach you to identify strategies that work best with your way of thinking.

I hope you’re doing great. It’s high time I shared my GRE journey — and without a doubt, you made it possible. To everyone reading this: the GRE has become much tougher now. The usual old resources just don’t cut it anymore. My final score was 321 (165 Quant, 156 Verbal, 4.0 AWA). Studying and discipline weren’t an issue for me — the real challenge was: a) Which resources to use, and b) How to use those resources effectively. My husband recommended Saad’s page to me (he was Saad’s batch mate at LUMS - class of 2018), and I found it incredibly helpful. I went through his YouTube videos on resources like Manhattan 5 lb and the GRE Big Book. Below, I’ve detailed all the resources I used and how I used them. For Quant , I built concepts using Manhattan’s 6 Quant guides and Magoosh videos. Both offered different strategies, and I learned from both. But since the GRE has become more advanced now, I also studied the extra topics highlighted on Saad’s Instagram — things like parabolas, concentric circles, box plots, and slope (make sure you interact with his questions on stories - he keeps an eye on those students who regularly answer questions and are working hard and he will randomly message you out of the blue) if he thinks he can improve your score. Once my concepts were solid, I practiced in this order: 1) Manhattan 5 lb questions and ETS Quant guides 2) GRE Big Book Data Interpretation and tough Quant questions 3) Magoosh Quant questions shared by Saad 4) the Quant Qs on Saad’s Instagram — these were the real game changer. Their difficulty matched the actual GRE, and some of those exact concepts appeared on test day. For realistic GRE simulation, I used PowerPrep 3 exams and most importantly, Saad’s mock exams on Instagram — they truly reflected the real GRE level For Verbal,* I used GregMat to understand Sentence Equivalence, Text Completion, and RC strategies. For vocabulary, I used Magoosh GRE flashcards, all the word lists Saad provided (some of which appeared verbatim in my test), and 1000 words by Talha Omer (Brightlink Prep). Magoosh helped build a foundation, but Saad’s word lists made the real difference. I practiced Verbal from the GRE Big Book and ETS Verbal guides, applying all the strategies I’d learned. For AWA, I followed only Saad’s guidance on Instagram — nothing else — and still scored a 4.0. For mocks, I attempted 3 PowerPrep exams, ETS free mocks, and Saad’s mock tests on Instagram. Let me be honest — Saad’s mocks were a 100% match to the real GRE. The ETS ones felt easier and outdated. If you want to truly assess yourself, use Saad’s mocks. I stayed in touch with Saad throughout the prep process, and he kept guiding me at every step. Even after finishing content, I struggled with time management — especially in Quant. Saad gave me a strategy: “Solve the initial and final questions first. Skip the middle ones and return later.” I started using this approach a week before test day — and it worked like magic. It helped me stay calm and manage time wisely during the exam. Another key tip from Saad: Maintain an error log to identify repeated mistakes. He even reviewed mine and gave feedback. He also advised me to time every practice session — which helped immensely with stamina and pacing. Since I had some free time initially, I studied 2–3 hours daily, 5 days a week, and prepped over 5–6 months. But this wasn’t easy. I gave my GRE while going through a rough pregnancy, in and out of emergency rooms, all while doing a demanding consulting job. I even had to reschedule my exam. And shortly after that, I became a mom. That’s why I got delayed in sharing this — life got busy with motherhood. So if you’re reading this and your job (I currently work at PWC as a manager)is tough or your life is full — just know that if you’re focused and consistent, you can pull it off. My advice to new test-takers: don’t rely too much on ETS material — ETS Quant is about 50% easier than the real GRE. Practice each question like it's the real exam, understand every concept deeply, and track your errors. On test day, I was calm because I had practiced with real difficulty in mind. I used every break to walk around and snack to stay refreshed. I’m incredibly grateful to Saad for all his insights and constant support. I truly could not have done it without him.

Knowledgeable and hungry to learn and utilize AI

Jenny provided thoughtful and directive guidance on my career goals. If you need someone to gently, yet purposely help you identify next steps, Jenny is for you.

I worked with Jenny when I began a new role and needed help navigating a new environment and demands on my time. Jenny helped me remain focused, clear-eyed, and to set actionable goals that helped me to thrive in my position while also balancing my family and health.

Very insightful session.

Luca did an amazing Job in an hour to take us through a simple tutorial on how to build our own AI agents - talking about different aspects and depths. He answered questions with clarity and after this intro call, I am more excited to build my own agent!

Luca was incredibly clear on his Intro to n8n course! I've attended a few Leland courses and Luca did a fantastic job breaking down these concepts to beginners - best instructor so far. I will definitely be in touch to set up 1:1 time to help me think through some upcoming projects. Thanks, Luca!

Gr8 coach- really lucid way of explaining things-just 1 suggestion- must go a bit slow for the students to follow :)

Very clear information!