28,169Leland Reviews

Before meeting with Nirmal, I had self studied for about 3- 4months. I went through all the usual guides (Manhattan, Kaplan, Official Guides) and had taken upwards of 8 practice tests. While my practice scores improved over time, I didn't have a great understanding of why I was doing the things I was doing. As a result, when faced with the stress of the actual exam, I underperformed badly and scored a 580. Nirmal helped me clearly think through what I was really looking for, and how to best approach getting there. He never forced the application of a specific method or formula, but rather, guided my thought process around what I was trying to accomplish on each question. This was a breakthrough for me that allowed me to relax and stop rushing through questions blindly hoping to find an answer that made sense. Prior to working together, I hated exponents and always hoped to avoid them on the test. After working on that area with Nirmal, and going through his worksheets that he created, exponents became my favorite problem type and his material and teaching really helped me master that area. Nirmal was very invested in my score and was extremely flexible working around my sometimes hectic schedule. He makes himself readily accessible and is a tremendous resource for anyone who is serious above improving their GMAT score. He is also developing his own GMAT material which was extremely helpful for me to use.

My very first meeting with Nirmal gave me a glimpse of what was to come, and I quickly learned that tutoring was not just a project on the side for him, rather something that he was fully committed to. Like many graduate school hopefuls, I was filled with anxiety about the GRE before I even started studying. Unlike many graduate school hopefuls, however, I wasn't merely re-familiarizing myself with concepts learned in high school, but actually learning some of those foundational concepts for the first time. Nirmal moved far beyond explaining my errors as I worked through problems– we broke problems down step by step, he identified my particular needs, and came up with different ways of teaching me certain concepts (including playing some very interesting games that somehow made it all stick). His personal attention coupled with his gentle and caring nature, made every session worth it. Nirmal, words can't express how grateful I am that you stayed with me throughout this process. No matter what happens next, you were the rope that pulled me up to the top of my Mt. Everest.

I had an ambitious goal in mind: get a 750+ on the GMAT in 5 weeks. After taking a standard issue bootcamp course I was stuck in the low 700 range and confused as to what I was doing wrong. I re-read all the materials. I did thousands of questions. I summoned the test gods. Nothing worked. All of the prepackaged materials and guidance in the bootcamp course weren't working because they were just that – prepackaged materials and guidance. A friend recommended I try his tutor, so I picked up the phone and called Nirmal. My first practice test after meeting with Nirmal I scored a 750. Then a 760. Then a 780. You get the picture. Nirmal has the unique ability to not only prepare you in terms of content and strategy, but also prepare you for test day. He was extremely flexible in terms of meeting location and time and always accommodated my situation. With his help I was able to succeed in my goal. If I could do it again, I would have started straight with Nirmal. He's the absolute best Sherpa to lead you up the GMAT mountain, no matter what your goals.

I saw Nirmal for about 2 months, and thanks to him, will be attending the Simmons School of Management in September. While I am not sure of what my starting score was for the GREs, I am sure that I wouldn't have done as well as I did without Nirmal. He was very good at meeting me where I was at in terms of what I knew and didn't know and was willing to start from the beginning with me. Not only did he help to reorient me with terms and ideas that I learned in high school, he also helped teach me time saving tricks and techniques that were extremely useful. I have already recommended him to my co-worker and will continue to do so for anyone else planning on taking the GREs or GMAT. Nirmal is a really great, energizing, enthusiastic and extremely helpful tutor and teacher!

Nirmal truly is the ideal instructor. I can't imagine a better blend of enthusiasm, intelligence and compassion in a tutor. When I was working with him it was impossible to avoid his excitement for reaching every next level. Beyond simple test prep, Nirmal also provided me with an excellent dose of perspective and insight that dramatically improved my confidence to do well on the test. He guided me from a score of 560 on my first practice GMAT to my final score of 760; a score I easily could have beaten with the instruction he gave me. Thank you again Nirmal!

I've had a long history of test anxiety, especially when it comes to the quantitative section of most standardized exams. Going into the GRE with a 156 as my original quant score, having tried and failed with two previous tutors, and after multiple potential tutors and peers told me it would be difficult to raise my score above the 160 threshold I was aiming for, my prospects looked gloomy. And trying to raise my score over the course of two short months filled with application preparation, in the midst of post-graduate coursework, and travel for work nearly every week? Downright impossible. And yet, from the get-go, Nirmal's unceasingly positive energy and saintly patience made this an easy task. From conducting lessons over Skype to scrapping his own lesson plan in real time as I struggled more with one section or did better than expected in another, Nirmal was always flexible in addition to being focused on making sure I fully understood the concepts the GRE tested from all angles. I've hated math for as long as I can remember, but under Nirmal's tutelage the GRE became less of a nightmare and more of a tough puzzle I knew I could solve. As a bonus, he also introduced me to meditative practice that I used on test day and continue to use in my everyday life. My only regret is that I didn't listen to the friend who recommended me and seek out Nirmal's help sooner. I can't imagine the leaps I would've made under less stressful personal conditions and over more time. Even with all that pressure, on test day I scored a 162 - my highest yet! If you're looking for a tutor for the GRE or GMAT go with Nirmal - this is one answer I'm 100% sure is right!

Nirmal is an incredible tutor and I would not have gotten my goal GRE score without his help. Before working together, I was stuck with a low range score. I needed to make a big jump for my top choice graduate schools and Nirmal got me there. He guided me through every verbal/quant topic on the test and broke the content down into digestible parts that we would review during our sessions. Outside of our meetings, Nirmal took time to to identify my weakest areas, developed homework specifically tailored to my needs and then provided awesome tricks to attack abstract questions. When I would struggle with a topic, Nirmal would stop and explain the concept in a way that I could understand. Nirmal is patient, incredibly kind, professional, very flexible and brilliant. I have recommended him to every friend I have that will be taking the GMAT or GRE and I can not think of a better person to work with. Thank you so much Nirmal, I am beyond grateful!

I have personally recommended Nirmal to all of my friends who are considering taking the GMAT, and I would endorse Nirmal to any person looking for assistance with this test. Nirmal is thoughtful, courteous and diligent. He is also extremely flexible when it comes to navigating your busy work schedule. With only two months of preparation, I was able to obtain a score good enough to be accepted into Columbia's M.B.A. program. I would have never been able to accomplish this goal without Nirmal.

Alex's hourly rate was more than what I hoped to spend, but he was totally worth it. Unlike other tutors I'd worked with, Alex comes incredibly prepared, so you get a lot more out of your time with him than you typically would. Ahead of our sessions, he had reviewed my previous practice exams to ensure we focused not only on the topics I wanted to review, but also the topics he believed would increase my score. He had thorough decks prepared and provided robust notes to track learnings from each session. He is also an incredible teacher who breaks down the content incredibly simply and provides tips and tricks to get you through the exam more efficiently. Overall, Alex is incredibly kind, thoughtful, and awesome to work with, and he helped me raise my GRE 4+ points on both verbal and quant sections!

After almost 10 hour exam yesterday (GRE + Toefl), I was exhausted. I woke up this morning and I had a nosebleed. I opened my computer, and I typed leland.com to write Alex the best review. You see, Alex was so great that I was eager to write him a review when one of my nose is stuffed with tissue as I am typing this. I worked with him on GRE. He was attentive, supportive, positive, and detailed. If going the extra mile means something, he could be the example. By now, I took gmat 8 times, gre 3 times - so that makes me 11 time test taker, and I am so glad that I am done. On a deeper level, I think these graduate level tests are like IQ tests so there are invincible walls that you cannot climb once you hit the threshold. I did not believe in that wall. I think anyone could climb the wall, so i tried for 2 years. Whatever the case, and despite my lack of english-only environment especially in my formative years (childhood years and many books read during the age 12-17 seem to be the most decisive factor in verbal to be honest), I think the way Alex taught me materials was very good and i wholeheartedly recommend him to anyone. Thank you.