The Star Tutor: GMAT & GRE prep that shines in Chicago.
The Star Tutor, GMAT and GRE Prep delivers focused tutoring in Chicago. Guided by Tara, sessions pair rigorous GMAT content with practical strategies, praised for raising quant performance and overall scores. Clients note flexible scheduling, clear explanations, and a structured, personalized approach. Located at 2150 N Lincoln Park W, Chicago.
2150 N Lincoln Park W, Chicago, IL 60614, USA
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One-on-one sessions tailored to your strengths and weaknesses, focusing on quant, verbal, and data insights with custom study plans.
Comprehensive GRE coaching covering all sections, designed to improve scores through targeted strategies and practice.
Specialized program for students aiming for 85+ percentile scores, with challenging questions and elite test-taking tactics.
Accommodates demanding work and study schedules with early morning or customized session times to ensure consistency.
Helps identify recurring mistakes and builds effective test-day strategies for pacing and question prioritization.
Access to extensive notes, practice problems, and warm-up exercises curated to mirror actual exam content.
Overall rating
Graham Weinberger
Tara is phenomenal. Originally took a Kaplan(Manhattan Prep) course, scored an official 475 on the GMAT FE. Retook the Kaplan course (for free), but my practice tests were not improved. After studying with Tara, I scored a 645.
Michael Grassi
Tara has been an exceptional tutor and made a tremendous difference in my GMAT journey. Before working with him, I studied with another tutor and genuinely felt prepared, yet I scored a 525 on my first attempt, including a 30th-percentile quant score. It was discouraging enough that I stepped away from studying for six months. When I finally decided to try again, I began working with Tara, and the change was immediate. He took the time to understand exactly where I was struggling and rebuilt my quant foundation from the ground up. His explanations were clear and practical, and he adapted his approach to the way I learn. On top of that, he was incredibly flexible with my demanding work schedule, often meeting with me early in the morning to ensure I stayed consistent. After a few months of working together, I scored a 615 on my next attempt. It was a meaningful improvement, but I still had a long-term goal of reaching a 645. Tara continued supporting me with the same patience and dedication, helping me build an effective error log and identify the recurring mistakes that had been holding me back. That final stretch of work made a remarkable difference. One month later, I finally reached the score I had been aiming for since the very beginning: a 645, with an 84 in quant, placing me in the 87th percentile. To go from the 30th percentile in quant to the 87th, and to ultimately achieve a goal I had been chasing for over a year, is something I once thought was out of reach. Tara’s guidance, structure, and belief in my potential made it possible. If you are looking for a tutor who will genuinely invest in your progress and guide you through every stage of the process, I recommend Tara without hesitation. He supported me through the full journey, and I could not be more grateful for the outcome.
Laura K
I got a 735 on the GMAT Focus Edition (Q: 86, V: 90, DI: 83), and Tara was an incredible tutor during preparation for the exam. I had gotten a 635 (Q: 75) on practice exams before working with him, and on the recommendation of a friend, I reached out to Tara in hopes of improving my quant score. I did the Level 2 comprehensive course package (and ended up purchasing 2 additional hours for the very advanced content) and we were able to cover a ton of material. In the exam itself, I only got 1 question wrong, and I credit my success to how well prepared I was through working with Tara. I have a nontraditional background for applying to business school – I have an art history degree and work for a nonprofit organization. I had not taken a math class in over 8 years, and my math skills were very rusty to say the least. I was suspicious as to how much improvement I could make in two months, but I gave it a try, and I am so glad I found and worked with Tara. I was really impressed by how well he knew the material that would be covered on the exam. Everything I saw in the exam overlapped with content I had covered with Tara, and he had an extensive collection of notes and practice problems which he shared with me. The morning of the exam, I practiced with three of his “warmup” questions from materials he had shared with me, and it helped me get in the right headspace before the exam. One thing he really emphasized and which helped me immensely in the exam was to make sure you know what the question is asking – and don’t waste time doing work that doesn’t help you get that. I was able to save so much time by using the tricks he shared and by focusing on what the question was asking and not just on solving an equation. I really struggled with time management before working with Tara (frequently running out of time for the last 4-5 questions), and in GMAT I finished with extra time to go back and review questions. It was a big investment of time and money, but it really paid off.
Alex P
Tara was instrumental in helping me score a 725 (Q: 85 / V: 87 / DI: 86) on the GMAT Focus, reflecting a 70-point improvement, primarily on the Quant section, over the course of roughly a month. Before working with Tara, I was stuck at a 655 after sitting for the exam twice, with my score being dragged down by Quant – Tara’s primary area of expertise. I had been using Target Test Prep, but while the material was extensive, I had plateaued; I felt like I was studying endlessly without seeing results. Using ChatGPT to supplement my prep was marginally helpful, but the explanations lacked context, and there were no practical tips and tricks for addressing difficult questions when my first thought was “where do I even start?” That’s where Tara came in. Per the recommendation of a colleague, I reached out, had an initial call and signed up for a multi-hour package shortly thereafter upon seeing his expertise and approach, which is a differentiated and complementary mixture of both test content and practical strategy. We worked though his Advanced Course, which is specifically tailored to test takers targeting section scores of 85+. The questions he gave me were at the exact right level of difficulty, and he coupled them with insightful test-taking tactics which I hadn’t seen in any other test prep materials. Furthermore, Tara was extremely effective at breaking down and sharing his thought process on the most difficult Quant and Data Insights problems, particularly data sufficiency and multi-source reasoning-style questions that I often would get tripped up on. Lastly, Tara has structured the course in a comprehensive and organized manner, with individual lessons covering specific topics and being paired with highly relevant homework assignments. Beyond the technical prep and strategy, Tara was a great coach and more broadly is an outstanding person. He was entertaining, flexible, and understanding, which made the experience much more enjoyable while balancing a demanding work schedule. On days when I was tired and frustrated, he helped me stay sane; on days when I was confident, he pushed me to capitalize on that momentum. The night before my exam, I used all that I had learned from working with Tara to develop a mental plan for test day – how to pace myself, how to order the different sections of the exam, and a list of concepts to think through quickly in the event that I was stumped on a particular question. The plan allowed me to go into the exam calm, confident, and equipped with the exact strategies I needed, and the results showed. If you’re serious about pushing into the 705+ range, especially if you’ve plateaued with self-study tools, Tara is the difference-maker. He knows the exam inside and out, adapts to your level, and gives you both the technical skills and strategy to perform on test day.
Kate Newman
Tara was great. I was really struggling to get my GMAT Focus quant score up and wound up doing about 10 hours of lessons with him and got my cumulative score up 30 points. His tips, tricks, and time saving methods are fantastic. Would highly recommend!
