Why I Tutor—Marie Bercik
Marie B., an expert Leland coach, Georgetown/Columbia Grad, and 99th Percentile GMAT/GRE/SAT/ACT, outlines why she chooses to coach and what it means to her.
By Marie B.
Posted March 6, 2025
I didn’t take a traditional path to becoming a math teacher. I was a gifted student in school, but always had trouble understanding my teachers’ methods. I couldn’t follow their logic—I got overwhelmed and frustrated. What they were saying, it was just words coming at me, I couldn’t process any of it. Fortunately, I was good at figuring things out my own way. I did well on tests, and would show my classmates my work. They’d always say: “Why can’t the teacher make it that simple?”
This continued until middle and high school, when I started taking those mandatory statewide math aptitude tests. I took first place every year. After several years of this, I realized I had something my teachers hadn’t recognized. I loved math. I got the highest math SAT score in my grade. I entered Georgetown University as a math major (which I ultimately dropped for an English major, because I like analytical writing). My senior year of college, I took the LSAT—I didn’t have any interest in law, but wanted to see what kind of score I could get. I did well. I went to Seton Hall on their top scholarship for one year before deciding law wasn’t for me.
Around this time, I started tutoring SAT part time to make extra money. I absolutely loved it. I also loved teaching SAT math subject tests and contest math. I was recruited by Kaplan Test Prep to work in their sales department to sell their products. While there, I also trained to teach GMAT and GRE classes. After a few years, I decided teaching was what I really loved most, so I completed post-baccalaureate math classes, then enrolled in a Masters in Math Education program at Teachers College, Columbia University. I started teaching high school math in 2008; I offered test prep tutoring after school and on weekends, working mostly on the ACT and SAT. I’ve since expanded to the GMAT and GRE, where I specialize on the quantitative sections.
I’ve had quite a bit of success as a GMAT / GRE tutor, and I think there are two reasons for that. One, I’m always trying to perfect my craft. Over the years, I’ve observed what other institutions have done—Veritas Prep, Manhattan Prep, Magoosh, Kaplan, etc—and cobbled together my own curriculum, my own best practices. The second, though, is that I genuinely love tutoring. I love seeing people solve problems for themselves, love seeing them get to that “aha” moment. For me, the feeling of getting someone to that breakthrough moment when the idea just clicks—it’s indescribably gratifying. That is why I tutor.
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Interesting in GMAT / GRE prep? Click here for my Leland coaching profile.
Written by Marie
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I have been coaching MBA applicants for 18 years and my students have been admitted to top MBA programs such as HBS, GSB, Wharton, Sloan, Haas, Kellogg, Tuck, Columbia, London Business School, Stern, Fuqua and many more. I completed my undergraduate degree in English Literature at Georgetown University and Masters of Math Education at Teachers College, Columbia University. I'm a self-described test-taking junkie. I love puzzles (math problems and crosswords) and in high school I competed in contest-math AMC tests. I started teaching test prep (SAT, ACT, LSAT) while I was in my first year of law school. I later worked full-time for Kaplan teaching GMAT, GRE, SAT, and ACT prep classes. In 2006 I started my own business focusing on private tutoring while I pursued my MA in Math Education at Teachers College, Columbia University. From 2006 to 2016, I maintained a side business tutoring GMAT, GRE, SAT, and ACT while working as a full-time high school and college math teacher. In 2016, I began working full-time as an online GMAT and GRE tutor. Most of my students are based in the US, but I have worked with students from Asia, Europe, and South America. I teach all sections of each test, but my real passion is teaching Quantitative; I have designed and honed unique approaches that I love sharing with my students. I can't count how many times I've heard "Why wasn't I ever taught to look at numbers this way?" Before I begin working with a student, I conduct an initial evaluation to find out his/her target school, scheduling preferences, prior prep/test scores, math proficiency, etc. Based on that evaluation, I plan the first few lessons and assign homework. My students would say I'm very structured and create a disciplined and efficient work environment--we have our goal, and I will steer you to that end. If I'm starting with a student who has no prior prep experience, I begin by assigning and reviewing basic math concepts to create a solid foundation upon which to build. We then focus on 1-3 specific concepts at a time until each is at least partially mastered before moving onto subsequent topics. Verbal instruction depends on the student--some can achieve scores above 90% without any prep, while some need to learn critical thinking and comprehension skills. I assign mock tests every few lessons to gauge weak spots and organize the next few lessons. Evaluate--Instruct--Practice--Assess. That's the basic cycle of my curriculum. If you're serious about getting a competitive GMAT score and you're looking for a rigorous, structured coach who knows everything about how this test is designed, then please get in touch. (Discounts offered for different hourly packages. Please schedule a meeting to learn more.)
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