Attention, Arizona test takers — if you need help preparing for the MCAT, LSAT, GMAT, or GRE, I’m here for you. I live in Tucson, having moved from the San Francisco Bay Area, and I work with students in Phoenix, Scottsdale, Tempe and the rest of the state as well. I’ve spent twenty-five years helping people all over the country prepare for their graduate admission exams.
In that time I’ve helped over 2000 students prepare for their exams and gain admittance to top undergraduate colleges and to graduate programs in medicine, law, business, and more. Formerly with The Princeton Review and later Kaplan2, I’m now bringing my expertise directly to those who need it.
Unlike most instructors in the test prep industry, I’ve actually taken every test I teach — the real, official ones, not online mockups or practice tests. I’ve scored well into the 99th percentile on each of them and perfectly on all but the MCAT: 177 the first time on the LSAT and 180 since, 525 on the MCAT, perfect scores on the GMAT and the GRE. And while there’s a lot more to teaching than doing well on the material oneself, you probably wouldn’t be comfortable being taught by someone who isn’t good at what he’s supposed to be teaching. You needn’t worry about that with me.
Most of my tutoring is over Zoom, which my students tell me works at least as well as sitting across a table — I was doing it this way long before everybody else was. But I do live here, so if you’re in Tucson I can meet you either at your home or at a mutually agreeable public venue. Any quiet place will do.
The tests
LSAT — the test I have the longest history with and know best. I first took it in December 1992, which got me into UC Berkeley Law School, after which I clerked for Judge Jerome Farris of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. I started teaching it in 2001. My students have gone to every one of the T14 schools, and about half of them get to 169 or more.
MCAT — around a thousand students since 2002, and I’ve taken the official test four times, including both the old paper-and-pencil version and the current one. Physics and general chemistry are my strongest areas and most students’ weakest.
GMAT and GRE — perfect scores on both, taught since 2002. I cover them together because they’re very similar tests.
I also help on the SAT and ACT, and do subject-specific tutoring in biology, physics, chemistry and math.
What my students say
“I am a 41 year old bachelors student in the law program at the University of Arizona… Doug has methods that are not taught in mainstream prep courses. He will tailor them to your individual needs and continuously builds on them… I was able to improve my score by 10 points in 4 mos. of instruction with Doug.”
— Theresa Marie H., Tucson
“He’s a guru. Best decision I ever made… I began working with Doug and had difficulty breaking 140. He quickly brought my score up to the 160’s, and after 15-20 more sessions I routinely tested in the coveted 170’s… I ended up placing at one of my top choices with a 75,000 dollar scholarship.”
— Kellon M.
“He could be direct in calling out weak areas… but this is what a student like myself needed to excel… Doug helped me surpass my MCAT goal with an AAMC Official Score of 509.”
— Davis B.
Every review I’ve gotten, on Google and Yelp alike, has been five stars (so far; fingers crossed). There are more on my reviews page.
Rates, and getting started
My rate is $240 an hour, and you pay only for the time we spend working together, not for any preparation on my part. More on the rates page.
I don’t charge for initial consultations, whether they last five minutes or more than an hour, so there’s no reason not to get in touch. Text me at 512-934-1566 — it’s the most reliable way to reach me quickly and I prefer it. Email works too, as does voicemail.