About
I have been helping test takers achieve elite GMAT Quant scores for fifteen years. Almost all of my students score in the Q48-Q51 range, and many have gotten 760-790 overall scores.
Before I started teaching GMAT, I was a mathematician. I did my undergrad and Masters degrees in Number Theory, worked as a publications editor for a mathematics research institute, and wrote a chapter for a graduate-level math book. And I was a teacher – as a TA, I led weekly problem solving sessions for several classes at McGill University in Calculus, Combinatorics, and Abstract Algebra, and I taught algebra and calculus at a Montreal high school.
I started teaching GMAT in London during my PhD (in Music). At first, I only taught one class each week – I was also working as a university lecturer at two London universities and as an editor for an international arts magazine. But for more than ten years now, I have been exclusively a GMAT tutor, researcher, and writer.
I have researched the GMAT more intensively than anyone I know. I’ve applied every popular prep company strategy and method to thousands of official questions, to determine which are successful and which aren’t. I’ve coded an algorithm identical to the GMAT scoring algorithm. I am recognized as one of the world’s leading experts in GMAT math. I was the first independent tutor recognized as a Featured Expert on the world’s leading GMAT forums, and I have a perfect Q51 on every real GMAT I’ve taken (with a 780 Q51/V47 overall score), spending on average about one minute per question. And I have been helping test takers answer hard questions quickly for more than a decade.
Testimonials
I can’t recommend working with Ian enough!… Absolutely positive that I could not have done this without him and would most definitely recommend him…He is extremely thoughtful in the way that he tutors, flexible in adapting to difficult schedules, and one of the most smart and intelligent human beings I’ve ever had the pleasure of meeting.
Matt, 770 score, June 2022Find this guy and lever him if you can afford to hire him – rates are reasonable and he is the best there is on Quant
GMAT Mission Accomplished – 770This is when I made the single best decision of my GMAT preparation. I emailed Ian Stewart. As some of you know, Ian is a mathematician/ expert on this site/GMAT god/one of the nicest/coolest people you’ll ever meet…
There is no other way to sum up the sessions than simply amazing.
740-Q49/V41 from Q29/V35 thanks to Quant genius Ian StewartIf you can get him, you will have the pleasure of working with someone who is truly gifted and mindblowingly fast, with a great sense of how to teach
Scored 780 thanks to Ian Stewart
GMAT Tutoring
I specialize in teaching high-level GMAT math. Whether you’re just starting your preparation, or have been studying for months and have hit a plateau, I can help.
I don’t teach like anyone else. My approach emphasizes understanding, logic, and how to think, not strategies, methods or formulas. It’s the best way to prepare for a high GMAT score, because the GMAT is fundamentally testing how well you think. Almost all of my students in the last few years have scored in the Q48-Q51 range, and my students are usually ready for the test within two months.
Contact me below for more information.
MY BOOKS AND PROBLEM SETS
The Books
note: I am in the process of updating my books and problem sets for the GMAT Focus version of the test, which launches in late 2023. I will include a note here when those Focus books and sets are available.
I have written a set of six pdf-books covering all of GMAT math, meant for test takers aiming for elite Quant scores. My books are unique. They emphasize conceptual understanding far more than any other GMAT materials. Other materials teach formulas and methods that can be used to solve standard problems. But if you have ever seen real high-level GMAT questions, you’ll know that you can’t just plug numbers into a formula or a table and hope to get a right answer. Hard questions on the GMAT are unusual, inventive, non-standard. They are testing if you know how to think about math. That is what my books teach.
Not only will a conceptual approach let you answer the hardest questions on the test, it will also let you answer easier questions more quickly. Some math tests are just testing if you can memorize formulas and plug things in. That’s not what the GMAT is testing, so there are better and faster ways to do almost every GMAT question, ways I teach in my books.
Each book contains dozens of solved sample questions, almost all of which are 600-800 level.
My books are not for everyone. They cover everything, but don’t devote a lot of time to basic drills, so they’re not appropriate for someone still working on their mathematical fundamentals. I’d only recommend them to someone scoring over Q35 on practice tests. If you’re not yet at that level, I would recommend you build your foundation further before using my materials.
For more information, see here:
The Problem Sets
I have four very high-level problem sets available. Features:
• 217 questions in each problem set (the equivalent of 7 official GMAT Quant sections)
• realistic questions for high-level test takers (Q44-Q51)
• organized by topic, with both PS and DS questions• complete, detailed solutions• no overlap with the questions in my books
For more information, see here:
APPLICATION ESSAY EDITING
Each year, I help two or three MBA applicants with their admissions essays. I’m not an Admissions Consultant (and I charge far less than Admissions Consultants do), so if you’re looking for someone to chaperone you through the admissions process, to help with interviews, or to answer questions about specific MBA programs, I’m not the best person to work with. But I am a published writer, and I have worked professionally as an editor for many years, so I can help you make your application essays as strong as possible. If you might be interested in working together, contact me using the form below.