For students aiming at business school or other graduate programs, entrance exams like the GRE and GMAT continue to be a central part of the application experience. To understand how these tests are changing and how students are preparing, we spoke with someone who’s been guiding test‑takers for nearly twenty years – Meeraj V. Patel.
Patel has built a career around something he genuinely enjoys: working one‑on‑one with students. Based in Florida and teaching entirely online, Patel is the owner and founder of Intuitive Test Prep, where he specializes in the SAT, ACT, GRE, GMAT, and LSAT.
He taught his first SAT course back in 2007 while still in college in New Jersey, and demand grew quickly.
“Before I knew it, I had a long waitlist of students looking to work with me,” he shares. What began with SAT and ACT prep expanded into GRE tutoring, and after the pandemic, Patel formalized his work under a single brand. Most recently, he added GMAT and LSAT services which he says was a natural extension of the graduate‑level support students are seeking.
A TESTING LANDSCAPE THAT IS EVOLVING
Patel has watched the major exams adjust their formats over time, often in response to one another. The GMAT’s shift to the Focus Edition — launched in November 2023, with the classic version retired in January 2024 — is one of the most notable recent changes.
The new format eliminates geometry, grammar, and the essay entirely, while elevating the Data Insights section (formerly known as the Integrated Reasoning section) to equal weight with Quant and Verbal.
“It has much more importance than it used to,” Patel says. “It now counts toward your main score, which used to be exclusively determined by your Quant and Verbal performance.”
Patel says the major testing organizations are shifting in parallel to each other every now and again. “I’m seeing the exams converge more and more
THE GRE VERSUS THE GMAT
Over time, the motivations for choosing the GRE or GMAT remain consistent, even as the tests themselves evolve, shares Patel.
“What I’m seeing is that students who prefer the GRE are usually trying to circumvent the harder quant material on the GMAT while emphasizing their verbal strengths,” he says. “Students who want to emphasize their quant strengths, on the other hand, and downplay the importance of vocabulary and writing prefer the GMAT.”
Still, Patel makes note that neither exam lets students hide from their weaker area, whether it be Quant or Verbal. “You can’t really get away from your weaknesses with either test. It’s just a question of what you want to emphasize and what you want to downplay,” he shares.
The GRE remains friendlier to students with humanities or liberal arts backgrounds, while the GMAT leans heavily quantitative. For students unsure about business school, Patel sees the GRE as the more flexible option. “It leaves more pathways open to you, since the GMAT is only accepted at business schools.”
When it comes to practice test material, Patel says there’s a bit of a gap in official practice resources between the two major graduate exams. The GRE’s creators, ETS, have shortened the test but have not expanded its practice test library.
“Right now, there just aren’t enough official practice tests from ETS that actually simulate the current version of the exam,” he says. “There are only three such tests available for purchase on their website, along with 2 free tests, one of which is untimed and unscored.”
On the other hand, GMAC, the organization that administers the GMAT. offers six full exams – two free and four paid – which gives students even more practice materials. All 6 practice GMATs are timed and scored, and the 4 paid exams can be taken twice without repeat questions, effectively providing students with 10 practice GMATs.
HOW STUDENTS ARE APPROACHING TEST PREP TODAY
Patel has noticed a shift in how students arrive at his tutoring practice. With more prep options than ever, like AI‑driven platforms, students often experiment with self-studying or self-paced courses before seeking individualized help. A few years ago, he says, the split between first‑time and second‑attempt students was more even.
“It’s much more common now than a few years ago to see a student sign up for private tutoring only after first trying self‑studying or group classes,” he says.
Patel describes himself as “agnostic” toward AI. He sees value in certain applications, like rapid essay scoring, but draws a firm line at AI‑generated test questions.
“GMAC and ETS write their test items very carefully. The answer choices on the Verbal sections, in particular, have a level of fine‑tuning that AI can’t understand,” says Patel. “AI can see the verbal patterns in the answer choices, but it won’t understand the intent of the test-makers.” For the foreseeable future, he is not welcoming AI‑generated questions in his instruction.
“If you need to grade your essay really fast or create drills for very basic skills on the exam, AI might do just fine,” he adds. “Otherwise, I would advise people to stay away from AI-powered test prep platforms. Your actual practice questions, sections, and tests have got to be human‑written and by those people who make the real exams
Despite the industry’s shifts, Patel’s core motivation hasn’t changed. He sticks to his belief that private tutoring is still the strongest way to teach anything. “I love doing this,” he says. “I love working one on one with students.”
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