Best GRE Tutors in San Diego: How to Choose

San Diego GRE tutor prices compared

Sources: each company's GRE tutoring or course page, checked November 5, 2026. Prices change, so confirm before you buy.

What to look for in a GRE tutor

• They teach the current GRE. The GRE is now about 1 hour 58 minutes, with one essay. Older books and courses teach a longer test.
• The GRE is a main subject for them. On tutoring marketplaces, many GRE tutors also teach the SAT, calculus, and chemistry. A specialist has seen far more GRE questions and far more GRE students.
• Who you'll work with. At larger companies, you're matched with a tutor. Ask who it will be before you pay.
• Private tutoring or a class. A class costs less. Private tutoring spends every minute on your weak spots and your schedule.
• Results you can check. Reviews on Google, or another site the tutor doesn't control, tell you more than quotes on the tutor's own page.

The options, one by one

1. Vince Kotchian Test Prep (Blake Jensen or Vince Kotchian)

Blake Jensen has been a full-time test prep coach for nearly 20 years. He's the one to choose if you want to meet in person: he works at our Carmel Valley office, or on Zoom. I tutor the GRE on Zoom only. I scored 170 Verbal and 167 Quant, and I've written GRE study guides and videos that you can find on this site.

• Blake: $275 an hour, or $248 an hour for 10 or more hours.
• Vince: $295 an hour, or $2,700 for 10 hours.
• You start with a free call about your timeline, scores, and target programs.

Some of our students' results, from their Google reviews: 337, up from mid-320s practice scores, in just over two weeks (Stu G.), 169 Verbal and 164 Quant on a first official GRE (Hank H.), and a perfect 170 Verbal, up from 155 (Shajan K.). See more results and read about GRE tutoring with us.

2. Manhattan Review

Manhattan Review's 12-hour private GRE course in San Diego is $1,590, in person or online. It also sells private tutoring packages of 12 to 48 hours, without a price on its San Diego GRE page.

3. Manhattan Elite Prep

Manhattan Elite Prep offers GRE tutoring in San Diego, in person or online. It charges $125 an hour for fewer than 10 hours, with a 2-hour minimum, and $115 an hour for 10 or more hours. Its Elite tutors are $200 an hour.

4. UC San Diego Extended Studies

UCSD Extended Studies offers a GRE prep class (EDUC-900.08) for $550, with sessions held online. It's free for UCSD undergraduates, but spots are limited and go first come, first served during UCSD's Student Grant enrollment periods. For how these classes work in practice, see my review of SDSU, UCSD, and USD GRE classes.

5. Wyzant

Wyzant is a marketplace, not a tutoring company. Tutors set their own rates, and its San Diego GRE listing showed $50 to $300 an hour when we checked. Many also teach other subjects, so check each tutor's GRE experience and look for reviews from GRE students.

Which one should you choose?

• Lowest price, and a class works for you: UCSD Extended Studies, especially if you're a UCSD undergraduate.
• You want a fixed private course from a company: Manhattan Review.
• You want a lower hourly rate from a company: Manhattan Elite Prep.
• Lowest hourly rate, and you have time to vet tutors: Wyzant.
• You want a full-time coach in person in San Diego: Blake.
• You want to work online with a tutor who scored 170 Verbal: me.

FAQ