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Igor B.

Igor Bykov

GRE Quant specialist | GMAT 715 (99th pct) | UCL Physics & HEC Paris

  • HEC Paris Business School Logo

    HEC Paris Business School

  • Castleton Commodities International Logo

    Castleton Commodities International

Available Saturday

Starting at 8:00 AM UTC

Questions?

You can start chatting with Igor before you get started.

Work with Igor

About

I help ambitious applicants hit their target GMAT score and turn it into an offer from a top business school. I scored 715 on the GMAT Focus Edition (99th percentile), completed the MSc International Finance at HEC Paris with a 3.8/4.0 GPA, and studied Physics at UCL, so the Quantitative and Data Insights sections are where I add the most value. Since 2022 I have delivered more than 1,500 hours of one-to-one tuition in maths, economics and admissions tests, including the GMAT, TMUA, MAT, STEP and PAT. I have also helped applicants with their statements for HEC Paris and IE. Working with me is structured and transparent. We start with a diagnostic, agree a target score and test date, and follow a study plan built around your weakest areas. Each session mixes clear explanation, timed practice and review of every mistake, and you get written notes afterwards so you always know what to work on next. Outside tutoring I work in commodity trading in London, after roles in investment banking and consulting. That lets me help you link your preparation to your wider goals, whether that is an MBA, a Master's in Finance or a move into finance. I am a native Russian speaker and fluent in English, and I am happy to coach in either language.

Igor’s GRE Qualifications

I specialise in the GRE Quantitative Reasoning section. I scored 715 on the GMAT Focus Edition (99th percentile), whose quantitative and data questions test the same arithmetic, algebra, statistics and data interpretation skills, and I hold a BSc in Physics from UCL and an MSc in International Finance from HEC Paris (GPA 3.8/4.0). Since 2022 I have delivered more than 1,500 hours of one-to-one teaching in maths and admissions tests, including the GMAT, TMUA, MAT, STEP and PAT. I start with a diagnostic, build a study plan around your target programmes and test date, and focus on fast, reliable methods, quantitative comparison strategy and careful timing, so you can lift your Quant score efficiently.

Igor can help with:

Quantitative Reasoning

Score Improvement

Tailored Study Plan

Test Prep Strategy

Test Taking Strategy

Why do I coach?

I started tutoring in 2022 while studying Physics at UCL and found that I enjoyed it as much as the subject itself. Over 1,500 hours later, what keeps me coaching is the moment a student stops guessing and starts to see the structure behind a problem. The GMAT rewards exactly that. Most of the points people lose come from a handful of recurring traps and from poor timing, not from gaps in ability, and both can be fixed with the right method. I went through the same process myself on the way to HEC Paris, so I know how much a strong score can change the options in front of you, and how stressful the preparation can feel alongside a job or studies. I coach because I like being useful in a very concrete way: helping someone reach a score they were not sure they could get, and seeing it turn into an offer.

Work Experience

Castleton Commodities International Logo

Power Summer Analyst

Castleton Commodities International

July 2026 - September 2026

Physical power trading desk, London. Forecast TenneT regulation states with a semi-Markov model to optimise aFRR bids for a Dutch battery (Sharpe up 33%). Presented El Niño trade research to carbon, gas and power traders. Returning full-time as Commercial Analyst in July 2027.

VINCI Airports Logo

Student Consultant

VINCI Airports

April 2026 - May 2026

Selected to advise VINCI Airports leadership in Paris on decarbonisation, modelling solar, wind, battery storage and PPA structures across Portuguese airports with 25-year cash-flow projections. Built a three-statement model and presented the IFRS 9 hedge accounting implications of each PPA structure to the division CFO.

Crédit Agricole Logo

Corporate Structuring Analyst

Crédit Agricole

August 2024 - August 2025

Corporate Structuring off-cycle analyst, London (return offer received). Built a regulatory WACC Monte Carlo model that enabled a hedging mandate for a Finnish TSO, presented regulatory analysis to an Italian utility CFO, and delivered rates and Brent/TTF sensitivities for DCM pitches to seven oil and gas majors.

Petroineos Trading Limited Logo

Power Desk Data Summer Analyst

Petroineos Trading Limited

June 2024 - July 2024

Power trading desk, London. Cut weekly research time by two hours per analyst by building a retrieval-augmented LLM tool that centralised internal and external market views in one interactive chat.

Aon Logo

Capital Modelling Summer Analyst

Aon

June 2023 - August 2023

Capital modelling, London (return offer received). Advised clients on catastrophe bonds for diversification based on cross-asset correlations, and embedded climate risks into stochastic capital models in liaison with three teams.

Upgrade Education Logo

Private Tutor and Admissions Mentor

Upgrade Education

September 2022 - Present

Independent tutor with Lumo and Upgrade Education, London and online. 1,500+ hours of one-to-one tuition for 50+ students in Maths, Physics, Economics, Business and Finance, from IGCSE, IB and A-Level to undergraduate level. Prepared applicants for the GMAT, TMUA, MAT, PAT, STEP and ESAT, and supported application statements for HEC Paris and IE. Students won offers from Bath and Edinburgh and places at Winchester College and King's School Canterbury.

Education

HEC Paris Business School Logo

HEC Paris Business School

MSc International Finance, Finance

2025 - 2026

GPA 3.8/4.0. GMAT 715 (99th percentile). Top of class in Energy Markets.

University College London, University of London Logo

University College London, University of London

BSc Physics, Physics

2021 - 2024

5.0 average review

9 reviews


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