Application Process for MS in US Universities

For Indian/International Students [with specific inputs for students of Uttar Pradesh Technical University(UPTU)]

 

GRE/TOEFL

About GRE, its format and registration.

Preparation for GRE

The Barron Word Tool

TOEFL

Download the GRE Barron Word Tool here
Topics on this page:

Tip
Preserve your GRE and TOEFL score sheets with you. These are one of the important documents that you have to carry for your Visa Interview. In case you don't get it, email ETS to send them again.

 

  
About GRE, its format and registration :


Tip: GRE Litmus Test
The best way to get familiar with the GRE format and the look and feel of the test is to take the free GRE Litmus Test at http://greio.com. Its a mini GRE exam of 5 questions per section, takes less than 30 minutes and even calculates your projected GRE score.

GRE (Graduate Record Examination) is a Computer Adaptive Test (CAT).
In a Computer Adaptive Tests, the difficulty (and the marks) of the questions depend on your performance. This means that the questions that are served to you are easy or difficult based on your performance till that moment in the test.
GRE is conducted round the year. Educational Testing Services (ETS) conducts GRE. GRE is conducted at various prometric centers around the globe.
Generally, most Universities require students to write GRE General Test. The GRE Subject Test is a special requirement for Ph.D or for students who want to change their Undergraduate stream.

GRE Question Types

  Source: GRE IO blog Gre test structure and question types
  • The GRE General test consists of three sections:
    • Analytical Writing Assessment (AWA)
      • 2 essays
        • Analyze an Issue Task(30 mins.)
        • Analyze an Argument Task (30 mins.)
      • Score range: 0 – 6
    • Verbal Reasoning Section
      • 20 questions in 30 mins.
      • Score range: 130 – 170
      • Reading Comprehension, Sentence Equivalence, Text Completion
    • Quantitative Reasoning Section
      • 20 questions in 35 mins.
      • Score range: 130 – 170
      • Quantitative Comparison, Numerical Entry, MCQs
  • Total score range for the test: 260 – 340 (Verbal + Quantitative); 0 – 6 (AWA)
  • The GRE® scores are technically valid for five years
    • However, most of the top universities do not consider scores more than two years old
  • In India, the test is conducted in Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Allahabad, Ahmedabad & Trivandrum
  • Being a Computer Assisted Test(CAT), it is conducted throughout the year, on all weekdays
  • You can register for the test online at ETS website
  • The test fees are US$195
    • This includes sending your scores to 4 universities of your choice, on the day of the test
  • If you want to report your scores to additional universities (or if you do not report your scores to any university on your test day, and would like to do so later), the fee is US$27 per university
    • Tip
    Make sure that you give your best in the first section of verbal and quant. The revised GRE general test is section wise adaptive. Doing bad in the first section will result in an easier second section being asked - which lessens your chances to score good (or a perfect 170).

    Tip
    Make sure you have short-listed at least 4 Universities that you'll be applying to before you appear for GRE.
    During the time of exam, you'll be asked for 4 Universities where your scores can be sent for free. If you do not specify the Universities at that point, you'll lose chance to send scores to 4 Universities for free.  Sending scores after the exam costs $27 per score report.

    Preparation for GRE :


    In my opinion, Barron's GRE is enough to get you a great score.
    If you have learnt all the words in the 50 word-lists, you are adequately prepared for the vocabulary sections.
    Similarly, the quant section and the essays sections of the Barron GRE guide are excellent and obviate the need of any other reference material/guide.
    It is rather important to revise Barron regularly rather than experimenting with other guides.
    There is a Free practice software called "GRE Powerprep® Software" that is available for download for free at the GRE website. Make good use of that. It will help you acclimatize with the actual test screen and layout.
    Remember, the quant questions asked in GRE are not very difficult, you only require practice of those type of questions to solve them in time and accurately.

    Tip: Good Online Resources for daily reading
    Apart from a study schedule based on a timetable, you should form a daily habit to devote some time to read up more on GRE format, questions types, tips/tricks and also solve a few random GRE questions. The following two are good resources:
    GRE IO Facebook Page: They post a new verbal and quant question everyday along with helpful tips. Subscribe to that page and make it a habit to solve their everyday question.
    Magoosh Blog: Magoosh posts some good blogs/questions. Bookmark their blog page and try to visit it regularly. They have a lot of free content/videos on their website. Make full use of it.

    How much time should the preparation for GRE take?
    This is a much asked question, and the answer remains much elusive. Lets do a calculation here:
    Ideally if you learn 1 list in a day, 50 word list will require you 50 days. Other verbal sections of Barron's GRE will require you 8-9 days to complete. The quant section should require not more than 8-10 days and preparation of AWA should again require 4-5 days.

    All in all its a 75-80 days as per our calculation. But again, your time may differ vastly based on the amount of time you can devote. For a working professional, it should take longer and for a student (especially if you have been preparing for CAT and other MBA entrances), it should take less than the estimated 75 days.

    What is a good GRE Score?
    Again one of the most frequently asked questions. In case you are targeting top 4-5 Universities, you need to be up there at 325-340. The GRE Quant scores are slightly more important than the verbal score. For MS, you should try to get a 160+ score in quant. A 315+ score is a pretty decent score and should be fine so far as your academics are good.

    How much does the GRE Score matter in the overall application package?
    GRE score is only one of the parameters that will determine your application outcome.
    Differently Universities give different weightage to the GRE Score. Some (like NCSU) are very much academic centric and won't let you in unless you have a good academics (no matter how good your GRE score is). Others give a fair weightage to GRE scores. But yes, your academics, papers (if any), projects generally have more significance than the GRE score.
    Yes, good GRE scores are a necessity when you have average or below average academics. In such a case, you need to get a great score to have their attention.
    Universities like MIT, Stanford will anyways not let you in unless you have a excellent academic record.

    The Barron Word Tool (that I made for myself) :

    I made a word list memorizer tool for myself. It maybe pretty raw in appearance but it works GREAT !!
    It is ideally suited for working people who cannot open a book on the office desk. This can be installed and played around with in office. The best part is that its a self-learning tool. The more time you spend on it, the more it recognizes your weak words and puts it more often before you so that you may remember it.

    What is the tool and how it works?

    • The tool will ask you a word (one word out of lists that you choose from Barron word lists).


       
    • You'll have to recall the meaning of that word. Once done you'll ask it to show you the meaning.
       
    • Based on whether you answered correctly or incorrectly, you'll tell the application by clicking on the appropriate button (Basically you are yourself judging your response and letting the tool know it).

       
    • Now comes the interesting part: Of all the words you answer incorrectly, it keeps increasing the priority of these words. Which means that they'll be asked more often than the other words.
    • Gradually after you have spent a considerable amount on the tool, the words that you have a tendency to forget will be asked more frequently than others.
    • Basically it keeps on dynamically rating each word based on your responses and keeps changing each word priority based on your responses at runtime.
    • In a nut shell, it behaves similarly as our KG teacher would recite us words, reciting our weak words more than the ones we know. This process continues until we have seen our weak words enough time to remember them.

    I am putting the tool free for download. If you use it very often, I am sure you find it beneficial.
    Download the GRE Barron Word Tool here:
     Download the GRE Barron Word Tool here (Note: During Installation, 'Ignore' any errors if they come. It will just install. fine)
     
    TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language):
    TOEFL is a English Proficiency test conducted by ETS.
    The cost to register for TOEFL is $170 in India.

    Structure of the TOEFL iBT (Source: TOEFL website)

    Section Description Testing Time Questions Score Scale
    Reading 3-5 passages from academic texts; approximately 700 words long; 12-14 questions per passage. 60-100 minutes 36-70 questions 0-30
    Listening 4-6 lectures, some with classroom discussion; each 3-5 minutes long; 6 questions each. 2-3 conversations; each 3 minutes long; 5 questions each. 60-90 minutes 34-51 questions 0-30
    Break - 10 minutes - -
    Speaking 2 tasks to express an opinion on a familiar topic; 4 tasks to speak based on what is read and listened to. 20 minutes 6 tasks 0-4 points converted to 0-30 score scale
    Writing 1 task to write based on what is read and listened to; 1 task to support an opinion on a topic. 50 minutes 2 tasks 0-5 points converted to 0-30 score scale
    Total score - - - 0-120

    Where to register for TOEFL?
    You will require to register for the TOEFL at the official TOEFL website http://www.toefl.org. Unlike GRE, TOEFL is not administered on all days. You'll need to make a iBT login at the website. Your iBT login is where you'll have to keep coming to see your results (after 14 days of your test) and to order additional test reports.
    4 reports are ordered free with the test. Make sure your avail this at the time of registering for the test.

    How much time should the preparation for TOEFL take?
    TOEFL is a exam that may not need any specific training. Given that you have already spent a lot of efforts for the GRE verbal section preparation, the same preparation will come in handy here. The new sections are listening and speaking.
    If you have a decent English, I guess the only preparation you may require to do is to solve a few practice test papers before you go for the exam.
    I bought Barron TOEFL guide. I did not even see the written text in the book. I just went through some practice tests on the CD. They helped to acclimatize with the actual test screen and layout. In the CD, there was a picture of a person depicting how to wear the headphone. I was actually amazed to see the same picture in the actual test :-)
    I took my TOEFL 3 days after my GRE, so the effective time of preparation for me was 3 days (and I got a decent 108/120). Since you cannot drastically improve your spoken English, writing and listening skills in a matter of some days, TOEFL is more of a candid test.

    What is a good TOEFL Score?
    Some universities have a minimum cut-off in various sections in TOEFL. Some even have a overall cut-off. Refer to the University admission site for such information.
    Anything above 105 in TOEFL iBT is a good score.

    How much does the TOEFL Score matter in the overall application package?
    Since MS is concerned more with science/technology aspect than with literature programs, the Universities will normally expect a basic criteria fulfillment in various sections of TOEFL. The basic idea is that you need to clear the cut-off limits of TOEFL for various Universities. While a great TOEFL score will not turn an average application to a promising one, a low score will not hamper your prospects either (so far as it is above the cut-off specified by the University). 
    Having said that, you should never ignore the importance of TOEFL exam. A good score in TOEFL will benefit you for your TA (Teaching Assistantships) applications and other positions where English proficiency is required. TOEFL is a reflection of your complete English command, so make sure you give it sincerely.

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