Planning for the Test Date and Coaching Issues

Jet Set Go!

You have completed all the preliminaries concerned with the knowing about GRE test in general. Now you need to plan. Planning is the single most important key to nailing a successful GRE score. Proper time-spacing for test preparation and revision, also keeping in mind the deadlines for application, and the time it takes for scores to reach us and to reach universities, and also the time we take to prepare our own CVs, Statements of Purpose etc etc etc, does seem as tedious as this long sentence does. It is! So here are a few pointers on when to plan your GRE and why:


There are intakes in American Universities in two terms.

1) Fall Term (Fall means Autumn i.e Aug/Sep): The Fall term is the usual normal admission semester. Like at BITS. All colleges have a fall term intake for most of their courses. This is the most preferred semester for admission.

2) Summer Term (Jan/Feb) : Summer Term admissions are like our BITS Second sem Admissions. Some universities do not have summer term intakes for specific courses. Varies from University to University. You need to properly research the course you want and see the deadlines and then think of scheduling the test, when aiming for a summer term admit.



The Test Preparation Planning:

The test preparation is an issue that is highly subjective and there is no straightforward answer to the same. The time required for preparation depends on the individual's grasp of English, Vocabulary, and Quantitative Skills.

Being BITSians, one thing we can be assured of is our Quantitative Skills: a bit of diligent practice will ensure a cool 800. The problem lies mainly in the English part. Not all of us are born fluent in English, many of us have an aversion to the language, or a don't-care attitude. However, GRE has an integral English part which is oftentimes the make or break factor of a GRE score.

The first thing to understand is that the GRE is only a PART of the application. Not the whole package. Therefore, don't set an unrealistic goal of 1600, if your abilities are something not appropriate for the same. It is very important to set a relevant target, in accordance with your abilities. It is foolish for everyone to aim for a 1600 which is neither necessary nor of utmost importance.

For setting a realistic target, we must first gauge our English skills. How do we gauge our English Skills?

First is an honest self evaluation. What do you feel about your English skills? What is your confidence level in talking in English fluently, in public, what is your reading speed, and how clearly can you understand the language while reading or listening? All these are factors you ALONE can decide for yourself.

Then the next aid in gauging your English level is to actually sit and write a diagnostic test. A diagnostic test is something which is written without Prep. The GRE Powerprep test software can be downloaded freely from the site www.ets.org from the GRE Downloads section. Take a diagnostic test, and see your score. Evaluate yourself accordingly. A good score is anything above 1350 (safely). Depending on how close you are to your projected score you can think of coaching.

If you are a fourth yearite single degree BITSian planning to app for Fall term:

Now, being a fourth yearite, if you want to apply for a fall term admission, YOU HAVE TO HURRY! Write your test as soon as possible, (with reasonable amount of preparation). The Fall term application deadline being in December (for admission into Fall term the next year), you have to be ready with everything (GRE Scores, which take a month to arrive to your doorstep, and anywhere between 3 weeks and a month to go to each college you choose) by mid-October at least, to apply early, and stand a chance for funding. So plan accordingly. The sooner the better.

If you are a fourth yrite single degree BITSian planning to app for Summer term

The deadlines are usually in the May-June period, for apping for the summer term of the next year. BY then you need to have evrything ready as above. So plan accordingly, depending on your skill, preparation required and time you have. I would say if you have started preparing, January is an ideal time to give the GRE.

If you are a third yrite Single Degree BITSian or a fourth yrite Dual Degree BITSian planning in advance:

The best time to give the GRE, irrespective of when you might be apping, is in the summer between 3rd and 4th years, pref. June. (for single degree 3rd yrits), and the summer before PS II (for Dual Degree guys). I gave mine in the summer. The free time allows you to prepare properly, and there will be no hassles of going from campus and coming back etc. Also, as its early, most of the slots wouldn't have been booked at Test Centres across India, and you wouldn't face a problem, easily getting the test centre of your choice, unlike many who do face a problem as they start booking around Aug/Sep. You can book your date around mid-March for June or July.

Coaching Issues:



Now we come down to the coaching part. It is my firm opinion that coaching isn't a necessity for most of us. However, if you really do feel that your english skills are near to dismal, then go for coaching. If you have a sufficiently long time for preparation (as listed above), then you can look into coaching in the hols, but subject to the following criterion:

a) Coaching for Quant is utterly and absolutely unnecessary to any BITSian. (most engg grads for that matter)

b) Blindly relying on coaching can get you as far as say 1200 - 1300 range, if you JUST rely on whatever they tell you. The rest depends on your smart preparation. I know people who went to two or three "coaching centres" for ONE test prep, and still ended up having to re-write the test. Rely on your abilities first. Also, most coaching centres, let you sit in on a class, before making up your mind. Make use of that opportunity to judge, whether you need coaching. If they are simply chanting wordlists in classes, then perhaps it isn't such a good idea.

c) People say coaching helps give practice. Thanks to the advent of the Internet, there is ample (if not excessive) amount practice tests and softwares available for free on the net (also in our DC++). No coaching can ever give you the range these do. (Which I shall discuss in my next post on required materials).

Keeping all these in mind, decide on your plan of action. In the next post, we shall jump to the "Recipe 1400". Stay Tuned.

Cheers.
If GRE Math was a MATH I test at BITS, Reeta Dubey would have to give 600 As, and A P Koley would have to live with it.

In the Beginning

So now that you have decided to start off your GRE prep, what do you need to know, what do you need to do, before starting off with actual Test preparation? Herein lie the answers. They say starting a thing is half finshing it, in that case: congrats!!



What You Need to Know:

1) The GRE is administered by ETS (Educational Testing Service) of the US Federal Govt., and in India, the franchisee is Prometric testing Services. (You are going to hear these names a lot in the future, so you need to know them)

2) The GRE consists of the following:

a) Verbal Section - 800 marks
- Antonyms (Opposites)
- Analogies
- Reading Comprehension
- Sentence Completion

b) Quantitative Section - 800 marks
- Plain math
- Data Interpretation
- Matching questions

c) Analytical Writing Section - rating on scale of 6
- Issue based writing
- Argument Analysis

*- Detailed posts on each of the sections along with comprehensive tips to follow.


3) The GRE is a computer adaptive test. This is good and bad in some senses. This is good in the sense that, at the starting of the test, it assumes you are an average student (at the mean, say 400). If you answer the first question wrong, it gives you an easier question to work with, and estimates you to be in the lower range. If you answer it correctly, it gives you a tougher question and rates you higher. This happens in successive iterations till your score is arrived at. This is bad, because, it boils down to your performance in the first few quesions primarily, instead of uniform value to all questions.

4) The GRE is booked through the ETS site, where you create an account --> schedule your test date and appointment --> pay up the bucks --> start prepping. The entire process of preparing, writing and apping takes approx. 5 months, so plan accordingly (post on planning to follow)

What you need to do:

1) In India, the only hall ticket for the GRE examination is your PASSPORT. So make sure you have one ready well before applying. I know the tensions of waiting for your passport to arrive 12 days before your examination. Trust me. Its not pretty.

2) While scheduling your appointment, make sure the name you enter, is EXACTLY the same as the one in your PASSPORT. I know of people, who have got stopped in between the exam, because of discrepancies in the name.

3) Plan properly, and act coolly. GRE is not JEE or CAT. Its much more manageable, and easily scalabale. Coaching is a big concern for many. A detailed post on coaching is in the pipeline.

4) Remember you are a BITSGian. One of the top 2% of the country to have got through the only merit based exam in the nation. This is your USP. Make sure you remember it at all times.

Next post on starting the coaching issues and the planning of the Date. Stay tuned.


Cheers.
GRE - Gas Release Event

GRE : Reasons and Repercussions

Thanks to an immensely silent placement scene, the entire campus is buzzing with GRE talk. For the yet to be initiated, here is the draw:

What: GRE : Graduate Record Examination

Why: For students who want to study at American Universities

When: Usually taken by engineering students in their 3rd or 4th years

How: On a computer, an adaptive test, which means the goddam computer is judging you all the time

Where: At specified centres all over India.

The Low Down for BITSGians:

A lot of people wonder why they should/ shouldn't write GRE in the first place. Here is take on the GRE and Admissions scene in general.

There is no denying the fact that the world is passing through some tough times. What does it mean for the GRE aspirant back home in BITS Goa? Here Goes.



1) This being recession times, even the dumbest of Americans realizes one fact. There is no money in jobs. So what does one do? Simple. Go back to college! Earn a degree while sitting out the recession, and end up with a higher paying job 2 years later. That is what pretty much every American is doing now. And getting through for us compared to them is difficult. Here is the bad news: Competition from Uncle Sam, just became the toughest yet.

2) In Andhra Pradesh, the Intermediate Education Examination is known as IPE. Its famous for having been the gateway to generations of BITSians (with 97 - 99%), during those ancient days when 12th percentage was the deciding factor. Well there is one more "IPE". That of China. Like everything else, China also mass produces engineering undergrads, with very high pass percentages. And almost all of them are exported to America: again like everything else. Here is the second bad news: Competition from Uncle Han is at an all time peak.

3) Now we come down from global problems to BITS Pilani Goa Campus. No placements, no internships, no projects, no recommendations. What can a BITSian do? CAT? (The toughest lottery in the world?). Or GRE? (the world's biggest mug test). Here are reasons why GRE should be your choice, or why it shouldn't be:

a)If managing mind boggling accounts, sitting through endless meetings, shouting at people, and living in a cut-throat corporate world is not your style, go for GRE.
b)If numbers and gadgets interest you, if the CDC year was the greatest year of your existence, or you have suddenly discovered your love for core, DESPITE all the efforts by our faculty to disgust you, then you are born for GRE.
c)If all things American/Canadian are the greates things in the world according to you(chicks included), then GRE is the way to fly!
d) If you are lost, without a job, without goals and need to buy more time, and are interested in spending time AND money abroad, GRE is an option.

Do NOT go for the GRE if:

a) Tecchie is not your cup of tea, of you find that BITS Goa has drained away the last bit of calculus you ever want to perform in your life.
b) If you want to go for a managerial career right away, without having to grease your fingers, or burn them welding.
c) If you are as patriotic as to shoot the first NRI on sight, and never dream of leaving our glorious country.

I will get down to the preparation and the preparedness in the next post. Stay tuned.

Cheers.
When God got bored, he created Barron's to bore people.