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.
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