To register for an IELTS test, follow these seven simple steps. You can also download the Information for candidates booklet.
1. Find your nearest IELTS centre and check the test dates to find two options that suit you. Note the deadline for registering for each test date. You can also see the cost of the test at your centre in local currency on the IELTS Worldwide Search
2. Check with your organisation or on the Global Recognition System whether you need to sit an Academic or General Training test.
3. Print out the IELTS Application Form or ask your test centre for a copy. Read the information for candidates, terms and conditions, complete the form and sign it. Please make sure you have a valid postal address and use the same name as on your passport.
In some centres, candidates may be able to register for the test online. Please refer to the test centre's website for further information.
4. Organise two passport-sized photographs, less than six months old, and sign the back of each. Please note, you must not wear glasses in the photographs you submit for IELTS registration.
5. Take a photocopy of your current passport – this must be valid and not expired. (Some centres will accept a national identity card.)
6. If you want your results to be sent automatically to a university or educational institution, include the correct details in the section on the IELTS Application Form .
7. Take your application into your IELTS test centre with your money. If you send it by mail, please talk to your centre about the method of payment.
Once you have registered, the test centre will confirm your IELTS test date, time and venue. Please note the Speaking test can be up to 7 days before or after the test date.
On the test day, you must bring the same passport or national identity card that you entered on the IELTS Application Form.
This blog will give the readers a few interesting informations about the general and academic topics and also about few innovations made by the youngsters of our age.
Saturday, November 5, 2011
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
GATE 2012 Information update
Even though the information posted here is slightly delayed one, it might be helpful to you readers.
The eligibility for the gate exam hasa been changed from GATE 2012.
Pre-final year students cannot take up the exam.
Apart from the eligibilty, there are a few other changes in the coming GATE EXAM.
Afternoon Session : (14:00 hrs to 17:00 hrs) : AE, AG and MN.
ALL THE BEST!!!
The eligibility for the gate exam hasa been changed from GATE 2012.
Pre-final year students cannot take up the exam.
Apart from the eligibilty, there are a few other changes in the coming GATE EXAM.
- In GATE 2012, candidates need to register and fill the application ONLINE only by accessing the zonal GATE websites of IISc and seven IITs. The application process is complete only when a print out of the filled ONLINE application with the candidate's signature and a good quality photo affixed in the appropriate place is received by the respective GATE office along with necessary documents, if any, on or before 24 October 2011. Please note that sale of application forms through banks and GATE office counters has been discontinued.
- The use of pencil for marking answers is not allowed this year and instead the candidates are required to use "A BLACK BALL POINT PEN".
- Admit cards were sent by post last year, but this time around it will not be sent by post. Instead the candidate has to download the admit card from zonal GATE websites and the admit card has to be carried to the test centre along with atleast a original and valid (NOT EXPIRED) photo ideitification (not PHOTOCOPIED / SCANNED) .
- Along with last year's online papers, two new papers are conducted online, paper with codes AR and AG will be conducted online this year. It will be held in two sessions.
Afternoon Session : (14:00 hrs to 17:00 hrs) : AE, AG and MN.
- In the ONLINE papers (AE, AG, AR, GG, MN and TF), the question paper will consist of questions of multiple choice type and questions of numerical answer type. For multiple choice type questions, each question will have four choices for the answer. For numerical answer type questions, each question will have a number as the answer. The number of numerical answer type questions may vary between 5 and 10 in each question paper.
ALL THE BEST!!!
Saturday, October 22, 2011
IELTS
IELTS is the International English Language Testing System which tests English proficiency across the globe. Conducting 1.4 million tests globally, IELTS is the world’s most popular English testing system.
IELTS tests are held in over 500 centres with tests up to four times a month. IELTS respects international diversity and is fair to anyone who sits the test, regardless of nationality.
You can choose from two types of IELTS test: Academic or General Training, depending on whether you want to study, work or migrate. Both modules are made up of four parts – Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking. IELTS results are graded on the unique IELTS 9-band scale.
To help you prepare, IELTS provides test samples and Official IELTS Practice Materials. The test covers the full range of ability from non-user to expert user. You are not limited in how many times you can sit the test.
You can trust the quality and security of IELTS because it is managed by three reputable, international organisations: British Council, IDP: IELTS Australia and the University of Cambridge ESOL Examinations (Cambridge ESOL).
IELTS tests all four language skills – listening, reading, writing and speaking. The Speaking test is a face-to-face interview with a certified Examiner. It is interactive and as close to a real-life situation as a test can get.
Research shows that IELTS motivates test-takers to develop real and well-rounded English rather than learning by rote. This means your understanding of English is improved and valid for real life in an English-speaking country.
IELTS is owned by three reputable, international organisations. It has the highest quality control and security procedures. More than 6000 organisations, including many government departments and universities, rely on IELTS. The IELTS scoring system is recognised globally, giving you a truly international result.
The following definitions are to be used as a general guide only.
Academic – Institutions of Higher and Further Education
The Academic format is, broadly speaking, for those who want to study or train in an English-speaking university or Institutions of Higher and Further Education. Admission to undergraduate and postgraduate courses is based on the results of the Academic test.
General Training – for school, work or migration
The General Training format focuses on basic survival skills in broad social and workplace contexts. It is typically for those who are going to English-speaking countries to do secondary education, work experience or training programs. People migrating to Australia, Canada and New Zealand must sit the General Training test.
It should be noted that certain professions require an Academic test result for registration and migration purposes.
Check with your organisation
Whilst the IELTS Global Recognition System is committed to maintaining an up to date record of English language requirements, it is strongly recommended that you also check the English language requirements with the recognising organisation directly, by visiting their website.
IELTS tests are held in over 500 centres with tests up to four times a month. IELTS respects international diversity and is fair to anyone who sits the test, regardless of nationality.
You can choose from two types of IELTS test: Academic or General Training, depending on whether you want to study, work or migrate. Both modules are made up of four parts – Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking. IELTS results are graded on the unique IELTS 9-band scale.
To help you prepare, IELTS provides test samples and Official IELTS Practice Materials. The test covers the full range of ability from non-user to expert user. You are not limited in how many times you can sit the test.
You can trust the quality and security of IELTS because it is managed by three reputable, international organisations: British Council, IDP: IELTS Australia and the University of Cambridge ESOL Examinations (Cambridge ESOL).
IELTS tests all four language skills – listening, reading, writing and speaking. The Speaking test is a face-to-face interview with a certified Examiner. It is interactive and as close to a real-life situation as a test can get.
Research shows that IELTS motivates test-takers to develop real and well-rounded English rather than learning by rote. This means your understanding of English is improved and valid for real life in an English-speaking country.
IELTS is owned by three reputable, international organisations. It has the highest quality control and security procedures. More than 6000 organisations, including many government departments and universities, rely on IELTS. The IELTS scoring system is recognised globally, giving you a truly international result.
The following definitions are to be used as a general guide only.
Academic – Institutions of Higher and Further Education
The Academic format is, broadly speaking, for those who want to study or train in an English-speaking university or Institutions of Higher and Further Education. Admission to undergraduate and postgraduate courses is based on the results of the Academic test.
General Training – for school, work or migration
The General Training format focuses on basic survival skills in broad social and workplace contexts. It is typically for those who are going to English-speaking countries to do secondary education, work experience or training programs. People migrating to Australia, Canada and New Zealand must sit the General Training test.
It should be noted that certain professions require an Academic test result for registration and migration purposes.
Check with your organisation
Whilst the IELTS Global Recognition System is committed to maintaining an up to date record of English language requirements, it is strongly recommended that you also check the English language requirements with the recognising organisation directly, by visiting their website.
Thursday, October 6, 2011
TOEFL Intro
The Test of English as a Foreign Language, or TOEFL evaluates the ability of an individual to use and understand English in an academic setting.
It sometimes is an admission requirement for non-native English speakers at many English-speaking colleges and universities. Additionally, institutions such as government agencies, licensing bodies, businesses, or scholarship programs may require this test. A TOEFL score is valid for two years and then will no longer be officially reported[1] since a candidate's language proficiency could have significantly changed since the date of the test.[citation needed] Colleges and universities usually consider only the most recent TOEFL score.
The TOEFL test is a registered trademark of Educational Testing Service (ETS) and is administered worldwide.
Policies governing the TOEFL program are formulated with advice from a 16-member board. Board members are affiliated with undergraduate and graduate schools, 2-year institutions and public or private agencies with an interest in international education. Other members are specialists in the field of English as a foreign or second language.
The TOEFL Committee of Examiners is composed of 12 specialists in linguistics, language testing, teaching or research. Its main responsibility is to advise on TOEFL test content. The committee helps ensure the test is a valid measure of English language proficiency reflecting current trends and methodologies.
HISTORY:
In 1962, a national council made up of representatives of thirty government and private organizations was formed to address the problem on ensuring English language proficiency for non-native speakers wishing to study at American universities. This council recommended the development and administration of the TOEFL exam for the 1963-1964 time frame.
The test was originally developed at the Center for Applied Linguistics under the direction of Stanford University applied linguistics professor Dr. Charles A. Ferguson.
The TOEFL was first administered in 1964 by the Modern Language Association financed by grants from the Ford Foundation and Danforth Foundation.
In 1965, The College Board and ETS jointly assumed responsibility for the continuation of the TOEFL testing program.
In 1973, a cooperative arrangement was made between ETS, The College Board, and the Graduate Record Examinations board of advisers to oversee and run the program. ETS was to administer the exam with the guidance of the TOEFL board.
Internet-based Test:
Since its introduction in late 2005, the Internet-based Test (iBT) has progressively replaced both the computer-based tests (CBT) and paper-based tests (PBT), although paper-based testing is still used in select areas. The iBT has been introduced in phases, with the United States, Canada, France, Germany, and Italy in 2005 and the rest of the world in 2006, with test centers added regularly. The CBT was discontinued in September 2006 and these scores are no longer valid.
Although initially, the demand for test seats was higher than availability, and candidates had to wait for months, it is now possible to take the test within one to four weeks in most countries. The four-hour test consists of four sections, each measuring one of the basic language skills (while some tasks require integrating multiple skills) and all tasks focus on language used in an academic, higher-education environment. Note-taking is allowed during the iBT. The test cannot be taken more than once a week.
Reading:
The Reading section consists of 3–5 passages, each approximately 700 words in length and questions about the passages. The passages are on academic topics; they are the kind of material that might be found in an undergraduate university textbook. Passages require understanding of rhetorical functions such as cause-effect, compare-contrast and argumentation. Students answer questions about main ideas, details, inferences, essential information, sentence insertion, vocabulary, rhetorical purpose and overall ideas. New types of questions in the iBT require filling out tables or completing summaries. Prior knowledge of the subject under discussion is not necessary to come to the correct answer.
Listening:
The Listening section consists of six passages 3–5 minutes in length and questions about the passages. These passages include two student conversations and four academic lectures or discussions. A conversation involves two speakers, a student and either a professor or a campus service provider. A lecture is a self-contained portion of an academic lecture, which may involve student participation and does not assume specialized background knowledge in the subject area. Each conversation and lecture stimulus is heard only once. Test-takers may take notes while they listen and they may refer to their notes when they answer the questions. Each conversation is associated with five questions and each lecture with six. The questions are meant to measure the ability to understand main ideas, important details, implications, relationships between ideas, organization of information, speaker purpose and speaker attitude.
Speaking:
The Speaking section consists of six tasks: two independent tasks and four integrated tasks. In the two independent tasks, test-takers answer opinion questions on familiar topics. They are evaluated on their ability to speak spontaneously and convey their ideas clearly and coherently. In two of the integrated tasks, test-takers read a short passage, listen to an academic course lecture or a conversation about campus life and answer a question by combining appropriate information from the text and the talk. In the two remaining integrated tasks, test-takers listen to an academic course lecture or a conversation about campus life and then respond to a question about what they heard. In the integrated tasks, test-takers are evaluated on their ability to appropriately synthesize and effectively convey information from the reading and listening material. Test-takers may take notes as they read and listen and may use their notes to help prepare their responses. Test-takers are given a short preparation time before they have to begin speaking. The responses are digitally recorded, sent to ETS’s Online Scoring Network (OSN) and evaluated by three to six raters.
Writing:
The Writing section measures a test taker's ability to write in an academic setting and consists of two tasks: one integrated task and one independent task. In the integrated task, test-takers read a passage on an academic topic and then listen to a speaker discuss the same topic. The test-taker will then write a summary about the important points in the listening passage and explain how these relate to the key points of the reading passage. In the independent task, test-takers must write an essay that states, explains, and supports their opinion on an issue, supporting their opinions or choices, rather than simply listing personal preferences or choices. Responses are sent to the ETS OSN and evaluated by four raters.
One of the sections of the test will include extra, uncounted material. Educational Testing Service includes extra material in order to pilot test questions for future test forms. When test-takers are given a longer section, they should give equal effort to all of the questions because they do not know which question will count and which will be considered extra. For example, if there are four reading passages instead of three, then three of those passages will count and one of the passages will not be counted. Any of the four passages could be the uncounted one.
Paper-based Test:
In areas where the internet-based test is not available, a paper-based test (PBT) is given. Test takers must register in advance either online or by using the registration form provided in the Supplemental Paper TOEFL Bulletin. They should register in advance of the given deadlines to ensure a place because the test centers have limited seating and may fill up early. Tests are administered on fixed dates 6 times each year.
The test is 3 hours long and all test sections can be taken on the same day. Students can take the test as many times as they wish. However, colleges and universities usually consider only the most recent score.
Listening (30 – 40 minutes)
The Listening section consists of 3 parts. The first one contains 30 questions about short conversations. The second part has 8 questions about longer conversations. The last part asks 12 questions about lectures or talks.
Structure and Written Expression (25 minutes)
The Structure and Written Expression section has 15 exercises of completing sentences correctly and 25 exercises of identifying errors.
Reading Comprehension (55 minutes)
The Reading Comprehension section has 50 questions about reading passages.
Writing (30 minutes)
The Writing section is one essay with 250–300 words in average.
Registration:
The first step in the registration process is to obtain a copy of the TOEFL Information Bulletin. This bulletin can be obtained by downloading it or ordering it from the TOEFL website.
From the bulletin, it is possible to determine when and where the iBT version of the TOEFL test will be given.
Procedures for completing the registration form and submitting it are listed in the TOEFL Information Bulletin. These procedures must be followed exactly.
Accepted TOEFL Scores:
Most colleges use TOEFL scores as only one factor in their admission process. Each college or program within a college often has a minimum TOEFL score required. The minimum TOEFL iBT scores range from 61 (Bowling Green State University) to 100 (MIT, Columbia, Harvard).[5] A sampling of required TOEFL admissions scores shows that a total TOEFL iBT score of 74.2 for undergraduate admissions and 82.6 for graduate admissions may be required. It is recommended that students check with their prospective institutions directly to understand TOEFL admissions requirements.
It sometimes is an admission requirement for non-native English speakers at many English-speaking colleges and universities. Additionally, institutions such as government agencies, licensing bodies, businesses, or scholarship programs may require this test. A TOEFL score is valid for two years and then will no longer be officially reported[1] since a candidate's language proficiency could have significantly changed since the date of the test.[citation needed] Colleges and universities usually consider only the most recent TOEFL score.
The TOEFL test is a registered trademark of Educational Testing Service (ETS) and is administered worldwide.
Policies governing the TOEFL program are formulated with advice from a 16-member board. Board members are affiliated with undergraduate and graduate schools, 2-year institutions and public or private agencies with an interest in international education. Other members are specialists in the field of English as a foreign or second language.
The TOEFL Committee of Examiners is composed of 12 specialists in linguistics, language testing, teaching or research. Its main responsibility is to advise on TOEFL test content. The committee helps ensure the test is a valid measure of English language proficiency reflecting current trends and methodologies.
HISTORY:
In 1962, a national council made up of representatives of thirty government and private organizations was formed to address the problem on ensuring English language proficiency for non-native speakers wishing to study at American universities. This council recommended the development and administration of the TOEFL exam for the 1963-1964 time frame.
The test was originally developed at the Center for Applied Linguistics under the direction of Stanford University applied linguistics professor Dr. Charles A. Ferguson.
The TOEFL was first administered in 1964 by the Modern Language Association financed by grants from the Ford Foundation and Danforth Foundation.
In 1965, The College Board and ETS jointly assumed responsibility for the continuation of the TOEFL testing program.
In 1973, a cooperative arrangement was made between ETS, The College Board, and the Graduate Record Examinations board of advisers to oversee and run the program. ETS was to administer the exam with the guidance of the TOEFL board.
Internet-based Test:
Since its introduction in late 2005, the Internet-based Test (iBT) has progressively replaced both the computer-based tests (CBT) and paper-based tests (PBT), although paper-based testing is still used in select areas. The iBT has been introduced in phases, with the United States, Canada, France, Germany, and Italy in 2005 and the rest of the world in 2006, with test centers added regularly. The CBT was discontinued in September 2006 and these scores are no longer valid.
Although initially, the demand for test seats was higher than availability, and candidates had to wait for months, it is now possible to take the test within one to four weeks in most countries. The four-hour test consists of four sections, each measuring one of the basic language skills (while some tasks require integrating multiple skills) and all tasks focus on language used in an academic, higher-education environment. Note-taking is allowed during the iBT. The test cannot be taken more than once a week.
Reading:
The Reading section consists of 3–5 passages, each approximately 700 words in length and questions about the passages. The passages are on academic topics; they are the kind of material that might be found in an undergraduate university textbook. Passages require understanding of rhetorical functions such as cause-effect, compare-contrast and argumentation. Students answer questions about main ideas, details, inferences, essential information, sentence insertion, vocabulary, rhetorical purpose and overall ideas. New types of questions in the iBT require filling out tables or completing summaries. Prior knowledge of the subject under discussion is not necessary to come to the correct answer.
Listening:
The Listening section consists of six passages 3–5 minutes in length and questions about the passages. These passages include two student conversations and four academic lectures or discussions. A conversation involves two speakers, a student and either a professor or a campus service provider. A lecture is a self-contained portion of an academic lecture, which may involve student participation and does not assume specialized background knowledge in the subject area. Each conversation and lecture stimulus is heard only once. Test-takers may take notes while they listen and they may refer to their notes when they answer the questions. Each conversation is associated with five questions and each lecture with six. The questions are meant to measure the ability to understand main ideas, important details, implications, relationships between ideas, organization of information, speaker purpose and speaker attitude.
Speaking:
The Speaking section consists of six tasks: two independent tasks and four integrated tasks. In the two independent tasks, test-takers answer opinion questions on familiar topics. They are evaluated on their ability to speak spontaneously and convey their ideas clearly and coherently. In two of the integrated tasks, test-takers read a short passage, listen to an academic course lecture or a conversation about campus life and answer a question by combining appropriate information from the text and the talk. In the two remaining integrated tasks, test-takers listen to an academic course lecture or a conversation about campus life and then respond to a question about what they heard. In the integrated tasks, test-takers are evaluated on their ability to appropriately synthesize and effectively convey information from the reading and listening material. Test-takers may take notes as they read and listen and may use their notes to help prepare their responses. Test-takers are given a short preparation time before they have to begin speaking. The responses are digitally recorded, sent to ETS’s Online Scoring Network (OSN) and evaluated by three to six raters.
Writing:
The Writing section measures a test taker's ability to write in an academic setting and consists of two tasks: one integrated task and one independent task. In the integrated task, test-takers read a passage on an academic topic and then listen to a speaker discuss the same topic. The test-taker will then write a summary about the important points in the listening passage and explain how these relate to the key points of the reading passage. In the independent task, test-takers must write an essay that states, explains, and supports their opinion on an issue, supporting their opinions or choices, rather than simply listing personal preferences or choices. Responses are sent to the ETS OSN and evaluated by four raters.
One of the sections of the test will include extra, uncounted material. Educational Testing Service includes extra material in order to pilot test questions for future test forms. When test-takers are given a longer section, they should give equal effort to all of the questions because they do not know which question will count and which will be considered extra. For example, if there are four reading passages instead of three, then three of those passages will count and one of the passages will not be counted. Any of the four passages could be the uncounted one.
Paper-based Test:
In areas where the internet-based test is not available, a paper-based test (PBT) is given. Test takers must register in advance either online or by using the registration form provided in the Supplemental Paper TOEFL Bulletin. They should register in advance of the given deadlines to ensure a place because the test centers have limited seating and may fill up early. Tests are administered on fixed dates 6 times each year.
The test is 3 hours long and all test sections can be taken on the same day. Students can take the test as many times as they wish. However, colleges and universities usually consider only the most recent score.
Listening (30 – 40 minutes)
The Listening section consists of 3 parts. The first one contains 30 questions about short conversations. The second part has 8 questions about longer conversations. The last part asks 12 questions about lectures or talks.
Structure and Written Expression (25 minutes)
The Structure and Written Expression section has 15 exercises of completing sentences correctly and 25 exercises of identifying errors.
Reading Comprehension (55 minutes)
The Reading Comprehension section has 50 questions about reading passages.
Writing (30 minutes)
The Writing section is one essay with 250–300 words in average.
Registration:
The first step in the registration process is to obtain a copy of the TOEFL Information Bulletin. This bulletin can be obtained by downloading it or ordering it from the TOEFL website.
From the bulletin, it is possible to determine when and where the iBT version of the TOEFL test will be given.
Procedures for completing the registration form and submitting it are listed in the TOEFL Information Bulletin. These procedures must be followed exactly.
Accepted TOEFL Scores:
Most colleges use TOEFL scores as only one factor in their admission process. Each college or program within a college often has a minimum TOEFL score required. The minimum TOEFL iBT scores range from 61 (Bowling Green State University) to 100 (MIT, Columbia, Harvard).[5] A sampling of required TOEFL admissions scores shows that a total TOEFL iBT score of 74.2 for undergraduate admissions and 82.6 for graduate admissions may be required. It is recommended that students check with their prospective institutions directly to understand TOEFL admissions requirements.
Friday, September 30, 2011
GRE QUANT,LOGICAL ABILITY AND TOEFL INTRODUCTION
The
Quant and Logical Ability sections have questions of the types as in
the model papers put in the previous post.For high success rate in
this section, One must regularly practice according to the syllabus
of GRE.
The test taker has
to self examine his/her strength in all sections at regular intervals
by taking mock sectional exams in the preparation stage. And then
proceed to Mock exam of entire GRE paper.
For this, there
are plenty of domains exist and the domains provide a lot of
mock papers on each section and also the ENTIRE GRE PAPER. Some
of them are as mentioned in previous posts are MAJOR TESTS, GRE
GUIDE, PRINCETON REVIEW and of course the ETS. Although this is not
the only preparation material, you should also practice through GRE
books and then move on to these Online EDU services. Because first
step of GRE taker should be enhancing all the skills required for
GRE, i.e test taker should be thorough with all the topics that
appear in GRE. One must should and must practice by pen and paper
method at first.
By this exercise
test taker would be fully confident to solve any question on paper
and would just need final preparation through computer. Once the
pen-paper preparation is done , computer adaptative preparation wont
take long and thus will make the preparation fruitful and help test
taker score good marks.MORE on these sections will be discussed under exams like GMAT and CAT (IIM's INDIA) as only the flavor of questions asked in these different exams differ, the care should be taken that the candidate does not take up these exams at the same time. Apart from that every preparation step discussed under GRE is applicable to any exam of this genre or kind.
Along with the
Quant and Logical sections preparation, Preparation in ENGLISH is
VERY important as the GRE requires the test taker to be quick reader,
as the test taker is asked to write an essay and also a few questions
are to be read and understood and then answered . For all this
, ENGLISH LANGUAGE plays a main role. The few other questions are
Reading comprehension, Verbal Ability, and sections like quant and
logical also requires understanding of the questions.
English again is
required for the supplement exam of GRE, i.e . TOEFL- Test Of
English as Foreign Language.It is also required for exams like IELTS-International English Language Testing System. So the ENGLISH preparation will be
dealt in the upcoming subject in the blog that is TOEFL and IELTS . So please
follow up for the ENGLISH preparation through TOEFL / IELTS as subject
under KIN.
Next on
KIN...TOEFL and IELTS
Friday, September 16, 2011
GRE – QUANTITATIVE SECTION
KNOW THE QUANT SECTION OF GRE
This
section of the GRE General test measures your basic mathematical
skills, your view of elementary mathematical concepts, and your
ability to reason and solve the quantitative problems. Questions that
appear in the GRE in this section test your proficiency in
arithmetic, algebra, geometry, and data analysis. The test setters,
usually, take care to ensure that what is tested is what most
students are expected to learn at their high school level of
education.
Here
is a list of topics in Math, that a candidate should include in his
or her syllabus list while preparing for the GRE Quantitative
section. The list is only a representative indicator of what is
normally expected in GRE and does not necessarily include all areas
tested in the GRE Quantitative Section.
Topics in Arithmetic
Number
Systems, Percentages, Profit & Loss, Simple & Compound
Interest, Speed, Time and Distance, Pipes, Cisterns and Work Time,
Simple & Weighted Averages, Ratio, Proportion & Variation,
Mixtures and Alligation and Clocks and Calendars.
Topics in Algebra / Modern Math
Permutation
& Combination, Probability, Arithmetic & Geometric
Progression, Quadratic Equations, Set Theory, Inequalities and Basic
statistics.
Topics in Geometry
Basic
concepts in Geometry, Co-ordinate Geometry, Mensuration and
Trigonometry.
GRE Data Analysis
A
bar chart, pie chart, table, line graph or a combination of one or
more of these forms of representing data will be presented. These are
followed by questions based on the information provided in the tables
or charts.
You can download the SAMPLE GRE QUANT PAPER from the below link : GRE QUANT SAMPLE PAPER
A vast Database of quant section papers are available on the internet and one of the good ones is this website: GRE QUANT PAPERS-MAJOR TESTS
.
Here You can find a number of quant papers, which you can attempt online and by this also getting acquainted to the Computer Adaptability Testing System.
You can track your progress by solving a few papers on each section .
Here is a link for Math Problem solving : MAJOR TESTS.
FEW OTHERS IN QUANT AND OTHER SECTIONS AVAILABLE ON THE INTERNET:
Thursday, August 18, 2011
An GRE Interview with a PIONEER
By natural order of things,the number of top colleges with restricted
admissions is increasing to accommodate the bulging numbers in the shrinking
bracket.
The trend is certainly worrisome.
The situation has thrown up a lot of Ideas,none of which seem to be
acceptable to all and workable on the ground.
In order to get a hold of the pioneer's rope, we have to accept the new
standing and Implore the healthy standing.
For a few ,who are unable to find their weakness and strength..actually
begin a runaway slide.So to underpin these aberrations...we the team of
KINJUNKTION would love to earn out the useful tips and the gesticulations of the extortionate people who have made it big in the GRE/TOEFL.......!
Following Is an e-Interview(specifically regarding the GRE/TOEFL) with my mate's brother...Santosh G Vattam, who has made it to the University of PENNSYLVANIA.
It was a dashing one. Hope a lot of aspiring GRE crackers would draw loads of Inspirations.
>>Questions:
*What are the entrance requirements for top slot colleges ?
> Applying at the right time (apply early, much before the deadline).
> Good academic standing at the undergrad level.
> Good GRE Score.
> Good recommendations.
> Good professional/projects experience.
> Above average TOEFL score.
In that order. Although the requirements I've mentioned above are
definitely essential, they do not guarantee an admit. I have myself
gone through the process of applications, admits and rejects, and have
seen many others having gone through it too, I still haven't been able
to figure out the ingredients of that magic potion that gets you an
admit. I have got rejects from really crappy universities even though
I was well qualified so to say for them. But, these above requirements
will definitely give you a great shot at the application process.
>> *What should be the pre-requiste to crack the GRE / TOEFL?
There are no prerequisites to GRE or TOEFL. You just have to have
graduated or should be graduating within the next year. However, if
you are asking how much you need to prepare for it, then that's a
different question.
>> *Whats the level of proficiency in TOEFL / IELTS?
TOEFL usually is a cakewalk if you have had an education with English
as the primary medium of instruction.
>> *The scholarship availability?
These days the US economy isn't doing too well and so fee waivers are
difficult to get. Most universities clearly state that Masters
students won't be provided with any kind of funding. But then again it
does depend on the university. There are part-time jobs on campus that
provide enough to manage the living expenses but definitely not enough
to pay the tuition fee.
>> *Whats the rift in coaching centers?
Personally I feel coaching is not required for GRE or TOEFL.
>> *How to evaluate the level of difficulty in GRE / TOEFL?
GRE in itself isn't a very difficult exam, of course I'm talking about
the old format and I don't know much to comment about the new format.
The math/analytical part is almost a cakewalk for most Indian
students, mainly because it's mostly high school mathematics. A couple
of practice papers should be enough to help you get into the groove.
The verbal part is where most of us take a hit. The ideal preparation
would be to start off 1 year before you plan to take up the exam and
work on it slowly and steadily. Start off by learning new words each
day, using them in sentences, in everyday usage. Developing the habit
of solving crossword puzzles and word games helps also makes the
learning more enjoyable. Although in a not so ideal scenario I'd say
2-3 months of preparation will help cross the 1250+ score.
>> *When and how did you start preparing for GRE / TOEFL?
3 weeks before the exam date for GRE and 1 day before the exam for TOEFL.
>> *What study material / books / study kit did you use to study for GRE /
TOEFL ?
For GRE it was the Baron's word lists and a bit of Kaplan. For TOEFL,
it was just the practice papers that are provided on the ETS website.
>> *How did you strategise your preparations ?
I had two other friends who took the exam along with me. So we
prepared by studying for a few hours and testing each other with what
we learnt.
>> *How long were your preparations?
Typically since I started pretty late we had to cram in a lot more
hours. So it was typically 5-6 hrs a day.
>> *What were universities you shortlisted after applying the four
universities.
EPFL(switzerland), Gatech, UMich AA, UCSB, UCI, SUNY SB, USC,
UPenn(where eventually I got through).
>> *Can you name a few Universities as a reference for which a candidate can
apply through GRE scores (relative to GRE cut off scores ) ?
Most of the universities I mentioned above usually have a cut off of over
1300. 1300+ is a decent enough score to cross the cut off of most
universities. Of course there are some crazy universities like UCB, MIT that expect
a score of over 1500.
>> *Any Advice for the younger lot for their GRE journey ?
Start early for GRE. 1 year might feel like a long time, but you will
need that time for preparation for GRE as well getting your SoPs and LoRs in place.
Thank you Santosh G Vattam for taking off your precious time for sharing with us and also many GRE takers, your valuable experience which will be definitely helpful in many ways for the GRE takers. And also you have made the process of admission through GRE simply transparent. Thanks Once again And All The Very Best
All The Very Best to you READERS And GRE TAKERS also.
admissions is increasing to accommodate the bulging numbers in the shrinking
bracket.
The trend is certainly worrisome.
The situation has thrown up a lot of Ideas,none of which seem to be
acceptable to all and workable on the ground.
In order to get a hold of the pioneer's rope, we have to accept the new
standing and Implore the healthy standing.
For a few ,who are unable to find their weakness and strength..actually
begin a runaway slide.So to underpin these aberrations...we the team of
KINJUNKTION would love to earn out the useful tips and the gesticulations of the extortionate people who have made it big in the GRE/TOEFL.......!
Following Is an e-Interview(specifically regarding the GRE/TOEFL) with my mate's brother...Santosh G Vattam, who has made it to the University of PENNSYLVANIA.
It was a dashing one. Hope a lot of aspiring GRE crackers would draw loads of Inspirations.
>>Questions:
*What are the entrance requirements for top slot colleges ?
> Applying at the right time (apply early, much before the deadline).
> Good academic standing at the undergrad level.
> Good GRE Score.
> Good recommendations.
> Good professional/projects experience.
> Above average TOEFL score.
In that order. Although the requirements I've mentioned above are
definitely essential, they do not guarantee an admit. I have myself
gone through the process of applications, admits and rejects, and have
seen many others having gone through it too, I still haven't been able
to figure out the ingredients of that magic potion that gets you an
admit. I have got rejects from really crappy universities even though
I was well qualified so to say for them. But, these above requirements
will definitely give you a great shot at the application process.
>> *What should be the pre-requiste to crack the GRE / TOEFL?
There are no prerequisites to GRE or TOEFL. You just have to have
graduated or should be graduating within the next year. However, if
you are asking how much you need to prepare for it, then that's a
different question.
>> *Whats the level of proficiency in TOEFL / IELTS?
TOEFL usually is a cakewalk if you have had an education with English
as the primary medium of instruction.
>> *The scholarship availability?
These days the US economy isn't doing too well and so fee waivers are
difficult to get. Most universities clearly state that Masters
students won't be provided with any kind of funding. But then again it
does depend on the university. There are part-time jobs on campus that
provide enough to manage the living expenses but definitely not enough
to pay the tuition fee.
>> *Whats the rift in coaching centers?
Personally I feel coaching is not required for GRE or TOEFL.
>> *How to evaluate the level of difficulty in GRE / TOEFL?
GRE in itself isn't a very difficult exam, of course I'm talking about
the old format and I don't know much to comment about the new format.
The math/analytical part is almost a cakewalk for most Indian
students, mainly because it's mostly high school mathematics. A couple
of practice papers should be enough to help you get into the groove.
The verbal part is where most of us take a hit. The ideal preparation
would be to start off 1 year before you plan to take up the exam and
work on it slowly and steadily. Start off by learning new words each
day, using them in sentences, in everyday usage. Developing the habit
of solving crossword puzzles and word games helps also makes the
learning more enjoyable. Although in a not so ideal scenario I'd say
2-3 months of preparation will help cross the 1250+ score.
>> *When and how did you start preparing for GRE / TOEFL?
3 weeks before the exam date for GRE and 1 day before the exam for TOEFL.
>> *What study material / books / study kit did you use to study for GRE /
TOEFL ?
For GRE it was the Baron's word lists and a bit of Kaplan. For TOEFL,
it was just the practice papers that are provided on the ETS website.
>> *How did you strategise your preparations ?
I had two other friends who took the exam along with me. So we
prepared by studying for a few hours and testing each other with what
we learnt.
>> *How long were your preparations?
Typically since I started pretty late we had to cram in a lot more
hours. So it was typically 5-6 hrs a day.
>> *What were universities you shortlisted after applying the four
universities.
EPFL(switzerland), Gatech, UMich AA, UCSB, UCI, SUNY SB, USC,
UPenn(where eventually I got through).
>> *Can you name a few Universities as a reference for which a candidate can
apply through GRE scores (relative to GRE cut off scores ) ?
Most of the universities I mentioned above usually have a cut off of over
1300. 1300+ is a decent enough score to cross the cut off of most
universities. Of course there are some crazy universities like UCB, MIT that expect
a score of over 1500.
>> *Any Advice for the younger lot for their GRE journey ?
Start early for GRE. 1 year might feel like a long time, but you will
need that time for preparation for GRE as well getting your SoPs and LoRs in place.
Thank you Santosh G Vattam for taking off your precious time for sharing with us and also many GRE takers, your valuable experience which will be definitely helpful in many ways for the GRE takers. And also you have made the process of admission through GRE simply transparent. Thanks Once again And All The Very Best
All The Very Best to you READERS And GRE TAKERS also.
********************************************
Saturday, August 13, 2011
GRE goes Social Way
A news find by KIN team presented to you readers. A good move by the ETS to attract students towards the GRE EXAM.This piece of information will definitely be useful to those new to GRE and also who haven't about the GRE page in Facebook!
GRE launches Facebook page
GRE launches Facebook page
In a move to connect with test takers better, the GRE programme has launched its Facebook page giving those considering graduate or business school admission greater opportunity to share advice with prospective test takers, and get clear information about the GRE revised general test.
The ‘I'm Taking the GRE revised General Test' Facebook page is being introduced for those taking the current GRE test to meet score reporting deadlines and also those who want to take the GRE revised general test which launches around the world in August 2011.
“With more than seven lakh GRE tests taken each year around the world, it's a far-reaching community,” says Sharon Lawler-Sudell, Brand Director for the GRE programme at Educational Testing Service (ETS). “We thought it was important to engage with test takers in a way that they want to get information and communicate.”
Free alerts
To further help prospective test takers, the GRE Programme has also recently introduced a new ‘http://takethegre.com' website. The site includes information about the GRE general test and the GRE revised general test, plus access to free, official GRE test preparation software and materials. Prospective test takers can sign up for free alerts and reminders about registration, test preparation, and more.
There are even options for test takers to customise the information they receive based on the location of the world where they plan to test or if they are planning to pursue a graduate or MBA degree. “We especially wanted the site to be an easy resource for those people looking for helpful information about the test,” says Sharon.
The GRE revised general test will be introduced worldwide in August 2011. ETS will offer a limited-time 50 percent discount on the test fee to all individuals who take the GRE revised General Test between August 1 and September 30, 2011. Test takers can visit takethegre.com for full details. Registration for the GRE revised General Test opens from March 15.
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Code of Conduct on Foreign Campuses
In the fall of every year, much like migrating birds making their summer sojourn across the oceans and continents, the annual ritual of students winging their way across the world, seeking educational opportunities in foreign lands takes place. Indian students throng the US, UK, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Germany, France, Switzerland, Singapore and several others, seeking academic opportunities that are unavailable in their own countries.
The cross-cultural experience can be fraught with landmines, as the Kaavya Viswanathan episode in the US and episodes in Australia involving Indian students have illustrated. Students from India who wish to study in foreign countries need to understand and appreciate the differences in culture and academic systems, and attune themselves so that their educational and living experience is pleasant and enjoyable – both for themselves as well as for the host community in the foreign country. Broadly then, the areas where students should spend time and effort in understanding are academic, social and legal.
ACADEMIC
Plagiarism: The dictionary meaning of ‘plagiarism’ is `the use of another person’s intellectual property – words, ideas, plots – without acknowledging their ownership and attempting to pass them off as your own.’ This is one of the areas that is of prime concern to overseas educational systems and is often overlooked by Indian students. The Indian educational system does not place as much premium on originality as foreign ones. Students in India are expected to memorise vast quantities of text, and regurgitate the same in their exams. Analysis and application are notable by their absence. Thousands of students in India rely on cheap, quick-fix solutions offered by `exam guides’ which condense the curriculum into bytes that students can reproduce in the exams and score high marks. It is understandable, therefore, that sometimes students from India look for quick fixes after they go to foreign universities. Understandable, but not excusable.
Students should take the trouble to appreciate the educational system and values that are acceptable, and in fact, desirable in their host countries. The honour system prevalent in American educational systems, for instance, is something that international students wishing to study in the US, have to understand thoroughly.
Intellectual honesty is imperative in all advanced countries’ educational institutions. The unfortunate case of Kaavya Vishwanathan, the teenage author of ‘How Opal Mehta Got Kissed, Got Wild, and Got a Life’ comes to mind. With allegations about plagiarism flying thick and fast soon after publication of the book, the unfortunate Indian-American at Harvard University became famous for ‘How Kaavya Viswanathan got rich, got caught, and got ruined’. A cautionary tale on the aftermath of plagiarism, if ever there was one!
Class participation: Indian classrooms are notoriously overcrowded and individual attention is rare, except in exclusive private schools. Participation and class discussion is, therefore, unusual and occasional in most Indian classrooms. In developed countries, on the other hand, class participation and discussion is vital and valued, and marks are awarded for it.
Students must learn not to be afraid to ask questions pertaining to the subject. Questions and a curious mind are the hallmarks of an intelligent person, so students shed their inhibitions and not be afraid to ask ‘stupid questions.’
Seeking knowledge: One of the differences between the Indian educational system and the system prevalent in developed countries is that the latter have enabling systems – they teach students to seek knowledge on their own. While the Indian education system spoon-feeds students, developed countries teach students to find their own intellectual and academic nourishment.
Extra-curricular activities: Foreign institutions believe in a well-rounded educational experience, and campuses abroad offer a wide variety of opportunities for personal enrichment and enhancement, so students from India should make the time to explore and benefit from the opportunities outside of the classroom.
Friendly and informal faculty: Faculty members and officials at most educational institutions tend to be relatively more informal and relaxed than in India – in fact, several of them ask students to address them by name. Students should not construe this as licence to be familiar with faculty, or as an indication of laxity. When it comes to academics and rules, the same faculty will be extremely strict and stringent.
SOCIAL ETIQUETTE
Interaction with peers and social gatherings: The cultural divide between India and other countries translates into occasional awkward and embarrassing moments for students. They should learn to respect the private space of their peers and classmates – for example, while it is acceptable in India to ask a new acquaintance about exam scores, scholarship amounts, how much one’s parents earn and so on, such questions are considered inappropriate in Western countries until one knows the other person well. It is also in poor taste to speak in your native tongue to a smaller audience when you are in a mixed group, all of whom don’t understand your language. Speaking and laughing loudly or poking fun at other people is incorrect.
Students should also be careful with language – it is politically incorrect to refer to African American or African people as `negroes’ or people with the epicanthic eye fold as `Chinks’ and so on.
Eating, dressing, drinking and gaming: Most Indians eat with their fingers – nothing wrong with that – but they have to adapt, and be adept at using cutlery when in foreign lands. Table etiquette is not usually part of our upbringing, and students sometimes overlook the importance of etiquette and consideration when eating with others. Making negative comments about the local food and eating habits is inappropriate.
Students should try and blend in with the rest of the community, including in appearance. Ethnic clothes and jewellery should be reserved for special occasions.
Students abroad, especially those who have gone for Bachelor-level programmes, should be wary of trying alcohol, since they can get addicted and their education can suffer as a consequence. Drugs are to be strictly avoided – whatever the age. Make it a policy to simply and firmly say `No.’ Instances of students getting addicted to online gaming, to the detriment of their education have surfaced. As with liquor, it is prudent not to start on diversions like online gaming at all.
Preconceived notions: Stereotypes abound in movies and TV shows. Don’t go by movie and TV stereotypes of different cultures – they are mostly poorly researched and should not be used to understand foreign cultures. Students should respect foreign cultures, however, different they may be from your own.
Relationships: Students should stay focused on their mission in going to a foreign country and should not get derailed by romantic involvements and infatuations. Another cultural difference is that young people in many foreign countries don’t marry the first person they get romantically attracted to – so even if they are `going steady,’ students should be realistic and try not let such entanglements ruin their focus.
LEGAL
Stay in legal status: Students are admitted to foreign countries on specified student visas, which come with conditions on how long they can reside in the host country. Students should be very careful with their legal status and make sure there is absolutely no violation of their status.
Work ONLY as permitted by your visa status: An overwhelming percentage of students going to foreign countries to study look to embellish their CVs and resumes with some amount of work experience in those countries. Students are permitted to work part-time on campus during term-time and full-time during vacation by some countries. Moreover, the work should be related to their field of study and should be properly authorised. Students should be careful to accept work only as per their status.
Apply for CPT/ OPT well in advance: Many foreign countries allow international students to undertake practical training immediately after graduation, and in some cases, during vacations too. Students should attend orientation programmes for foreign students and familiarise themselves with the procedures for employment, and apply in good time for authorisation.
High alert: Most foreign campuses are safe and are equipped to deal with eventualities, so students can be fairly relaxed. However, whenever students step outside their campuses, they should be on high alert and take all precautions to ensure their safety and well-being.
Your rights: It is natural for students in foreign lands to feel reticent about lodging complaints in cases of harassment, molestation, discrimination and other such offences. Students should take all necessary steps to report such offences and not ignore or downplay them. However, they should be able to differentiate between light-hearted, harmless fun and serious offences.
The Indian government has consular offices in most countries where students go for higher education. It is worth the effort to register with the foreign mission office and keep the phone numbers of the local Indian consular office handy. This website provides country-wise information: http://india.gov.in/overseas/indian_missions.php
The cross-cultural experience can be fraught with landmines, as the Kaavya Viswanathan episode in the US and episodes in Australia involving Indian students have illustrated. Students from India who wish to study in foreign countries need to understand and appreciate the differences in culture and academic systems, and attune themselves so that their educational and living experience is pleasant and enjoyable – both for themselves as well as for the host community in the foreign country. Broadly then, the areas where students should spend time and effort in understanding are academic, social and legal.
ACADEMIC
Plagiarism: The dictionary meaning of ‘plagiarism’ is `the use of another person’s intellectual property – words, ideas, plots – without acknowledging their ownership and attempting to pass them off as your own.’ This is one of the areas that is of prime concern to overseas educational systems and is often overlooked by Indian students. The Indian educational system does not place as much premium on originality as foreign ones. Students in India are expected to memorise vast quantities of text, and regurgitate the same in their exams. Analysis and application are notable by their absence. Thousands of students in India rely on cheap, quick-fix solutions offered by `exam guides’ which condense the curriculum into bytes that students can reproduce in the exams and score high marks. It is understandable, therefore, that sometimes students from India look for quick fixes after they go to foreign universities. Understandable, but not excusable.
Students should take the trouble to appreciate the educational system and values that are acceptable, and in fact, desirable in their host countries. The honour system prevalent in American educational systems, for instance, is something that international students wishing to study in the US, have to understand thoroughly.
Intellectual honesty is imperative in all advanced countries’ educational institutions. The unfortunate case of Kaavya Vishwanathan, the teenage author of ‘How Opal Mehta Got Kissed, Got Wild, and Got a Life’ comes to mind. With allegations about plagiarism flying thick and fast soon after publication of the book, the unfortunate Indian-American at Harvard University became famous for ‘How Kaavya Viswanathan got rich, got caught, and got ruined’. A cautionary tale on the aftermath of plagiarism, if ever there was one!
Class participation: Indian classrooms are notoriously overcrowded and individual attention is rare, except in exclusive private schools. Participation and class discussion is, therefore, unusual and occasional in most Indian classrooms. In developed countries, on the other hand, class participation and discussion is vital and valued, and marks are awarded for it.
Students must learn not to be afraid to ask questions pertaining to the subject. Questions and a curious mind are the hallmarks of an intelligent person, so students shed their inhibitions and not be afraid to ask ‘stupid questions.’
Seeking knowledge: One of the differences between the Indian educational system and the system prevalent in developed countries is that the latter have enabling systems – they teach students to seek knowledge on their own. While the Indian education system spoon-feeds students, developed countries teach students to find their own intellectual and academic nourishment.
Extra-curricular activities: Foreign institutions believe in a well-rounded educational experience, and campuses abroad offer a wide variety of opportunities for personal enrichment and enhancement, so students from India should make the time to explore and benefit from the opportunities outside of the classroom.
Friendly and informal faculty: Faculty members and officials at most educational institutions tend to be relatively more informal and relaxed than in India – in fact, several of them ask students to address them by name. Students should not construe this as licence to be familiar with faculty, or as an indication of laxity. When it comes to academics and rules, the same faculty will be extremely strict and stringent.
SOCIAL ETIQUETTE
Interaction with peers and social gatherings: The cultural divide between India and other countries translates into occasional awkward and embarrassing moments for students. They should learn to respect the private space of their peers and classmates – for example, while it is acceptable in India to ask a new acquaintance about exam scores, scholarship amounts, how much one’s parents earn and so on, such questions are considered inappropriate in Western countries until one knows the other person well. It is also in poor taste to speak in your native tongue to a smaller audience when you are in a mixed group, all of whom don’t understand your language. Speaking and laughing loudly or poking fun at other people is incorrect.
Students should also be careful with language – it is politically incorrect to refer to African American or African people as `negroes’ or people with the epicanthic eye fold as `Chinks’ and so on.
Eating, dressing, drinking and gaming: Most Indians eat with their fingers – nothing wrong with that – but they have to adapt, and be adept at using cutlery when in foreign lands. Table etiquette is not usually part of our upbringing, and students sometimes overlook the importance of etiquette and consideration when eating with others. Making negative comments about the local food and eating habits is inappropriate.
Students should try and blend in with the rest of the community, including in appearance. Ethnic clothes and jewellery should be reserved for special occasions.
Students abroad, especially those who have gone for Bachelor-level programmes, should be wary of trying alcohol, since they can get addicted and their education can suffer as a consequence. Drugs are to be strictly avoided – whatever the age. Make it a policy to simply and firmly say `No.’ Instances of students getting addicted to online gaming, to the detriment of their education have surfaced. As with liquor, it is prudent not to start on diversions like online gaming at all.
Preconceived notions: Stereotypes abound in movies and TV shows. Don’t go by movie and TV stereotypes of different cultures – they are mostly poorly researched and should not be used to understand foreign cultures. Students should respect foreign cultures, however, different they may be from your own.
Relationships: Students should stay focused on their mission in going to a foreign country and should not get derailed by romantic involvements and infatuations. Another cultural difference is that young people in many foreign countries don’t marry the first person they get romantically attracted to – so even if they are `going steady,’ students should be realistic and try not let such entanglements ruin their focus.
LEGAL
Stay in legal status: Students are admitted to foreign countries on specified student visas, which come with conditions on how long they can reside in the host country. Students should be very careful with their legal status and make sure there is absolutely no violation of their status.
Work ONLY as permitted by your visa status: An overwhelming percentage of students going to foreign countries to study look to embellish their CVs and resumes with some amount of work experience in those countries. Students are permitted to work part-time on campus during term-time and full-time during vacation by some countries. Moreover, the work should be related to their field of study and should be properly authorised. Students should be careful to accept work only as per their status.
Apply for CPT/ OPT well in advance: Many foreign countries allow international students to undertake practical training immediately after graduation, and in some cases, during vacations too. Students should attend orientation programmes for foreign students and familiarise themselves with the procedures for employment, and apply in good time for authorisation.
High alert: Most foreign campuses are safe and are equipped to deal with eventualities, so students can be fairly relaxed. However, whenever students step outside their campuses, they should be on high alert and take all precautions to ensure their safety and well-being.
Your rights: It is natural for students in foreign lands to feel reticent about lodging complaints in cases of harassment, molestation, discrimination and other such offences. Students should take all necessary steps to report such offences and not ignore or downplay them. However, they should be able to differentiate between light-hearted, harmless fun and serious offences.
The Indian government has consular offices in most countries where students go for higher education. It is worth the effort to register with the foreign mission office and keep the phone numbers of the local Indian consular office handy. This website provides country-wise information: http://india.gov.in/overseas/indian_missions.php
SoP
The Statement of Purpose (or SoP) is an important component of the admissions process for American Master’s or PhD programmes. Since Indian Bachelor’s degrees take three years’ to complete, (hence, 12+3 = 15 years of education), we recommend that you complete 16 years of formal education to be competitive and eligible to apply to most US institutions.
The SoP is also a fairly difficult piece of writing to do at short notice. On the whole, an effective SoP requires a mix of self-reflection, succinct writing and subtle marketing.
Here’s what you can do to make your SoP stand out:
Basic Purpose
Begin with the end in mind. Your first paragraph is the most important: writing and rewriting it will polish it well. Communicate the basic purpose for which you are applying for a Master’s or PhD degree. A sincere, succinct and original first sentence or two is ideal. Cover the key reasons why you want to go to a graduate programme within the first paragraph. Develop your core ‘USP’ (Unique Selling Proposition) and eliminate every word and phrase that does not communicate purpose. Delete, revise and rewrite it all over again until it is accurate yet effective.
Analyse what motivated you. Now, move on to the motivations behind your purpose. Graduate school can be an intense experience, and more so at the PhD level. Faculty members on admissions committees are interested in the ‘why’ behind your ‘what’.
Rather than chronological descriptions of what you did in the recent past, dive into your thought-process and share what you learned. Ensure that each paragraph contains one or two key ideas developed coherently and logically that thematically progress to the next.
Your Motivation
Link your motivation to apply for a Master’s or PhD to your experiences at work or doing research. What did you learn while working or doing further research that prompted you to desire further education? American universities value students who have a real-world perspective, so if you have some years of work experience, do not hesitate to show what you learned while working.
Your contacts, software and soft people-skills, all would have developed in some ways while at work or doing research. Discuss these in terms of your learning and motivations. Perhaps you realised that you could use a Master’s or PhD to meet your medium-term and long-term goals — so discuss what triggered it. Reflect. Critique yourself. Share what you learned and how each step catalysed the next. Share your story.
Good Fit
Demonstrate ‘fit’. After discussing your motivations behind why you did what you did, you need to wind up. Begin the transition to the end of the SoP by making a case for why you are a good ‘fit’ for the programme. Be as specific as you can be here. If you’re applying for a Master’s programme, discuss the laboratory or research groups that you would be able to contribute to; if you’re a PhD applicant, name the faculty members whose work and research intersects with yours.
Perhaps your skills complement that of a professor with whom you want to work. Perhaps there’s a library, a research centre or some industry-university programme you are very interested in and could use for your career. Perhaps your prior training fits well with more advanced parts of the course curriculum – whatever it is, demonstrate how your being admitted would add value to the graduate student community. Specificity of ‘fit’ can be demonstrated by identifying and closely studying what you need and what the university you are applying to, can offer – thereby offering a unique synergy that will result in a win-win situation.
The SoP is also a fairly difficult piece of writing to do at short notice. On the whole, an effective SoP requires a mix of self-reflection, succinct writing and subtle marketing.
Here’s what you can do to make your SoP stand out:
Basic Purpose
Begin with the end in mind. Your first paragraph is the most important: writing and rewriting it will polish it well. Communicate the basic purpose for which you are applying for a Master’s or PhD degree. A sincere, succinct and original first sentence or two is ideal. Cover the key reasons why you want to go to a graduate programme within the first paragraph. Develop your core ‘USP’ (Unique Selling Proposition) and eliminate every word and phrase that does not communicate purpose. Delete, revise and rewrite it all over again until it is accurate yet effective.
Analyse what motivated you. Now, move on to the motivations behind your purpose. Graduate school can be an intense experience, and more so at the PhD level. Faculty members on admissions committees are interested in the ‘why’ behind your ‘what’.
Rather than chronological descriptions of what you did in the recent past, dive into your thought-process and share what you learned. Ensure that each paragraph contains one or two key ideas developed coherently and logically that thematically progress to the next.
Your Motivation
Link your motivation to apply for a Master’s or PhD to your experiences at work or doing research. What did you learn while working or doing further research that prompted you to desire further education? American universities value students who have a real-world perspective, so if you have some years of work experience, do not hesitate to show what you learned while working.
Your contacts, software and soft people-skills, all would have developed in some ways while at work or doing research. Discuss these in terms of your learning and motivations. Perhaps you realised that you could use a Master’s or PhD to meet your medium-term and long-term goals — so discuss what triggered it. Reflect. Critique yourself. Share what you learned and how each step catalysed the next. Share your story.
Good Fit
Demonstrate ‘fit’. After discussing your motivations behind why you did what you did, you need to wind up. Begin the transition to the end of the SoP by making a case for why you are a good ‘fit’ for the programme. Be as specific as you can be here. If you’re applying for a Master’s programme, discuss the laboratory or research groups that you would be able to contribute to; if you’re a PhD applicant, name the faculty members whose work and research intersects with yours.
Perhaps your skills complement that of a professor with whom you want to work. Perhaps there’s a library, a research centre or some industry-university programme you are very interested in and could use for your career. Perhaps your prior training fits well with more advanced parts of the course curriculum – whatever it is, demonstrate how your being admitted would add value to the graduate student community. Specificity of ‘fit’ can be demonstrated by identifying and closely studying what you need and what the university you are applying to, can offer – thereby offering a unique synergy that will result in a win-win situation.
Friday, July 22, 2011
GRE propellers
In yet another significant move to better connect with test takers worldwide, the GRE® program has just launched its first-ever Facebook page. The page gives those considering graduate or business school an even greater opportunity to share advice, cheer on other prospective test takers and get clear information about the GRE® revised General Test.
“With more than 700,000 GRE tests taken each year around the world, it’s a very large and far-reaching community,” says Sharon Lawler-Sudell, brand director for the GRE Program at Educational Testing Service (ETS). “We thought it was important to engage with test takers in a way that they want to get information and communicate.”
The ‘I’m Taking the GRE revised General Test’ Facebook page is being introduced just in time for test takers who will be deciding if they have to take the current GRE® General Test to meet score reporting deadlines or if they can take the more test-taker friendly GRE revised General Test which launches around the world in August 2011.
To further help prospective test takers, the GRE Program has also recently introduced a new "takethegre.com" website. The site includes information about the GRE General Test and the GRE revised General Test, plus access to free, official GRE test preparation software and materials. Prospective test takers can sign up for free alerts and reminders about registration, test preparation, and more—right on the takethegre.com site. There are even options for test takers to customize the information they receive based on the location of the world where they plan to test or if they are planning to pursue a graduate or MBA degree. “We received a lot of feedback from prospective test takers when designing the site,” says Lawler-Sudell. “Our goal was to make the site informative and relevant to best meet their needs. We especially wanted the site to be an easy resource for those people looking for helpful information about the GRE revised General Test.”
The GRE revised General Test will be introduced worldwide in August 2011. ETS will offer a limited-time 50-percent discount on the test fee to all individuals who take the GRE revised General Test between August 1 and September 30, 2011. Test takers are encouraged to visit takethegre.com for full details.
“With more than 700,000 GRE tests taken each year around the world, it’s a very large and far-reaching community,” says Sharon Lawler-Sudell, brand director for the GRE Program at Educational Testing Service (ETS). “We thought it was important to engage with test takers in a way that they want to get information and communicate.”
The ‘I’m Taking the GRE revised General Test’ Facebook page is being introduced just in time for test takers who will be deciding if they have to take the current GRE® General Test to meet score reporting deadlines or if they can take the more test-taker friendly GRE revised General Test which launches around the world in August 2011.
To further help prospective test takers, the GRE Program has also recently introduced a new "takethegre.com" website. The site includes information about the GRE General Test and the GRE revised General Test, plus access to free, official GRE test preparation software and materials. Prospective test takers can sign up for free alerts and reminders about registration, test preparation, and more—right on the takethegre.com site. There are even options for test takers to customize the information they receive based on the location of the world where they plan to test or if they are planning to pursue a graduate or MBA degree. “We received a lot of feedback from prospective test takers when designing the site,” says Lawler-Sudell. “Our goal was to make the site informative and relevant to best meet their needs. We especially wanted the site to be an easy resource for those people looking for helpful information about the GRE revised General Test.”
The GRE revised General Test will be introduced worldwide in August 2011. ETS will offer a limited-time 50-percent discount on the test fee to all individuals who take the GRE revised General Test between August 1 and September 30, 2011. Test takers are encouraged to visit takethegre.com for full details.
Friday, July 15, 2011
Sift through the clutter
By natural order of things,the number of top colleges with restricted admissions is increasing to accommodate the bulging numbers in the shrinking bracket.
The trend is certainly worrisome.
The situation has thrown up a lot of Ideas,none of which seem to be acceptable to all and workable on the ground.
In order to get a hold of the pioneer's rope, we have to accept the new standing and Implore the healthy standing.
For a few ,who are unable to find their weakness and strength..actually begin a runaway slide.So to underpin these aberrations...we the team of KINJUNKTION would earn out the useful tips and the gesticulations of the extortionate people who have made it big in the GRE/TOEFL.......in the next post,so please do tune in next time...as we are framing the resource.
The trend is certainly worrisome.
The situation has thrown up a lot of Ideas,none of which seem to be acceptable to all and workable on the ground.
In order to get a hold of the pioneer's rope, we have to accept the new standing and Implore the healthy standing.
For a few ,who are unable to find their weakness and strength..actually begin a runaway slide.So to underpin these aberrations...we the team of KINJUNKTION would earn out the useful tips and the gesticulations of the extortionate people who have made it big in the GRE/TOEFL.......in the next post,so please do tune in next time...as we are framing the resource.
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
FINAL STAGES OF PREPARATION FOR GRE
At the fag end of preparation, GRE exam taker must solve and practice a number of papers. It does not matter as to which kind of paper you practice. Be it a CBT (Computer Based Test ) or Paper based Test or the paper is in PDF form (Soft Copy). As long as one practices the papers according to both previous and current pattern, one can be confident of putting a good performance in the main GRE exam.
Apart from this one can also go for attempting for the online mock test available at a number of websites. Even ETS provides the practice test, apart from this few other websites also provide the practice tests and the links to the practice test are given below.
> Princeton Review
> GRE GUIDE
> TestPrepPractice
Apart from these professionals, KIN also provides you with set of GRE papers and tool kits from KIN database.You can download your GRE papers and GRE Study kit from the below link.
The GRE papers are presented to you as "GRE -BIG BOOK OF PAPERS ". And the you can also download the GRE Study kit here.The downloads offered to you are completely free.So start preparing more exam oriented by taking more mock papers. All The Best!! Any questions. Please shoot across to us. We will try to help you out.
Apart from this one can also go for attempting for the online mock test available at a number of websites. Even ETS provides the practice test, apart from this few other websites also provide the practice tests and the links to the practice test are given below.
> Princeton Review
> GRE GUIDE
> TestPrepPractice
Apart from these professionals, KIN also provides you with set of GRE papers and tool kits from KIN database.You can download your GRE papers and GRE Study kit from the below link.
The GRE papers are presented to you as "GRE -BIG BOOK OF PAPERS ". And the you can also download the GRE Study kit here.The downloads offered to you are completely free.So start preparing more exam oriented by taking more mock papers. All The Best!! Any questions. Please shoot across to us. We will try to help you out.
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Start Your Preparation For GRE / GMAT by downloading your copy of GRE BIG BOOK
As GRE requires you know a lot of words.Here is a tool that provides you a huge number words. The name of the ebook or the book is "GRE BIG BOOK". Most of your seniors would recommend this and KIN recommends this material to guide GRE takers to success.
You can download your copy of GRE big book here .So then download it and start your GRE preparations.
All The Best!
You can download your copy of GRE big book here .So then download it and start your GRE preparations.
All The Best!
KNOW YOUR ENGLISH TO SPEAK WELL AND WRITE WELL!!
Here is another article selected from the daily journal "THE HINDU" from its supplementary issue "EDUCATION PLUS", INDIA.
And this post will tell you the reason, why English language is required and what are the benefits .
This Article here is a great indication that, Especially GRE and GMAT takers and others too must be good at English. So then Speak English,Talk English,Walk English and this is the code required to stand out in a community. All the best!
And this post will tell you the reason, why English language is required and what are the benefits .
The success of Most technologists in the last one decade is attributed to the fruitful mix of their strong knowledge in the core technology and English language skills. At the same time, thousands are losing opportunities due to the lack of those same English language skills.
There is a perception that engineering college students are technically strong but poor in English language skills. Several studies by NASSCOM, INDIA and similar organisations have repeatedly emphasised this fact. Interestingly, it is not just the vernacular medium students who suffer from lack of language skills but also English medium students. Where does the problem lie?
Losing touch
Experts say that in corporate colleges are focussing on optional subjects and neglecting the languages for the sake of ranks in the entrance examinations to professional colleges. Students rue that they lose touch with the fundamental language and later struggle when they get into higher education.
Some analysis has shown that students getting into government and minority colleges have proper grip over the language but not those getting into corporate colleges. The most unfortunate are the students who did their schooling and intermediate education in corporate colleges.
“After studying in a corporate college, I lost touch with English, particularly writing skills, and I could realise its effect in the engineering course where we have to write project reports and other assignments,” says M. Rajiv, a student of MGIT.
“The gap of two years is making them forget what they studied till tenth standard. Lot of students don't have enough English language exposure at Intermediate. Sentence structuring is very poor and they can't even write assignments properly,” says Madhusudhan Nair, Principal, K.G.Reddy College of Engineering and Technology.
“Students of English medium background have some understanding of grammar and verbal skills but they lack effective reading skills. This not only affects their communication skills but also affects their grasping the knowledge,” says M. Srinivas Rao, Associate Professor.
Neglected areas
“The government board has designed the syllabus to be taught in one year but in corporate colleges they are teaching it only for 15 days. They are neglecting the phonetics and communication skill programme which is very important in higher studies. Students are ignorant about the language and they are reluctant to learn too,” says Lakshmi Mantha, Assistant Professor, Osmania University College of Engineering.
Teachers opine that some serious thought should go into reviving the importance of English at the Intermediate level or else students will stand to lose out. They remind that good language skills are must for writing project reports, facing interviews or participating in group discussions – the three key factors in the job sector. Moreover, admission in a good university abroad depends on the GRE and GMAT score and not just final year marks. This Article here is a great indication that, Especially GRE and GMAT takers and others too must be good at English. So then Speak English,Talk English,Walk English and this is the code required to stand out in a community. All the best!
Monday, July 11, 2011
Tools, You Can Use For The Preparation of GRE, SAT, TOEFL, And GMAT
By preparing for these Exams, you can develop your English vocabulary to a great extent.
Thus by development of your vocabulary skills in-turn helps in cracking these exams. So to equip yourselves for these exams, you should use good tools such as vocabulary builder. If you had talked to your seniors who have appeared for one these exam, you would be knowing that, at least 500-1000 words are to be learnt for sure. For that you require tools such as vocabulary builders or things like that.
KIN research database recommends you, for development of vocabulary, the following things:
> Vocabulary Booster by Gene McKenna
> Million Dollar Vocabulary personal learning Course by Dr. J. Michael Bennet
> Barron's GRE words
> Barron's 550 words
> English Vocabulary 5000 Ivy League words
> Word Master by Denis Waitley
These are available in both print, i.e. PDF format and also in the form of audio book / audio format.
It is advisable to buy the audio book and also download the PDF's of the tools, because it's best to hear them and observe at the same time in the PDF, so as to make the learning more efficient. Learning it by listening to the audio and simultaneously observing merely at the PDF will:
> Improve your concentration.
> You get to know the spellings
> You get to know as to how and where to use it
> Less Hard work and more Smart work is specialty of this method, as you tend learn those words without your conscience.
> You also get to know the pronunciations
By using these tools regularly you will get a command over the language of English and thus helping in clearing these exams with a very good score. At the end of training in Vocabulary using these you would have gained a Command over English language which not only will be helpful in your Exams to come but also in future to come and you will know what words will appropriate to use and also how.
So get started and All the Best!!!
Thus by development of your vocabulary skills in-turn helps in cracking these exams. So to equip yourselves for these exams, you should use good tools such as vocabulary builder. If you had talked to your seniors who have appeared for one these exam, you would be knowing that, at least 500-1000 words are to be learnt for sure. For that you require tools such as vocabulary builders or things like that.
KIN research database recommends you, for development of vocabulary, the following things:
> Vocabulary Booster by Gene McKenna
> Million Dollar Vocabulary personal learning Course by Dr. J. Michael Bennet
> Barron's GRE words
> Barron's 550 words
> English Vocabulary 5000 Ivy League words
> Word Master by Denis Waitley
These are available in both print, i.e. PDF format and also in the form of audio book / audio format.
It is advisable to buy the audio book and also download the PDF's of the tools, because it's best to hear them and observe at the same time in the PDF, so as to make the learning more efficient. Learning it by listening to the audio and simultaneously observing merely at the PDF will:
> Improve your concentration.
> You get to know the spellings
> You get to know as to how and where to use it
> Less Hard work and more Smart work is specialty of this method, as you tend learn those words without your conscience.
> You also get to know the pronunciations
By using these tools regularly you will get a command over the language of English and thus helping in clearing these exams with a very good score. At the end of training in Vocabulary using these you would have gained a Command over English language which not only will be helpful in your Exams to come but also in future to come and you will know what words will appropriate to use and also how.
So get started and All the Best!!!
Thursday, July 7, 2011
GRE-Cramming WORDS
Learn over 500 high frequency words and crack the GRE exam effortlessly !
Cramming a mountain of wordlists in a very short time is what almost everyone remembers of preparing for GRE. But at Vocabmagik they want to change that experience for you. They present to you a list of 580 dedicated high frequency words for GRE preparation. And it isn’t time-consuming at all – only 25 hours to learn 580 words…Believe it, learning words was never this easy!
After going through the 580 words here , be rest assured you’d be able to also make up your own associations to get cracking on the rest of the 3000 words too … So get cracking !!
Course Features
The GRE High Frequency Wordlist
The GRE packages consists specially selected 580 words, prepared basis the past 10 years pattern of GRE exam. These are the words, that have most often appeared in the exam, and is thus a great starting point for your GRE preparation. The list of words here has been carefully chosen to ensure that you are able to handle bulk of the verbal ability questions by spending only about 20-25 hours.
Memory Aids supported by Animated Cartoons
You know why the concept of diagrams emerged? Because people realized that visualizing things made it easier to recall. So They thought why not do the same for vocabulary? Hence, they created a series of animated cartoons that tell you a story, and it’s the story that remains with you, helping you learn not only the definition of the word but also its usage! Link word and a specially thought of association help make the retention simpler and stronger.
Do you know what BAUBLE means? It means a trinket.. BAUBLE and BULL are similar sounding words.. See the BULL wearing a BAUBLE here in the picture So the next time you see the word bauble… just visualize the BULL wearing a BAUBLE
All about the word!
When they say they are here to make your life simpler, we mean it. One show-it-all page takes care of all your needs ranging from the definition, synonyms, antonyms, usage, other related forms, etymology, confusables and some interesting facts about words. All you have to do is look at it and enjoy while you learn!
Continuous Assessment
“Practice makes a man perfect”! Thought since we are talking about cartoons and having fun we’ll let you go so easy? Definitely not! The idea is to ensure learning, and for gauging your performance nothing better than daily tests! Beyond our pre-scheduled tests, there would be unlimited tests with questions on synonyms, antonyms and sentence completion from our databank of over 3500 questions!!
Detailed Performance Analysis
They generate test reports to help you understand your strengths and weaknesses. Based on these reports further course of action will be suggested for each session. Whether you have mastered it… Or you need to review it.. Or repeat it!! They don’t call themselves support system for nothing!
Revision Notes
For students preparing for competitive exams, every minute is precious and we know that. So, we make sure that you get to do your studying as and when you feel like. Sitting in a bus? Want to go outside get some fresh air? Feel like visiting your favorite coffee shop? Never mind, get the printable version of their notes and study on the go!
Cramming a mountain of wordlists in a very short time is what almost everyone remembers of preparing for GRE. But at Vocabmagik they want to change that experience for you. They present to you a list of 580 dedicated high frequency words for GRE preparation. And it isn’t time-consuming at all – only 25 hours to learn 580 words…Believe it, learning words was never this easy!
After going through the 580 words here , be rest assured you’d be able to also make up your own associations to get cracking on the rest of the 3000 words too … So get cracking !!
Course Features
The GRE High Frequency Wordlist
The GRE packages consists specially selected 580 words, prepared basis the past 10 years pattern of GRE exam. These are the words, that have most often appeared in the exam, and is thus a great starting point for your GRE preparation. The list of words here has been carefully chosen to ensure that you are able to handle bulk of the verbal ability questions by spending only about 20-25 hours.
Memory Aids supported by Animated Cartoons
You know why the concept of diagrams emerged? Because people realized that visualizing things made it easier to recall. So They thought why not do the same for vocabulary? Hence, they created a series of animated cartoons that tell you a story, and it’s the story that remains with you, helping you learn not only the definition of the word but also its usage! Link word and a specially thought of association help make the retention simpler and stronger.
Do you know what BAUBLE means? It means a trinket.. BAUBLE and BULL are similar sounding words.. See the BULL wearing a BAUBLE here in the picture So the next time you see the word bauble… just visualize the BULL wearing a BAUBLE
All about the word!
When they say they are here to make your life simpler, we mean it. One show-it-all page takes care of all your needs ranging from the definition, synonyms, antonyms, usage, other related forms, etymology, confusables and some interesting facts about words. All you have to do is look at it and enjoy while you learn!
Continuous Assessment
“Practice makes a man perfect”! Thought since we are talking about cartoons and having fun we’ll let you go so easy? Definitely not! The idea is to ensure learning, and for gauging your performance nothing better than daily tests! Beyond our pre-scheduled tests, there would be unlimited tests with questions on synonyms, antonyms and sentence completion from our databank of over 3500 questions!!
Detailed Performance Analysis
They generate test reports to help you understand your strengths and weaknesses. Based on these reports further course of action will be suggested for each session. Whether you have mastered it… Or you need to review it.. Or repeat it!! They don’t call themselves support system for nothing!
Revision Notes
For students preparing for competitive exams, every minute is precious and we know that. So, we make sure that you get to do your studying as and when you feel like. Sitting in a bus? Want to go outside get some fresh air? Feel like visiting your favorite coffee shop? Never mind, get the printable version of their notes and study on the go!
Monday, July 4, 2011
For The Want Of Higher Order Skills
Engineering students are neither creative nor good at problem solving and hence fail to get jobs in the competitive global market. Curriculum should be designed in such a way that students learn complex issues quickly
The deciding moment will arrive for every student to make his/her career path. Students should be careful in their choice of college. The quality of teaching staff, lab facilities and other infrastructure vary from college to college and have a bearing on the process of learning and acquiring skills.
A recent research revealed that engineering graduates in the country are falling short of professional, core employability and communication skills. Engineers with such skills are in short supply in IT and infrastructure, power and water, and many other sectors.
The survey conducted by the World Bank — “Employability and Skill Set of Newly Graduated Engineers in India” (2011) — stated a majority of employers in India are not satisfied with the skills of newly hired engineering graduates. Only 64 per cent of employers said they are “somewhat satisfied” with the current engineering graduates. Abut 3.9 per cent of employers rate the skills as “not at all satisfied” while 16.1 per cent are “not very satisfied.”
The higher education system has responded to the increased demand for engineers by massively expanding production of engineers. For example, Karnataka alone provides admissions to 70,000 students in 184 engineering colleges. But the system has not addressed the issue of imparting quality education and the kinds of skills demanded by employers in the global market.
Comparison
The survey report, authored by Andreas Blom and Hiroshi Saeki, found that engineering graduates were not good at problem solving, creativity, use of modern tools, system designing to needs, application of mathematics, science and engineering knowledge and customer service. They lacked knowledge of contemporary issues too. The survey said that “Indian employers are less satisfied with their engineers compared to U.S. employers.” There has been an average decline in the quality of students, said the Bank which surveyed employers in 20 sectors, including IT, power and infrastructure.
Must-learn skills
Half of the respondents were large companies with over 500 employees, with 40 per cent from North India, 27 per cent from the West and 19 per cent from the South. Interestingly, where the employers found the fresh engineering graduates most lacking in is critical thinking and problem solving.
Besides professional skills, the employers look for (a) core employability skills, which cover generic attitudinal and affective skills such as reliability and team work; and (b) communication skills. Employability and communications skills are often referred to as soft skills. Engineers who are in high demand possess these sets.
Employers are likely to perceive soft skills as more important than professional skills. However, engineering graduates with limited and weak professional skills are undesirable for employers.
The report said memorising textbooks for examinations is not a skill appreciated by the employers.
Many experts ask if the Indian engineering education system trains students to memorise science and engineering knowledge, without adequately emphasising the applicability, analysis and out-of-the-box thinking that employers look for.
Engineering firms look for more analytical and creative engineers to compete for value-added IT orders in the global market.
Institutions need to focus on learning rather than memorisation and mere understanding.
The report said the curricula should be designed in a way where students learn complex and practical issues within a limited time.
Collaboration
Employers ask for different professional skills depending upon the economic sectors they are involved in, the firm size and the region. Colleges have to prepare their graduates to meet the demand for skills from different sectors and hence have to increase their interaction with various kinds of employers.
Colleges should customise programme outcomes to meet the specific demand. Further, extra-curriculum activities such as internships and involvement of institutions with community would also help students to deepen the understanding of demanded skills and respond well to the market.
The employers think that graduates are relatively strong in lower-order thinking skills such as knowledge and understanding, use of basic and advanced computers, and applying knowledge of mathematics, science and engineering, but fall short when it comes to the more complex tasks such as application of appropriate tools to solve a problem, and analysis and interpretation.
Another area, considered most important by employers, and where a large gap was found is ‘soft skills' — integrity, teamwork, reliability and willingness to learn.
However, most employers were very satisfied with the English communication skills of the new graduates. “The survey found that colleges are doing very well meeting the demand for English skills, since the graduates are rated in English.”
The reasons for demanding higher-order thinking skills are likely to be a result of increased international and national competition, the focus on increased quality products and innovation.
As skills acquired at school and at the workplace become obsolete more quickly in the globalisation era, higher-order thinking skills and an ability to learn new and more complex skills are indispensible to respond to accelerating technological change.
Courtesy: THE HINDU.
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
The GRE revised General Test is Coming in August
The GRE General Test is Changing. Find Out What You Need to Know — and Why It's Good News for You.
For millions of students like you, a graduate or business degree can give you a big advantage in your future career. An important step toward achieving that goal — and the path to thousands of graduate and business programs all over the world — is to take the GRE General Test.
Now we're making that step even better for you. Starting this August, the GRE revised General Test will replace the current GRE General Test, giving you the advantage of a better test experience — and new types of questions that help show your readiness for graduate-level work.
Here's What You Can Expect from the GRE revised
General Test
A new test-taker friendly design for the computer-based test that lets you edit or change your answers, skip questions and more, all within a section — giving you the freedom to use more of your own test-taking strategies. Another new feature: an on-screen calculator.* Learn more about the new test-taker friendly design.
New types of questions in the Verbal Reasoning and Quantitative Reasoning sections, many featuring real-life scenarios that reflect the kind of thinking you'll do in today's demanding graduate and business school programs. Learn more about the new types of questions.
Special savings of 50% when you take the GRE revised General Test between August 1 and September 30, 2011. The 50% discount means big savings for you — and another big advantage to taking the GRE revised General Test. Learn more about saving 50% on your test fee.
Important score reporting information you need to know: If you take the GRE revised General Test during our special discount period of August – September 2011, your scores will be sent by mid-November. However, if you need your scores before November, take the current test before August. See the detailed score reporting schedule.
Something else to keep in mind when you receive your scores: The GRE revised General Test features a new score scale that can make it easier for schools to compare your GRE scores with the scores of other candidates. Learn more about the new score scale.
Ready to take the GRE revised General Test?
Registration is open now! Reserve your place today >
*For those taking the paper-based GRE revised General Test, calculators will be provided at the test center for use during the test.
Choosing Between the Current Test and the Revised Test
To help you decide which of the two tests to take, start by selecting which schools you're most interested in, then find out when they need your scores. Different schools have different admissions deadlines, so knowing when your prospective schools need your scores is an important part of making the decision between the GRE General Test and the GRE revised General Test.
If you need scores before November, start planning now. You will need to take the current test. You will want to register early to ensure you get a seat for your preferred date and location. If you take the current test in a split-test administration location early planning is especially important.
If you don't need scores until after November, taking the GRE revised General Test is a smart move. With these new changes in place, the revised test will give you a better test experience — and offer an even better way to show schools that you're ready for graduate-level work.
Another Reason to Take the GRE revised General Test:
You'll Save 50% When You Test In August or September 2011.
Here's an opportunity you don't want to miss: save 50% on the GRE revised General Test when you test between August 1 and September 30, 2011.
Test takers who save 50% on their test fee will have the same test experience and test advantages as those who take the GRE revised General Test after the special discount period is over; the only difference is the savings!
If you want to take advantage of this limited-time 50% discount, we recommend that you register as early as you can, since seats will fill up quickly during this special discount period. Registration for the GRE revised General Test is open now. Please note that if you test during this special discount period of August 1 – September 30, 2011, your GRE scores will be sent by mid-November. That means if you need your scores before then, don't wait — make sure you take the current test before August.
Make Sure You're Ready for the GRE revised General Test.
Here Are Important Dates You Need to Know:
Table with important dates about the GRE revised General Test MONTH MILESTONE
2011
AUGUST –
SEPTEMBER
August 1: First day of testing for the GRE revised General Test
August 1 – September 30: Save 50% on your test fee; if you test during this period, your scores will be sent by mid-November
OCTOBER –
NOVEMBER
If you test between October and November, you should check the detailed score reporting schedule to know what day your scores will be sent
DECEMBER
Normal score reporting resumes. Your score report will be sent 10 – 15 days after your test date
For Test Takers Taking the Paper-based GRE revised General Test
For those taking the paper-based GRE revised General Test in areas of the world where the computer-based test is not available, the test design and question types will be modified to be appropriate for a paper-based, linear test. Learn more about the paper-based test.
For Test Takers in Mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan or Korea
If you're taking the test in these areas, there are some important changes with the GRE revised General Test introduction you should know.
What You Can Do to Start Preparing Now
The GRE revised General Test is coming in August and you should start getting ready for it right now:
Find out when you need your scores to decide which test is best for your timing:
If you need your scores before November 2011, register now to take the current test before August. Otherwise, you can register for the GRE revised General Test and save 50% if you test between August 1 and September 30, 2011.
Sign up for official news and important reminders.
Learn about the GRE revised General Test — what's changing, and what those changes mean to you. Find out.
Check out Sample Questions, tips for answering and general advice for each section available now:
Analytical Writing
Verbal Reasoning
Quantitative Reasoning
Download FREE test prep materials to start practicing:
POWERPREP II Software for the computer-based test — includes a Test Preview Tool and Practice Test
Practice Book for the Paper-based GRE revised General Test (PDF)
Purchase additional test prep for even more practice:
The Official Guide to the GRE revised General Test
ScoreItNow Online Writing Practice
For millions of students like you, a graduate or business degree can give you a big advantage in your future career. An important step toward achieving that goal — and the path to thousands of graduate and business programs all over the world — is to take the GRE General Test.
Now we're making that step even better for you. Starting this August, the GRE revised General Test will replace the current GRE General Test, giving you the advantage of a better test experience — and new types of questions that help show your readiness for graduate-level work.
Here's What You Can Expect from the GRE revised
General Test
A new test-taker friendly design for the computer-based test that lets you edit or change your answers, skip questions and more, all within a section — giving you the freedom to use more of your own test-taking strategies. Another new feature: an on-screen calculator.* Learn more about the new test-taker friendly design.
New types of questions in the Verbal Reasoning and Quantitative Reasoning sections, many featuring real-life scenarios that reflect the kind of thinking you'll do in today's demanding graduate and business school programs. Learn more about the new types of questions.
Special savings of 50% when you take the GRE revised General Test between August 1 and September 30, 2011. The 50% discount means big savings for you — and another big advantage to taking the GRE revised General Test. Learn more about saving 50% on your test fee.
Important score reporting information you need to know: If you take the GRE revised General Test during our special discount period of August – September 2011, your scores will be sent by mid-November. However, if you need your scores before November, take the current test before August. See the detailed score reporting schedule.
Something else to keep in mind when you receive your scores: The GRE revised General Test features a new score scale that can make it easier for schools to compare your GRE scores with the scores of other candidates. Learn more about the new score scale.
Ready to take the GRE revised General Test?
Registration is open now! Reserve your place today >
*For those taking the paper-based GRE revised General Test, calculators will be provided at the test center for use during the test.
Choosing Between the Current Test and the Revised Test
To help you decide which of the two tests to take, start by selecting which schools you're most interested in, then find out when they need your scores. Different schools have different admissions deadlines, so knowing when your prospective schools need your scores is an important part of making the decision between the GRE General Test and the GRE revised General Test.
If you need scores before November, start planning now. You will need to take the current test. You will want to register early to ensure you get a seat for your preferred date and location. If you take the current test in a split-test administration location early planning is especially important.
If you don't need scores until after November, taking the GRE revised General Test is a smart move. With these new changes in place, the revised test will give you a better test experience — and offer an even better way to show schools that you're ready for graduate-level work.
Another Reason to Take the GRE revised General Test:
You'll Save 50% When You Test In August or September 2011.
Here's an opportunity you don't want to miss: save 50% on the GRE revised General Test when you test between August 1 and September 30, 2011.
Test takers who save 50% on their test fee will have the same test experience and test advantages as those who take the GRE revised General Test after the special discount period is over; the only difference is the savings!
If you want to take advantage of this limited-time 50% discount, we recommend that you register as early as you can, since seats will fill up quickly during this special discount period. Registration for the GRE revised General Test is open now. Please note that if you test during this special discount period of August 1 – September 30, 2011, your GRE scores will be sent by mid-November. That means if you need your scores before then, don't wait — make sure you take the current test before August.
Make Sure You're Ready for the GRE revised General Test.
Here Are Important Dates You Need to Know:
Table with important dates about the GRE revised General Test MONTH MILESTONE
2011
AUGUST –
SEPTEMBER
August 1: First day of testing for the GRE revised General Test
August 1 – September 30: Save 50% on your test fee; if you test during this period, your scores will be sent by mid-November
OCTOBER –
NOVEMBER
If you test between October and November, you should check the detailed score reporting schedule to know what day your scores will be sent
DECEMBER
Normal score reporting resumes. Your score report will be sent 10 – 15 days after your test date
For Test Takers Taking the Paper-based GRE revised General Test
For those taking the paper-based GRE revised General Test in areas of the world where the computer-based test is not available, the test design and question types will be modified to be appropriate for a paper-based, linear test. Learn more about the paper-based test.
For Test Takers in Mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan or Korea
If you're taking the test in these areas, there are some important changes with the GRE revised General Test introduction you should know.
What You Can Do to Start Preparing Now
The GRE revised General Test is coming in August and you should start getting ready for it right now:
Find out when you need your scores to decide which test is best for your timing:
If you need your scores before November 2011, register now to take the current test before August. Otherwise, you can register for the GRE revised General Test and save 50% if you test between August 1 and September 30, 2011.
Sign up for official news and important reminders.
Learn about the GRE revised General Test — what's changing, and what those changes mean to you. Find out.
Check out Sample Questions, tips for answering and general advice for each section available now:
Analytical Writing
Verbal Reasoning
Quantitative Reasoning
Download FREE test prep materials to start practicing:
POWERPREP II Software for the computer-based test — includes a Test Preview Tool and Practice Test
Practice Book for the Paper-based GRE revised General Test (PDF)
Purchase additional test prep for even more practice:
The Official Guide to the GRE revised General Test
ScoreItNow Online Writing Practice
Strategy and Tips for the Computer-based GRE General Test
Become familiar with the test before test day. Read on to learn about the purpose of the test, the content of the questions, test day procedures and test preparation strategies and materials.
Once you know what to expect, it's time to practice.
Review the free GRE® Powerprep® software.
Try answering the free, interactive sample questions.
Review your knowledge of quantitative reasoning concepts.
Download the Math Review (PDF) or the full-length paper-based GRE® General Test Practice Book (PDF).
Review the two new question types that are included in the computer-based GRE General Test. You may see one new Verbal or one new Quantitative question in your test. These new questions will be counted toward examinee scores as soon as an adequate sample of data has been collected. View sample questions and additional information.
For the Analytical Writing section, the Powerprep software will give you advice about how to write effective essays for the "Issue" and "Argument" tasks. It will also let you practice writing essay responses under simulated testing conditions. For the Verbal and Quantitative sections, try to answer some sample questions to become familiar with the question format.
Analytical Writing Section
Writing tasks will be displayed on the computer, and you must type your responses.
"Issue" Task
The "Issue" task gives you considerable latitude in the way you respond to the claim made about a given issue. Practice writing responses on several of the topics, keeping to the 45-minute time limit. To prepare for this task, try asking the following questions when reviewing the published list of "Issue" topics:
What does the statement mean? What does it imply? What, precisely, is the central issue?
Do I agree with all or with any part of the statement? Why or why not?
Is the statement valid only in certain circumstances?
Do I need to explain how I interpret certain terms or concepts used in the statement?
If I take a certain position on the issue, what reasons support my position?
What examples — either hypothetical or drawn from my reading or direct experience — could I use to illustrate those reasons and advance my point of view? Which examples are most compelling?
What reasons might someone use to refute or undermine my position? How should I acknowledge or defend against those views?
"Argument" Task
Because the "Argument" task is constrained by the line of reasoning in the argument presented to you, read and analyze the argument carefully. Practice writing responses to several of the topics within the 30-minute time limit. Try asking the following questions when reviewing the published list of "Argument" topics:
What claims, conclusions, and underlying assumptions does the argument make?
What alternative explanations and counterexamples can I think of?
What additional evidence might weaken or strengthen the claims?
What changes in the argument would make the reasoning more sound?
Verbal and Quantitative Sections
IMPORTANT NOTE: Test-taking strategies appropriate for the Verbal and Quantitative sections of the computer-based GRE General Test are different from those that are appropriate for taking the Verbal and Quantitative sections of the paper-based GRE General Test. Be sure to follow the appropriate strategies for the testing format in which you will be testing. Computer-based testing strategies should not be used if you take the paper-based test.
Practice test questions under timed conditions so that you get used to the pace of the test. For example, if there are 30 questions in a section and you have a total of 30 minutes to complete the section, give yourself an average of one minute to complete each question. When you are practicing, keep time in mind and remember that if you spend too much time on one question, you will have less time to spend on others.
Use the computer tutorial. The tutorial is included in the GRE Powerprep software. The tutorial will let you try out the functions of the computer (e.g., the mouse, the scroll bar) used during the test.
When you arrive at the test center, you will have the opportunity to complete an untimed computer tutorial before the actual test begins. You can spend up to 30 minutes on the tutorial and other untimed sections to become familiar and comfortable with the computer before starting the timed sections of the test.
Once the test is under way, you can always click on "Help" to review the directions or a summary of the tutorial again, but be aware that this will count against the allotted time for that section of the test.
Some questions, graphs or passages are too large to appear completely on the computer screen. In these cases a "scroll bar" appears to the right of the material and the word "Beginning" appears on the information line at the top of the screen. These are cues to scroll for more information.
Pace yourself throughout the test — You want to finish!
Use the resources available for test practicing (test preparation books, software) to become familiar with the test and test instructions before you get to the test center.
Read the directions carefully before you begin. The directions at the beginning of each test section give the total number of questions in that section as well as total time allotted for that section.
Budget enough time for each question so as to be able to complete the test without having to rush at the end of each section. Keep in mind the average amount of time to spend per question.
Once you start the test, an on-screen clock display will continuously count down the remaining time. You can hide this display if you want, but it is a good idea to check the clock periodically to monitor your progress. The clock will automatically alert you when five minutes remain in the allotted time for that section.
Use your time wisely. Read each question carefully to determine exactly what is being asked. Eliminate the wrong answers and select the best choice. Don't get stuck on a tough question and lose time. Keep moving through the test and try to finish each section.
You may want to use the one-minute break between test sections to replenish your supply of scratch paper. After the Analytical Writing section, an on-screen message indicates a 10-minute break is available. Section timing does not stop for unscheduled breaks.
Know the rules.
Computer-adaptive tests require that you answer every question in the order in which it is presented. You can't skip a question and go back. The computer selects the next question from a large pool of available questions based upon your previous responses.
Click on the appropriate answer. Answer each question by clicking on the oval next to the answer choice or by clicking on any part of the text of that answer choice. Complete the answer by clicking on "Next" and then "Answer Confirm." You can change an answer any time before confirming it by clicking on a different answer choice.
Understand the implications of exiting a section or quitting the test. Once you exit a section, you cannot return to it. Click on the "Test Quit" box at the bottom of the screen only to end the testing session. If you quit the test, you will not receive a score for any section, even for sections already completed. If you click on "Section Exit" or "Test Quit" by mistake, you will be given the opportunity to reverse or confirm that decision.
You may take the computer-based GRE General Test once per calendar month up to five times in a 12-month period. This applies even if you ended the testing session by clicking on "Test Quit" or canceled your scores after completing the test.
Understand how the test is scored.
The Verbal Reasoning and Quantitative Reasoning sections are adaptive tests. Computer-adaptive tests are scored differently from most paper-and-pencil tests. The score on the computer-adaptive test depends on a combination of such factors as:
the number of questions answered within the allotted time
performance on questions answered throughout the test
the statistical characteristics (including difficulty level) of questions answered throughout the test
Don't panic if you don't know an answer.
Don't spend too much time on any one question. The last thing you want to do is waste a lot of valuable time on any one question. If, after a reasonable amount of thought, you don't know the answer, eliminate as many answer choices as possible and then select and confirm the best answer. Keep going and aim to complete the test.
If you are running out of time at the end of a section, make every effort to complete the test. Data indicate that most test takers get higher scores if they finish the test. In fact, based on analyses of test takers, a majority of test takers will score higher if they finish the test than if they do not attempt to answer all of the questions. There is a chance that guessing at the end of the test can seriously lower your score. The best strategy is to pace yourself so that you have time to consider each test question and won't have to guess.
Once you know what to expect, it's time to practice.
Review the free GRE® Powerprep® software.
Try answering the free, interactive sample questions.
Review your knowledge of quantitative reasoning concepts.
Download the Math Review (PDF) or the full-length paper-based GRE® General Test Practice Book (PDF).
Review the two new question types that are included in the computer-based GRE General Test. You may see one new Verbal or one new Quantitative question in your test. These new questions will be counted toward examinee scores as soon as an adequate sample of data has been collected. View sample questions and additional information.
For the Analytical Writing section, the Powerprep software will give you advice about how to write effective essays for the "Issue" and "Argument" tasks. It will also let you practice writing essay responses under simulated testing conditions. For the Verbal and Quantitative sections, try to answer some sample questions to become familiar with the question format.
Analytical Writing Section
Writing tasks will be displayed on the computer, and you must type your responses.
"Issue" Task
The "Issue" task gives you considerable latitude in the way you respond to the claim made about a given issue. Practice writing responses on several of the topics, keeping to the 45-minute time limit. To prepare for this task, try asking the following questions when reviewing the published list of "Issue" topics:
What does the statement mean? What does it imply? What, precisely, is the central issue?
Do I agree with all or with any part of the statement? Why or why not?
Is the statement valid only in certain circumstances?
Do I need to explain how I interpret certain terms or concepts used in the statement?
If I take a certain position on the issue, what reasons support my position?
What examples — either hypothetical or drawn from my reading or direct experience — could I use to illustrate those reasons and advance my point of view? Which examples are most compelling?
What reasons might someone use to refute or undermine my position? How should I acknowledge or defend against those views?
"Argument" Task
Because the "Argument" task is constrained by the line of reasoning in the argument presented to you, read and analyze the argument carefully. Practice writing responses to several of the topics within the 30-minute time limit. Try asking the following questions when reviewing the published list of "Argument" topics:
What claims, conclusions, and underlying assumptions does the argument make?
What alternative explanations and counterexamples can I think of?
What additional evidence might weaken or strengthen the claims?
What changes in the argument would make the reasoning more sound?
Verbal and Quantitative Sections
IMPORTANT NOTE: Test-taking strategies appropriate for the Verbal and Quantitative sections of the computer-based GRE General Test are different from those that are appropriate for taking the Verbal and Quantitative sections of the paper-based GRE General Test. Be sure to follow the appropriate strategies for the testing format in which you will be testing. Computer-based testing strategies should not be used if you take the paper-based test.
Practice test questions under timed conditions so that you get used to the pace of the test. For example, if there are 30 questions in a section and you have a total of 30 minutes to complete the section, give yourself an average of one minute to complete each question. When you are practicing, keep time in mind and remember that if you spend too much time on one question, you will have less time to spend on others.
Use the computer tutorial. The tutorial is included in the GRE Powerprep software. The tutorial will let you try out the functions of the computer (e.g., the mouse, the scroll bar) used during the test.
When you arrive at the test center, you will have the opportunity to complete an untimed computer tutorial before the actual test begins. You can spend up to 30 minutes on the tutorial and other untimed sections to become familiar and comfortable with the computer before starting the timed sections of the test.
Once the test is under way, you can always click on "Help" to review the directions or a summary of the tutorial again, but be aware that this will count against the allotted time for that section of the test.
Some questions, graphs or passages are too large to appear completely on the computer screen. In these cases a "scroll bar" appears to the right of the material and the word "Beginning" appears on the information line at the top of the screen. These are cues to scroll for more information.
Pace yourself throughout the test — You want to finish!
Use the resources available for test practicing (test preparation books, software) to become familiar with the test and test instructions before you get to the test center.
Read the directions carefully before you begin. The directions at the beginning of each test section give the total number of questions in that section as well as total time allotted for that section.
Budget enough time for each question so as to be able to complete the test without having to rush at the end of each section. Keep in mind the average amount of time to spend per question.
Once you start the test, an on-screen clock display will continuously count down the remaining time. You can hide this display if you want, but it is a good idea to check the clock periodically to monitor your progress. The clock will automatically alert you when five minutes remain in the allotted time for that section.
Use your time wisely. Read each question carefully to determine exactly what is being asked. Eliminate the wrong answers and select the best choice. Don't get stuck on a tough question and lose time. Keep moving through the test and try to finish each section.
You may want to use the one-minute break between test sections to replenish your supply of scratch paper. After the Analytical Writing section, an on-screen message indicates a 10-minute break is available. Section timing does not stop for unscheduled breaks.
Know the rules.
Computer-adaptive tests require that you answer every question in the order in which it is presented. You can't skip a question and go back. The computer selects the next question from a large pool of available questions based upon your previous responses.
Click on the appropriate answer. Answer each question by clicking on the oval next to the answer choice or by clicking on any part of the text of that answer choice. Complete the answer by clicking on "Next" and then "Answer Confirm." You can change an answer any time before confirming it by clicking on a different answer choice.
Understand the implications of exiting a section or quitting the test. Once you exit a section, you cannot return to it. Click on the "Test Quit" box at the bottom of the screen only to end the testing session. If you quit the test, you will not receive a score for any section, even for sections already completed. If you click on "Section Exit" or "Test Quit" by mistake, you will be given the opportunity to reverse or confirm that decision.
You may take the computer-based GRE General Test once per calendar month up to five times in a 12-month period. This applies even if you ended the testing session by clicking on "Test Quit" or canceled your scores after completing the test.
Understand how the test is scored.
The Verbal Reasoning and Quantitative Reasoning sections are adaptive tests. Computer-adaptive tests are scored differently from most paper-and-pencil tests. The score on the computer-adaptive test depends on a combination of such factors as:
the number of questions answered within the allotted time
performance on questions answered throughout the test
the statistical characteristics (including difficulty level) of questions answered throughout the test
Don't panic if you don't know an answer.
Don't spend too much time on any one question. The last thing you want to do is waste a lot of valuable time on any one question. If, after a reasonable amount of thought, you don't know the answer, eliminate as many answer choices as possible and then select and confirm the best answer. Keep going and aim to complete the test.
If you are running out of time at the end of a section, make every effort to complete the test. Data indicate that most test takers get higher scores if they finish the test. In fact, based on analyses of test takers, a majority of test takers will score higher if they finish the test than if they do not attempt to answer all of the questions. There is a chance that guessing at the end of the test can seriously lower your score. The best strategy is to pace yourself so that you have time to consider each test question and won't have to guess.
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