Gurukulonweb's Blog

Are counselors a must while planning to study abroad ?

2010-06-22T12:53:00.000+05:30

With globalization becoming worldwide phenomena, and global compatibility becoming more of a norm than an exception, the purpose of going abroad to pursue higher education is no longer succeeded by a “why” but a “how”. What role do consultancies play in helping students pursue their education abroad? Is it an absolutely a must?
The question should would better read as “ what role should consultancies play “.

The purpose of a consultancy is not limited to just getting students admitted to an institution of higher education abroad. Given the vast number of apparently enticing quick fix choices on offer, it has become imperative to be highly selective about the destination country, the institute and the courses on offer, else there is a good possibility that a student may find himself in a redundant career after having invested a lot of time and money in the venture. One should learn to distinguish between agents and consultants. An agent is one whose chief source of income happens to be the commission he gets from the universities he has ties with, thus his loyalties and are more likely to lie with the institutions abroad rather than the student in India.

A consultancy or consultant is more of a career maker i.e. it should offer solutions that do not cater to just short term needs but should take into consideration the long term perspective, that is future career prospects, student aptitude and interest and in short advise students about the best course of action rather than the easiest course of action, because often the end result of the later is frustration.

The efficacy of a consultant must not be judged by its ability to produce admits with least input from students, students should be made an active part of the process providing constant inputs and feedbacks.

The major purpose of consultancy is value addition. So while choosing a consultancy the focus should be on the actual benefits he/she stands to gain rather than the ad-ons. In other words the experience, knowledge and credibility of the consultant in question, but credibility being a matter of perception therefore the student should go about with an unbiased mind. For example many consultancies like other businesses, high light success stories, but twenty students with full financial out of the two thousand who availed their services does not speak of a great record, rather go for a consultancy where for example 50% of the twenty students acquired financial aid, even if the number of students enrolled were comparatively paltry. Second they should look for a personalized consultancy service, often enough, the entire process of consultancy becomes a check list of assembly line processes, with each process adding little value to the application, there being no concerted effort to build the student as a brand and focus on his/ her USPs. A strict appointment system does not always work in such cases because more often than not numerous course corrections are required before applying, the consultant should be at hand to advise.

Where well established consultancies score over students going about it on their own, are in their vast experience of interaction with thousands of students over the years, because often enough a students source of information happens to be his friend or family circle which is often limited. The inputs are often colored with personal perception and a tendency to justify ones own mistakes by blaming it on extraneous factors, for example the highly erroneous impression that US visas require a twenty to thirty lack bank balance for six months, else it is impossible to come by.

The other factor is analysis, a consultancy with its vast resources and well established network not only draws on data and facts, but also analyzes them to arrive at the real picture. For example, “studying abroad especially in America is an extremely expensive proposal and is not meant for middle class students”. Analyzing the figures officially released, there were around 80,000 Indian students who flew to USA last year to pursue their higher education. Now it is a commonsensical point that majority of these students happen to be from middle class families with parents in service, it is inconceivable that even 10% of these aspiring students let alone 80,000 will have had twenty lack to splurge for education, because this amount often happens to be the life’s savings of an entire middle class family. It may sound surprising but children of State Transport Bus drivers, second grade clerks in MTDC have successfully completed their degree from the US of A, and to clear up the point they were average or above average students, with their parents having no “additional” sources of income.

The answer to the second part of the question, as to whether consultancy is necessary, is It is not a must for any student merely seeking to get away to any country and any institute as long as it is outside India. But it is a must for any discerning, serious, career oriented student, because the repercussions of the smallest of decisions are often felt many years down the line.

HOW TO ATTACK SENTENCE CORRECTION QUESTIONS SUCCESSFULLY?

2010-06-18T14:48:00.000+05:30

SAT & GMAT students have to face sentence correction questions on verbal section.Obviously the very word sentence correction suggests that there is some grammatical error in the given sentence which you need to trace out in the first place & then pick up the correct option from the given five options.Sounds simple isn`t it ? Well, it is simple provided you do your homework thoroughly on various grammar topics & have an intensive practice of a variety of sentences.

Here are a few tips to crack this otherwise tedious question type :

1. Always begin with the basics of grammar. Usually students overlook the basics & directly jump into the pool of SC questions which can prove detrimental to your performance.

2.Have a thorough knowledge of different types of grammatical errors.

3. Practice errorwise questions first to have clarity & then go for miscellanous errors.

4. Time your questions.you should not take more than one minute per question. initially you can have some concession on time but as you go further it should not exceed one minute.

5.Always make a note of the mistakes you make while solving. This helps in identifying your problem area & focus more on that.

6."PRACTICE MAKES MAN PERFECT" has proven true with many students & will be so even with you guys!!

CERTAIN TIPS THAT WILL HELP YOU DURING EXAM PREPARATIONS

2010-06-11T12:15:00.002+05:30

1. Confidence and Self-belief:

The students should have confidence in themselves and belief in their own abilities. They should have a strong belief and confidence that they can clear the exam. Everything can be achieved through belief.

2. Knowledge and Hard Work:

Knowledge is necessary to clear any competitive exam. The students should have good knowledge about fundamentals and concepts of the subject. Without this, they can never hope to clear the exam.

For gaining knowledge, a lot of hard work and preparation is necessary. Knowledge cannot be gained overnight. Conceptual knowledge can be perfected by reading and understanding the concepts and then practicing questions based on these concepts.

3. Solving sample papers and past question papers:

This is the most important. Solving sample papers and past question papers will give an idea about the type of questions asked in the entrance exam and also give a lot of practice to the students. This will help the students in the actual exam.

While practicing and also during the exam, the students must always pay attention to their speed i.e. how fast and accurately they can solve the questions. It is advisable not to spend too much time on a single question. If they are not able to solve that question in a particular time limit, they should leave the question and move ahead.

4. Time Management:

Firstly, students must prepare a timetable for studying, and make sure that they are following the time table ritually. The timetable must be prepared for the period up to the exam and then broken up into monthly, weekly and daily schedules.
The students must then keep a record of what and how much they have studied and review their performance regularly.

Initially, a student should study for 3 to 4 hours a day for the competitive exam. Later when the exam draws near, around 6 to 8 hours can be put in.

5. Sharpness of mind:

Sharpness of mind is needed for competitive exams. A sharp mind gives conceptual understanding, ability to think out difficult or tricky questions and speedy response to the questions.

Sharpness of mind can be achieved by regular practice and also by doing brain exercises such as puzzles, crosswords, chess and sudoku.

Hope these tips will be useful for the students who are going to appear for the exams..

Best Of Luck!!!!!

How is it possible for any student with average financial resource to go abroad, what are the expenses involved?

2010-04-30T11:43:00.000+05:30

Studying abroad has to be planned properly with due stress on country and college selection. Ironically though US universities appear to be very expensive on paper, a student pursuing Masters in America or Canada, from even a moderately reputed university should not have to spend more than 7 lakhs in the worst case scenario, irrespective of the projected amount written on the Brochure.

For Australia/ NZ the amount is anything between 8-14 lakhs, for UK it may go up to 20 lakhs if one plans to pursue his/her degree from a decent institution, in Germany though there are no tuition fees, living expenses are more than compensate for it.

It should be remembered that a good education abroad need not be expensive, in fact often the converse is true, some of the best universities, especially in the USA have a unwritten rule that an offer of admission should be compulsorily accompanied by an offer of financial aid.

The good news is extremely soft student loans by the Nationalized banks in fact have made it extremely easy for students with even the meager means to study abroad.

The Bottom line?

Following the herd is often more counterproductive than beneficial, one should things out for themselves and analyzing them. Though being skeptical is a part of the process but often enough we are skeptical to the point of underestimating ourselves. It has to be understood that the universities abroad believe in a process of selection, contrary to the process of elimination that we follow in India.

READING CAN BE TOUGH ON GRE, GMAT & SAT !!!!!

2010-04-26T14:24:00.000+05:30

Reading of late has become a hard nut to crack on all competitive exams.Even the best of the students find themselves at their wits end when it comes to reading.But the point to debate here is,Is reading indeed an insurmountable arena? Is there no way to make it an all attainable arcade? Don`t you get disheartened guys!!! "there is always light at the end of the tunnel" & reading is no exception to this.All
it needs is loads of commitment & focus towards your preparation & a conscious effort to develop faster reading.Right from day one,when you decide on taking any of the above tests,think of reading extra stuff as the first step towards your goal.

Here is how you develop faster reading habit:

1.To begin with even a newspaper would do.Read stuff like the editor`s column & note the time taken to comprehend it on day one.

2.On the second day read another such column but taking a few minutes less than what you had taken on first day.Continue each day with as much less time possible to comprehend.

3.Religiously & consciously reading new stuff coupled with proper time management would slowly but steadily help you bud into a fast reader.

4.After one or two weeks try to grab some fiction or non fiction books but mind you never you fall in love with the books & get immersed into it.Instead have a practical approach to it from exampoint of view. Hence a strategic & well planned technique would surely put you in a better frame of mind glowing with confidence to take up any challenging passage in your stride.

Role of Consultant while going for foreign education

2010-03-16T14:50:00.005+05:30

With globalization becoming worldwide phenomena, and global compatibility becoming more of a norm than an exception, the purpose of going abroad to pursue higher education is no longer succeeded by a “why” but a “how”.
What role do consultancies play in helping students pursue their education abroad? Is it an absolutely a must?

The question should would better read as “ what role should consultancies play “. The purpose of a consultancy is not limited to just getting students admitted to an institution of higher education abroad.

Given the vast number of apparently enticing quick fix choices on offer, it has become imperative to be highly selective about the destination country, the institute and the courses on offer, else there is a good possibility that a student may find himself in a redundant career after having invested a lot of time and money in the venture. One should learn to distinguish between agents and consultants. An agent is one whose chief source of income happens to be the commission he gets from the universities he has ties with, thus his loyalties and are more likely to lie with the institutions abroad rather than the student in India.

A consultancy or consultant is more of a career maker i.e. it should offer solutions that do not cater to just short term needs but should take into consideration the long term perspective, that is future career prospects, student aptitude and interest and in short advise students about the best course of action rather than the easiest course of action, because often the end result of the later is frustration.

The efficacy of a consultant must not be judged by its ability to produce admits with least input from students, students should be made an active part of the process providing constant inputs and feedbacks.

The major purpose of consultancy is value addition. So while choosing a consultancy the focus should be on the actual benefits he/she stands to gain rather than the ad-ons. In other words the experience, knowledge and credibility of the consultant in question, but credibility being a matter of perception therefore the student should go about with an unbiased mind. For example many consultancies like other businesses, high light success stories, but twenty students with full financial out of the two thousand who availed their services does not speak of a great record, rather go for a consultancy where for example 50% of the twenty students acquired financial aid, even if the number of students enrolled were comparatively paltry. Second they should look for a personalized consultancy service, often enough, the entire process of consultancy becomes a check list of assembly line processes, with each process adding little value to the application, there being no concerted effort to build the student as a brand and focus on his/ her USPs.

A strict appointment system does not always work in such cases because more often than not numerous course corrections are required before applying, the consultant should be at hand to advise.

Where well established consultancies score over students going about it on their own, are in their vast experience of interaction with thousands of students over the years, because often enough a students source of information happens to be his friend or family circle which is often limited. The inputs are often colored with personal perception and a tendency to justify ones own mistakes by blaming it on extraneous factors, for example the highly erroneous impression that US visas require a twenty to thirty lack bank balance for six months, else it is impossible to come by.

The other factor is analysis, a consultancy with its vast resources and well established network not only draws on data and facts, but also analyzes them to arrive at the real picture. For example, “studying abroad especially in America is an extremely expensive proposal and is not meant for middle class students”. Analyzing the figures officially released, there were around 80,000 Indian students who flew to USA last year to pursue their higher education. Now it is a commonsensical point that majority of these students happen to be from middle class families with parents in service, it is inconceivable that even 10% of these aspiring students let alone 80,000 will have had twenty lack to splurge for education, because this amount often happens to be the life’s savings of an entire middle class family. It may sound surprising but children of State Transport Bus drivers, second grade clerks in MTDC have successfully completed their degree from the US of A, and to clear up the point they were average or above average students, with their parents having no “additional” sources of income.

The answer to the second part of the question, as to whether consultancy is necessary, is It is not a must for any student merely seeking to get away to any country and any institute as long as it is outside India. But it is a must for any discerning, serious, career oriented student, because the repercussions of the smallest of decisions are often felt many years down the line.

COMPOSURE COUNTS ON ALL COMPETITIVE EXAMS !!!!!

2010-03-15T14:07:00.002+05:30

Despite burning the midnight oil, despite revising the Barron`s wordlist thrice, despite practising grammar & other questions thoroughly despite , despite & despite everything, I landed up with a miserable score !!!!!

We often hear students grumble post exam but have you ever given a thought why does this happen?

Why do some best of the students come out with pathetic scores?

Yes , the one & only reason is " your mental composure on the d- day". We have seen many a battles lost due to panic !! Panic is the real culprit.

Tranquility pays !!!! But the hundred dollar question is - How to cultivate " tranquility" " composure" &" peace of mind" when we are facing our career`s most crucial test? Do you think it is an unachievable & unattainable arena ? Absolutely not.

Here are a few tips to make you the coolest student with loads of confidence ready to win the battle with any & every competitive exam :

1. Right from the start be focussed , set targets & work incessantly so that you don`t have to cope up with the pressure of last minute preparation.

2. Feed your sub-conscious every night that" you have to do it" " you can do it" & " you will do it" that nothing is impossible .

3. Always aim high & never compromise for substandard things ,not even the score.

4. Leave studies one or two days before the exam. Relax ,have fun ,freak out, watch a movie talk to your friends {don`t discuss the exam} most important eat & sleep well. No need of butterflies in stomach at the thought of the exam !!! We dont need them because it is not the BE ALL & END ALL OF OUR LIFE!!

5. Deep breathe 10 times every day by closing your eyes. Give your 100% in deep breathing. Its a good confidence booster.

Observe the above five tips religiously & I dont see any reason why PANIC cant be kept at bay & why you cant come out with FLYING COLOURS IN ANY EXAM...

All The Best !

Preparing wordlists for GRE

2010-02-16T12:04:00.004+05:30

Preparing for GRE is not a difficult task if done tactfully with some smart work; gaining maximum benefit with minimal efforts.

WORDLISTS:
As you know is a pain to study. Tell me how many of you actually DON’T MUGG UP your wordlist?? Do you have any idea that you actually know all the words ? Many students open the book and start doing wordlist or always sit with their flashcards by-hearting the words not knowing why !

There is a strategy my dear friends to do your wordlists.

Follow these 3 Simple Steps: There are 3 Categories of words.

1.EASY WORDS: In each wordlist as you know have 50 + words. Byhearting all at a time sounds & looks (the pages) also boring, one needs to know what types of word are they. The easy one’s - these are those types of words that do not require any introduction. You know their meaning. You need not by heart them because you know it’s meaning already. Just see and move on just see whether the word in a noun or adjective or adverb suffix – by looking at its ending (considering you are done with root prefix & suffixes).

2.MEDIUM WORDS : These are those types of words that you are familiar with i.e. you have seen some were, read in a newspaper, or a novel or in a magazine article that you don’t remember. But seems to look familiar.
You have to get the meaning of such words as you are already familiar with it should not take much time to remember. Don’t forget to apply the roots & stems tactics to it & be observant on what suffix it is.

3.The third and the Last category is the NEW WORDS: These are words which you are seeing for the first time. You have no idea where it has come from or its source of origin. Well dear friends you don’t have a choice but to by heart them.

But, by the time you have finished with your categorization you would be left with very less words to actually by heart. SOUNDS GREAT !!! Try it now !!

Best thing to do is never to get tensed take good food, Sleep tight. Feel good and be confident, it will automatically improve your capability.

Indian Students in the USA

2010-01-14T12:53:00.001+05:30

The USA has for long attracted students from all over the world as a global leader in imparting quality education. With its flexible syllabus and booming opportunities, the USA has indeed become the cynosure for those desiring to pursue their higher studies abroad. India too is no stranger to this flourishing trend and as a result every year hundreds of Indian students set off to the USA in pursue of higher studies. So in this article let’s just talk about the life of Indian students in the USA.

Indian student population after China is the second largest population in the world that opts for higher education in the US universities. As a result there are a number of Indian students in the universities there. When a student arrives in the USA for the first time, he/she is helped by the fellow students there i.e. Right from picking the student up from the airport to settling the student in, help is always at hand. However it is imperative that the student has contacted his/her fellow students well in advance about their arrival.

There are many Indian communities or groups formed within the universities where all the Indian students can come close together and share their common interests and ideas. A feeling of togetherness is imbibed among the students at such times.

But this in no way means that Indian students are comfortable only among themselves. Students from all over the world come to the US so naturally a culturally diverse campus life is created. Being a part of such cosmopolitan environment is truly an exciting and exhilarating experience for the students. It is here that the students develop a completely different and a much broader perspective of life when they see and learn new things that ultimately help to develop their personality. It is here that they become global citizens in the true sense.

So life for Indian students in the US though a bit tough (considering all the part-time jobs and cooking one’s own meals) is not lonely. They have their friends and their teachers who understand them and thus help them in their times of need.

Getting your USA Visa

2010-01-12T11:25:00.003+05:30

You have given your GRE, TOEFL, applied to the universities in USA and have even got accepted to the program of your choice and that too in the University of your choice. So now what? The biggest question of all- Will I get my Visa?

Getting Visa is the biggest concern of both the students and their parents who wish to pursue their higher studies in the USA. The day of the Visa interview is enough to give the jitters to the most confident of students as it is after all the deciding factor in whether the student will be able to pursue his/her dreams of studying in the USA. So let’s just talk about how to go about the Visa Interview.

Firstly and most importantly it is imperative to get your Visa interview appointment as soon as you decide on the university and get your I-20. Remember that your I-20 is required for your Visa. Also do remember that you take your appointment for the interview well in advance so that you can leave for the USA early and have enough time on your hands to settle in(because believe me there is seriously lots to do) before the actual commencement of your program.

The Visa interview may last for 3 mins or for 15 mins. It really depends on the Visa officer. Unlike any other myth the only thing that the Visa officer looks for in a student is whether how serious the student is about pursuing his/her studies once he/she goes to the USA. DO NOT LIE or exaggerate to the officer about your past or your goals for he is sure to see through the farce. Being honest and clear of your achievements and aims in life will only help you to get through your interview successfully.

Moreover make sure that you have all the required documents with you at the Interview (including the SEVIS receipt) and that they are neatly filed or arranged systematically in the folder (check how it is to be done). The Visa officer may not even see your file if he is convinced that you are a genuine and sincere student. The biggest of all- answer all the questions in fluent English as it is after all the official language of the US and is also the medium of study. So DO NOT become so nervous as to stammer or speak in grammatically incorrect English.

Remember it is only through your confidence and your veracity that you will pass your Visa interview successfully. All the Very Best.

AWA- Analytical writing assessment

2010-01-05T15:52:00.001+05:30

AWA- Analytical writing assessment

The analytical writing assessment section consists of two writing tasks- analysis of an issue and analysis of an argument for gre and gmat students

How are the essays graded ?

The responses of each of these tasks are scored on a 6 point scale , with 6 being the highest score and 1 the lowest. A score of 0 is given to responses that are offtopic, are in a foreign language, merely attempt to copy the topic ,consist only of key stroke character or are blank. The readers who evaluate the responses are college and university faculty members from various subject matter areas. These readers read your essays holistically – i.e they respond to the overall quality of your critical thinking and writing.

Each response is given to independent ratings. If the rating differs by more than a point, a third reader evaluates your finals score is the average of the 2 ratings.

What is the importance of AWA scores ?
Your awa score plays a vital role in fetching you your most desired admits although it has an indirect impact. First of all in case if two students are vying for the same admit in the same university for the sam e program,your awa scroe forms an important criteria for admits apart from your academics,extracurricular,etc…secondly your awa score acts as testimony for the admission council to tesat the authenticity of you rsops and essays.

Some strict DONTS of the AWA section :

1.Do no start attempting before reading and understanding the topic properly.
2.Do not start typing before brainstorming the points or preparing a skeleton of the essays
3.Do not use this section as a platform to showcase your linguistic skills like vocabulary ,proverbs and idioms. Use everything in moderation
4.Do not try to increase the length of the essay simply by circulating the points thinking long essays will fetch you high scores. It is just not the case.
5.Do not give/overdo the statistics until and unless you are sure of them.

How to prepare for GRE quant?

2010-01-02T15:11:00.004+05:30

The math’s section in GRE exam contains only three types of questions Graphs, Quantitative comparisons, and multiple choice questions .It consist of 28 questions and the time given is 45 minutes. The format is like 14 Quantitative comparisons, about 10 multiple choice questions and about 4 questions on Graphs. They may come in any order.

Before you start preparing for GRE quant keep in mind that in GRE the Mathematics skills tested are very basic, only 7th to 9th std algebra and geometry (Don’t worry no proofs) Knowledge is needed. But this doesn’t imply that Math section is easier...
It is kept at basic level so that students, who didn’t study math after their school years, will be able to score same as engineering, maths or science students. As said before the problems are based on basic maths will have simple solutions, but finding the simple solution may not be easy.

This section is designed to see how skillful you are at finding simple solutions, if you are doing long calculations you will not finish same part of the test as those student who can find short and simple solutions, So if you end up doing long calculations, and more of advance mathematics be sure you are going in the wrong direction..

Best way to start preparing is take a GRE Barron’s book, go through all the examples, tricks that are explained they will help you in revising your basics .when you complete exercises work out the tests .Don’t forget to revise Barron’s once or twice before your exam. After Barron’s there are few more books which give you more practice examples like Nova, cliff.

After that you can complete Kaplan’s 120 quant questions without difficulty. Last book to solve will be GRE Big book, at least try to solve 15-17 tests from the book, before starting to solve CD tests. In that also start with Cambridge or Princeton CD tests, which are easier if compared to others. Keep Kaplan’s CD for last 8-10 days , the scores you get from Kaplan tests are found to be parallel to the actual GRE scores.( only if you don’t spoil your exam ) so you will get the range of your score. After solving tests always try to find your weak areas and keep on improving them.

All the best…

Getting into a Good University…

2009-12-29T11:18:00.000+05:30

Whenever we talk about giving TOEFL or GRE or for that matter any other competitive exam, it is typical to feel tensed or nervous. But what is more important is just how we handle this stress. It is true that we have to score if not high, at least a decent score on these tests so as to increase our chances in getting admitted to a good university. But even after studying diligently we may still not score well. At such a time it is imperative to not get depressed or disheartened and instead try again with all the confidence and sincerity.

Moreover it is significant to understand that our test scores are not the only ones that decide our chances in getting into good universities. It is the entire package that the admission officers see and that in turn decides the ultimate outcome. For example if you are active in extra curricular activities throughout your academic career then that is an appealing facet of your personality as it shows that you have an insatiable interest of learning new things and are not just a bookworm. Thus it is this quality that helps you stand apart from the rest.

So even if you do get low test scores do not get depressed. Concentrate on how you can otherwise present yourself in an appealing light. But do remember that some universities do require a minimum score as their eligibility criteria, especially in TOEFL so do check out every university’s terms and conditions and also carefully scrutinize their course content. You may come across some variations which may ultimately decide your interest in that particular University. So be vigilant while deciding on the University in which you wish to pursue your education and also develop your personality as much as you can so as to befit your interest.

It is important to know that it is your uniqueness that ultimately increases your chances to get in the University of your choice. Overcome your weaknesses; acquire skills that truly draw out your personality. Show passion for what you want to learn for in the end it is your fervor and zeal to really gain knowledge that truly matters.

On the Day of TOEFL

2009-12-29T11:12:00.002+05:30

TOEFL is one of the essential tests for pursuing higher education abroad especially in the USA. A test that assesses a student’s proficiency of academic English, TOEFL is one of the deciding factors for the university to admit a student as well as for the VISA procedure. Here is the brief overview of how to go about on the day when you take TOEFL.

Like GRE or GMAT your passport is your hall-ticket for TOEFL. Make sure that your passport is in order before you even register for the TOEFL test. You will NOT be permitted to give TOEFL without your passport. Be sure to reach the test centre well in advanced so you can well complete all the formalities beforehand. You will be asked to fill a form and then your seat will be allotted to you. This process takes a better part of 15-20 minutes therefore make sure well before time.

Unlike GRE you are allowed to carry your watch and water bottle with you so it is alright if you carry these items. TOEFL lasts for roughly four hours so it is important that you are refreshed and alert. Don’t stress your self. Keep a cool head and concentrate on your test. It may happen that while you are still on the listening section some students have already reached the speaking section so make sure that you don’t get distracted. Also many students around you may start speaking on the same time. This is the time where you have to really concentrate on your task and do not lose your focus.

TOEFL is a fairly easy test. Do not be nervous but on the other hand do not get overconfident as well. You may see some simple but tricky questions so it is very important that you are well aware of the test pattern and the types of questions asked. Do well and increase your chances of getting into a good University. All the very Best.

On the Day of the GRE

2009-12-29T11:07:00.001+05:30

GRE is probably the first step towards your goal in getting into a good university. So it is understandable that you wish to score really high on your GRE. Memorizing the wordlists and practicing various types of sums indeed give you the kind of self-confidence and assurance that you need for cracking GRE successfully. So in the hope of giving you a peek in the actual GRE day, in this article I’ll talk about what you should do on the day of your GRE.

As you know it is in your hand to decide when to take your GRE. You are also given the choice of time when you would like to take the test. (Choose this time wisely as you may be more comfortable in the afternoon slot than in the morning or evening and so on.) It is advisable to reach the test centre at least 30 minutes in advance of the actual test time. This is so because as you enter the test centre you have to fill out the forms that will be given to you and this seriously consumes a lot of time. Once you are through with it be patient until your name is called and you are admitted into the adjoining examination hall.

Remember that you are not allowed to carry anything with you in the examination hall, not even water bottle or handkerchiefs which you have to leave in the locker you are provided with. Your passport is the only personal item that stays with you throughout the test. Remember that you are NOT allowed to give GRE without your passport. Make sure that your passport is in order before you register for your GRE.

While all these procedures are underway, remain calm and composed. Do not panic and moreover do not study at the last minute, it will only confuse you more. It is normal to feel nervous but don’t let your nervousness get the better of you. Remember that all the other candidates are also sailing in the same boat and are as stressed as you are. Just keep a cool head and if you have studied diligently then you will surely do well on the test.

So work hard ahead of time. Last minute preparations won’t help you. Practice from as many materials as you can but two days prior to the test only go through important stuff and revise your vocabulary. Score high and increase your chances of getting into the University of your choice. All the Best.

GOING FOR FOREIGN EDUCATION

2009-12-28T16:31:00.002+05:30

There recently has been a virtual stampede of foreign Universities offering various courses, which country or course would be advisable? Any specific courses which do or may command a great demand?

The answer is very simple, though slightly clichéd. It is always suggested that students utilize their years of education in India, not just to earn a degree but also to identify the field his/her interest lies in. It is far better to develop a clear focus about career goals (be it speech therapy or film technology) and work towards it, instead of trying to follow the market trend, because market trends never last forever. And there is nothing worse than being stuck with a non- lucrative career he or she has no aptitude or interest in.

As far as the selection of the country is concerned, any prospective student usually aims at working as a professional, even if for a limited period, in the country he/she plans to study in. One has to understand that each country has its own distinct advantage and disadvantage, so just as in life - the selection of the destination should be based upon the fact whether ones goals and expectations from a career perspective are in line with what the country has to offer.

For example an automobile engineer just looking an affluent lifestyle, without being too particular about his/her job profile may find Australia or New Zealand, with the promise of Permanent resident status an attractive destination. But not so for a career focused professional who is not willing to compromise on his/her job profile, and such a person may end up frustrated, because the primary requirements of these countries happen to be automobile mechanics and not automobile Engineers.

Thus proper enquiries should be made pertaining to work permit/visa/ immigration rules. Relevant exception clauses and possible scenarios must be analyzed to avoid future disappointments. A specifically important factor that should be taken into consideration is the consistency of the country pertaining to immigration and VISA rules (that is how often have they been changed/modified in the past few years) and whether it promises a long-term ability to absorb the number of international professionals landing on its shores.

A simple but effective way of choosing a destination and university is asking oneself as to how much weightage the university places on you as a student, that is whether the key factor in admission process happens to be the strength of your financial documents or your credentials as a student.

FACT visit of Dr.Yadav,MIS Dean of Texas Tech University

2009-12-26T11:18:00.013+05:30

Pic 1 : Ajay Kapare with Avinash Sir

Pic 2 : (from left)Katre Madam,Mr.Ajay Kapare, Avinash Sir, Sunil Sir,Mrs.& Dr.Yadav

Pic 3 : Sunil Sir with Mrs.& Dr.Yadav

Pic 4 : (from left)Mr.Ajay Kapare,Sunil Sir,Mrs.& Dr.Yadav

Dr.Yadav,Dean of MIS department at Texas Tech University visited FACT Head office at Thane on 13th December,2009 along with his wife and associate Mr.Ajay Kapare.During his visit, Dr.Yadav interacted with the students of F.A.C.T, giving them guidance about MIS and also information of Texas Tech University.He also interviewed the students and gave admits to some of the F.A.C.T students for Texas Tech University !

Understanding the TOEFL

2009-12-23T12:02:00.002+05:30

TOEFL (Test of English as a foreign language) is a test that measures the English Speaking skills of the students whose native language is not English. The test is actually very easy and students can score high provided they have had enough practice beforehand. One of the most significant point that one has to remember in order to acquire a high TOEFL score is to understand the pattern of the test and that is only possible if the student has practiced and acquainted himself with the type of questions asked.

Although an easy test, it is important that one does not take TOEFL lightly. It is only through practice that one can give TOEFL confidently. TOEFL tests the student’s academic English i.e. it determines how well a student is likely to perform in the academic setup entirely different than that of his own. To assess the student, the TOEFL tests the student in its four sections- reading, listening, speaking and writing, so as to get a picture of the student’s command on English. It is important to know that unlike GRE, TOEFL is not a computer adaptive test and as such questions are same for all the candidates.

The duration of the test is roughly 4 hrs where the students have to first attempt the reading and listening sections followed by a ten minute break and then proceed to attempt the speaking and the writing sections. Many students face problems in the writing and speaking sections but again with ample practice beforehand one can definitely overcome one’s weaknesses.

Therefore it is most important to understand your weakness and working on it. For this purpose do plan your time and stick to the schedule. Remember it is only with hard work that you can crack the TOEFL successfully.

Basic principles to keep in mind while preparing for GRE.

2009-12-21T16:20:00.001+05:30

Anyone wanting to study abroad is aware of what GRE is, it consists Verbal (Analogy, Antonyms, Sentence completion & Reading comprehension) Quantitative (Problem Solving & Quantitative Comparison) Essay - One Issue & One Argument.

Wordlist is what he will start with mugging up all the time, and then will start solving analogies or antonyms. The Basic rule for any thing is to read and understand what you are doing. Do a detail analysis of, study the subject well. How many of you have actually read the preface of the book? It is a very important part you must not miss reading before you go any further.

Get your diagnostic test done, so that you understand which your weak area is and work hard on that section. Because a diagnostic test will reveal on what section you should concentrate harder.
How many of you read the Direction of the specified section? No one!! Direction, my dear students are very important, because it tell you what is expected from you. So, try to understand it well. As mentioned in my earlier article too; do things in an organized manner go step by step. Make it a habit of always reading the direction first so that you become familiar with it, and during actual exam you don’t waste your valuable time in reading directions. Because by this time I am sure, you must have understood its importance.

Remember in GRE there is no RIGHT OR WRONG answer, it is the BEST ANSWER or SIMILAR TO or ANSWER CLOSEST to the Pair of words in capital letters. As Direction states, “pair of words with a relationship most similar to the relationship between the pair of words in capital letters.” Choose your best answer.

Learn your words starting with Roots Suffix & Prefix first. Buy a Thesaurus which has synonyms & antonyms listed after each word, and how the word is used in different contexts. Those who some foreign languages like Latin or Greek will benefit heavily because most GRE words come from these languages. If ever you don’t come to a proper answer choice then do an intelligent guess. As at times you can use the root or stem to dig up the meaning of an alien word.

All the Best.

A few more basic strategies to prepare for GRE

2009-12-21T16:14:00.001+05:30

As mentioned in my earlier article one must keep in mind is your “TIME”; Keep a tab on your time, as how much time you are devoting per question. Don’t push yourself too hard on solving a particular question. You must have an approximate calculation of time devoted to per question. Don’t focus only on one question as you might lose your valuable time in solving other questions which you could solve quickly with ease.

The GRE is not just solving answers correctly but also how well you can perform under pressure. It is important to get the first few questions correct as it would increase your score considerable and affect your overall score, for the first few (13-15 Questions) you could give importance of time. As getting those correct will have striking affect on your score.

Coming down to choosing from the given answer choices you have to choose the BEST answer. Remember in GRE there is NO CORRECT answer, it is always the Best OR the Closest Best answer. Use the elimination method, eliminate your answer wisely, read each choice carefully before eliminating it. Read all answer choices before you start eliminating. Don’t leave any question without answering; you don’t have negative marking in GRE.

I have students scoring 1350-1450 in mock exams but screwing in main exam all because they were stressed, studying round the clock, without a break ( including performance pressure from parents & friends as well) . It is important to RELAX before exam. Stop giving any sort of test at least 2 days prior to GRE Exam. If you are giving any test, and you are getting good score at start but as the exam nears due to peer pressure to perform it starts affecting your score and your scores start diminishing resulting in low moral and thinking what if my score goes down in main exam? Why not look at the positive side if relaxing would increase my performance potential. Why not relax? Go have fun, go watch movie, hang out with friends. Take enough sleep, because if you are not relaxed it will affect your score. Trust me! It certainly does affect your score dramatically.

On the day of exam have a light breakfast, leave early to be on time , wear clothes in which you are comfortable the most, remember you are going for exam & not for an interview or a fashion show; so, relax. Do not panic or get stressed; keep your head cool all through the exam.

Best of Luck.

GRE MOCK TESTS: The practice matches before the final match.

2009-12-21T16:12:00.003+05:30

‘Practice tests’ or ‘Mock tests’ as we may call it, are one of the most important part of a GRE exam preparation, in fact it’s the most important part of most of the other examinations too, but it highly depends on the quality of the tests available. Being an engineer, I’ll give only engineering examples; of course they might be applicable for others. The ‘term-tests’ which we have are not in par with the final exams and hence, unanimously neglected. The fact of the matter is you’ve got excellent CD-tests for GRE, so in the words of Dumbledore “Use it well”.

As the greats say “Play every Practice match as if it were a Final, and play every Final as if it were a Practice match”.

On the same lines “Attempt every mock test as if it is your final exam, and attempt every final exam as if it is your mock test”.{Note: In the above sentence the term ‘every final exam’ is used to maintain the rhythm, only one final GRE exam is what everybody wants}

Hence, complete concentration is expected during mock tests. Don’t take them lightly; switch off your mobile phones & No music.Now, planning mock tests should be done while taking the GRE date. Ideally you should start your tests 20 days before the exam. How many tests? 8 is a good number, but it depends on you, your preparation and the number of days you have in hand. Finish all your mock tests, at-least 3-4 days before your exam. Keep a day or two between every test. Work on your weaknesses. For that a detailed review should be done after every test. Note the kind of mistakes you make, clear all your doubts before giving the next test. Remember how disappointed you are in Sehwag when he gets out in the same fashion in consecutive matches. Don’t repeat your mistakes. Eventually, you’ll run out of mistakes, and you’ll improve your scores.

Also, see to it that one low score never discourages you and one high score doesn’t lift your feet off the ground. You never know everything. ‘Over/Under’ confidence doesn’t help. In the end, fighting spirit is what counts. Giving up is for losers. Let me end this before it gets too filmy. Topic is open for discussion.

ALL THE BEST

LAST DAY TIPS FOR GRE ...!!

2009-12-21T13:34:00.001+05:30

Scoring well in GRE is not a difficult task, if you study in a systematic way.
You need to have complete understanding about the exam, in order to get good score; generally many students get low scores on tests because they don't take time to read the directions before answering the questions. Make sure you got the complete understanding of the question before answering it.

Spend more time on the starting questions, because these questions have bigger effect on your score than the questions at the end.You do not have negative marking for wrong answers in GRE, so never leave answers blank, In the middle of the GRE Test if you get stuck on any one question or if you are not sure about the answer of a question then go on eliminating the answers using educated guess,it narrows down your guess to two options sometimes one.

The test takers will be providing you scratch paper ,so use it for those problems in which you are getting stuck . sketch those problems in which you are having problem to get an clear view of the question.Don't stick to one question for too long. If you fail to answer that particular question after giving maximum time it will have a negative effect on the remaining questions from test and it can reduce your chances of good score. Always keep your eye on the clock, so see that you complete the test in time to avoid penalties.

Make sure that you reach the test center at least 30 minutes before the exam schedule with your passport and other required things. Some GRE centers are known to be very cold so don't forget to bring jacket or something so that you will be able to concentrate on your test only.

Just one day before GRE exam relax ,go for a novel or listen some songs so that u don't feel tensed because in any exam last day preparation never helps, take complete rest in the night before the exam.A week before the exam try to solve all the tests given in the CD's of GRE-power prep or Kaplan, Princeton, for getting used to this computer adaptive examination, and also for getting an idea of your score.
In this week just go for the CD-tests and revision of the word lists and maths strategies. Don't try to learn new words just two or three days before the exam .
Preparing for the GRE is a time consuming job, so just keep on practicing. However, after all your hard-work, you can be proud of your good score.

All the best...!!!

GRE Preparation- General study plan/ tips to crack GRE

2009-12-21T13:31:00.000+05:30

GRE (Graduate Record Examination) is the test required for higher education especially studying abroad in the USA and Canada. The test comprises of three sections – Analytical writing, Verbal section (30 questions) and Quantitative section (28 questions). The total score is out of 1600. GRE scores are crucial as they are one of the deciding factors for getting into a good university abroad, for scholarship considerations and also for granting visa.

It is advisable that you start your GRE preparations at least three months in advance of the test date. GRE requires tremendous practice and it is imperative that a student has had enough time to solve various CATs (Computer adaptive tests) in order to build one’s confidence and get a general idea of the actual test.

Detailed below are some of the tips to crack GRE ::

1. Practice writing essays

Your analytical writing section consists of two sections. The first one is a 45 minute essay writing section where you are asked to give your perspective on a given topic. This section evaluates how you articulate your ideas and checks whether you have understood the topic given to you. The second section is a 30 minute argument task where a statement is given and you have to evaluate it. Find the underlying flaws of the argument and put them forth in a lucid way. Remember you are NOT to give your opinion in this section.

The argument task is actually the easiest of the two and therefore more scoring. Just place your argument in a clear and mellifluous fashion and that is the job half done. However it goes without saying that to accomplish this, a lot of practice is mandatory and therefore students are advised to practice at least one essay each of both the sections every single day.

2. Master your vocabulary

To do well in the verbal section of the GRE it is most important that you master your vocabulary. It is strongly advisable to postpone your GRE if you are not thorough with your vocabulary. Students who are weak in verbal Do Not Panic, start building your vocabulary well in advance.

3. Review your Basic Math

Go through your school math books and brush your formulae. GRE requires more of logic than lengthy calculations and is therefore trickier. Make sure that you understand the nuances and eliminate your weaknesses. Practice is the only way to achieve this to perfection.

It is strongly advisable that students who are weak in either verbal or quant should get professional coaching so as to get complete guidance and training in order to get a high GRE score.

TOEFL Preparation- Tips to get a High TOEFL score

2009-12-21T13:29:00.002+05:30

TOEFL (Test of English as a foreign language) like IELTS is a test to evaluate a student’s English speaking skills. It is a standard test to measure a student’s English fluency in order to communicate with his/her peers when he/she enters the academic set up of the university. Unlike GRE, TOEFL is not a computer adaptive test.

The TOEFL consists of four sections- Reading, Listening, Speaking and Writing. The total score is out of 120. Every university has a minimum score requirement in order to admit a student to a particular program. Some universities even have sectional cut-offs for certain programs. It is very crucial that students score very well in TOEFL as a high score in TOEFL helps students get into good universities abroad.

Speaking

It is observed that many students have a major problem in the speaking section. For students who are not fluent in English speaking, practice well in advance. It is essential to speak clearly with minimum of grammatical errors. So, it is ok to speak slowly but correctly. However, do try to complete your response within the time frame so as not to lose your points. Conversing with friends in English will definitely help. Over a period of time, you will see a difference in yourself. However, it is best to have good professional coaching to really do well.

Listening

In this section you have to listen to a set of dialogues and answer the questions based on them. This is an easy section provided you are familiar with the American accent. Sometimes however one of the dialogues can also be in English or an Australian accent. The best way to practice is to watch English programs, talk shows etc. Watch English movies and familiarize yourself with the pronunciations. Understanding the words is the key.

Reading

This is an easy section with simple reading passages. Straightforward questions are asked and are therefore scoring. However sometimes the second passage can be tougher than the first and will require some reading between the lines. Therefore vigilance is the key.

Writing

This section measures how well you can express your thoughts and ideas and carries weight as the universities correlate it with how well you can write your thesis. A lucid, grammatically correct writing piece with coherently expressed views will fetch a good score. However Do Not give your opinion in the integrated task. You only have to answer the question asked to you. Practicing writing and proper coaching is the most important factor to acquire a high score in this section.

Soft skills Training at Navi Mumbai

2009-12-12T13:47:00.001+05:30

In the current competitive scenario merely attaining exceptional hard skills does not help one keep a good job. Nowadays companies look for professionals with excellent soft skills as these skills reflect the personality of the individual. In short soft skills are the personal characteristics of a person that help one to communicate effectively with one’s peers. Soft skills augment one’s career opportunities and in turn help bolster one’s career.

Soft skills include attributes like sociability, good communication skills, good manners, leadership qualities, presentation skills among many others and are thus the pre-requisites for a successful career in any business enterprise. Realizing this need, renowned institute of foreign languages Bindas Bol has been running soft skills training program at its Vashi centre.

A well-rounded program, it identifies each student’s needs and works towards grooming the students so as they fit in the competitive environment of the corporate scenario and thus help them become thorough professionals. The professional faculty of Bindas Bol at Vashi identifies the students’ weaknesses and works toward encouraging them to leave behind their reservations and in the process draws out a well-groomed personality.

In addition, students are coached and motivated so as to enhance and broaden their outlook which in turn broadens their perspective and they step out into the world with more self- confidence and an impressive personality.

Residents of New Bombay enroll in the soft skills training program at Bindas Bol and experience the difference in your personality in a matter of weeks. If you are shy, reserved and diffident then don’t waste any more time. Come to us and let us help you build your flourishing careers. Contact us at our Navi Mumbai office for more details.

English Speaking Classes in Navi Mumbai

2009-12-12T13:46:00.001+05:30

Are you talented and qualified enough but unable to find your dream job because you are not fluent in English? Do you feel inferior to your peers because you fail to converse with them effectively in English? If these are the problems that overwhelm you and sap your confidence then worry no more because we at Bindas Bol are here to help you with your dilemma.

Residents of Vashi, wanting to improve their English speaking skills can visit Bindas Bol (with centers at Dadar, Andheri, Borivali, Thane) and see the difference in you in just 2 weeks. With professional coaching and guidance from experienced teachers, learning English was never so much fun. You may be weak in expressing your ideas or may need to learn how to pen your thoughts. But under the expert tutoring of our faculty of English speaking at Bindas Bol in Vashi, you can overcome all your weaknesses and diffidence and will indeed be able to master your English speaking skills.

Effective communication is the foundation for the success of any business endeavor. And this is only possible if the communication is lucid, fluent and most importantly effective. So, residents of New Bombay, join us, be a part of Bindas Bol and help us help you to build your successful career. Do visit us at our office in Navi Mumbai for more information and make the most of this opportunity.

German speaking classes in Navi Mumbai

2009-12-12T13:36:00.000+05:30

German is one of the most important languages in the world. Just as English speaking is imperative for the success of any business; German language is just as significant in Europe for a successful career. German is fast gaining weight as a language of technology. As a result learning German is fast gaining an impetus throughout the world and India is no stranger to this growing trend.

Considering this need of German Speaking, recognized foreign language institute Bindas Bol has introduced German language coaching at their Vashi centre. Residents of Navi Mumbai, if you are looking for effective German language speaking coaching class then the wait is over. With its efficient professors and dedicated staff the students are taught German in an interactive environment and under expert supervision. Every student is encouraged and is thus given enough confidence to be able to communicate efficiently in German.

The study material provided helps the students understand the nuances of the language in a lucid fashion. As a result, learning German becomes less onerous and more pleasurable. Just like in Mumbai, residents of Nerul will benefit from this German speaking program offered by Bindas Bol and like their other foreign language speaking programs (French and Spanish) will be able to hone their German speaking skills. You can see the difference in you in just a matter of weeks. So people of New Bombay interested to do this course can visit our Bindas Bol Vashi office.

French Coaching in Navi Mumbai

2009-12-12T13:28:00.002+05:30

French as a foreign language is extensively learnt and spoken throughout the world. French is one of the most significant languages in Europe and is therefore used widely in written and spoken communication. In India too, importance of French language is evident as more and more schools and colleges introduce French language in the syllabus. Therefore it won’t be inaccurate to say that learning French will indeed be a boost to one’s career and will definitely be an asset in one’s resume.

Identifying this, the well known foreign language institute Bindas Bol has its French Speaking program at Vashi (other centres at Dadar, Borivali, Andheri, and Thane) for students eager to hone their French Speaking skills. French is an easy language closely resembling English, but even so the French pronunciations are tedious and are the main source of consternation for many students. Realizing this, special attention is given at Bindas Bol to make sure that students are able to converse fluently in French by encouraging them to participate in interactive sessions held during the class. As a result self confidence is built in the students and they are able to give presentations without faltering.

The Vashi centre of Bindas Bol with its expert tutors and diligent staff provides the students with the best of study environment and the study material provided makes it easy for the students to understand even the most complex parts of the language.Residents of New Bombay can make the most of this opportunity. For more details visit the Bindas Bol office at Navi Mumbai.

Learn Spanish in Navi Mumbai

2009-12-08T13:32:00.002+05:30

In this day and age of learning, a foreign language indeed gives a definite edge in the global arena. As the world comes closer, the need to communicate effectively is a defining factor in the success of any business enterprise. And this is where the added benefit of learning a foreign language comes into play.

Spanish is one of the important languages in the world. It is the official language of 21 countries including many of the countries in South America and Europe. In United States as well, Spanish is spoken by more than 25% population in some states. Therefore the significance of learning Spanish is indeed immense.

Realizing this need of people to learn Spanish, Bindas Bol (other centers in Thane, Dadar, Andheri, Borivali & Dombivali) is into teaching Spanish Language with its foreign language center at Vashi. With experienced faculty and dedicated staff, learning Spanish is made easier and enjoyable. With interactive sessions and presentations, the course builds in the students the confidence to communicate effectively in Spanish.

Every student has different needs. They may vary from a difficulty in speaking to that of putting in words what one needs to say. At Bindas Bol, we understand these requirements and work towards helping the students overcome them effectively and in no time and master Spanish Language.

Learning Spanish Language or for that matter any other foreign language; be it Learning French or German ( Available at Bindas Bol ); is not difficult. With proper training, preparation and guidance, one can learn foreign languages effectively and speak fluently with confidence.

Residents of Navi Mumbai make the most of this opportunity. Visit our center for more details. A flourishing career is the outcome of dedicated work and reliable guidance and if that is your goal, then we at Bindas Bol are your best choice.

Prepare strategically for your GRE !!!

2009-12-05T12:30:00.002+05:30

I need not say how important it is to Score good in GRE, the Quantitative & Verbal section. Verbal WORDLIST -you slog yourself out by, by-hearting the BORING wordlists, so that you can solve analogies & antonyms. You study all day all night during traveling in train, bus, auto… even in bathroom!! You are so stressed out on studying & knowing all the 50 wordlist from Barron’s, referring social networking site that gives the updates on the latest GRE words that came in the exam. Studying & solving all the material that you gathered from different institutes…doing this for the sole purpose of getting into a top ranked university with good Scholarship. But are you doing it strategically…??

With much of experience & observation in training for GRE this is what I have observed. I’m sure many will agree with me.

First, borrow a GRE Barron’s form one of the friend/senior who has recently given GRE and by-heart all 50 wordlist (not knowing what they are reading, where did the originated from) and then, solve Quantitative sections because you know the formulas it is easy. Solve all the GRE papers given by his senior/friend. But, after GRE Exam scoring less in Verbal section they say Madam I studied all the 50 wordlist from but couldn’t understand the meaning of most of the words that came in the exam.

The question is whether you studied tactically?

You have to study with some careful planning, when you start with your Vocabulary make it a point that you study the Prefix, Root & Suffix of the words so that when you divide the word you know its meaning and where it is coming from. Then doing the High Frequency words and starting with your wordlist and understanding them i.e. whether it is a noun suffix or adjective suffix or an adverb. Study wordlist randomly but, keep a track what you are studying. Once you have done some number of words like say 12-15 wordlists divide your time & start with solving analogies & antonyms simultaneously, don’t stop doing wordlist. Carefully understand the tactics of solving them.

Just knowing all the words is useless, if you don’t where to apply what tactic. So, practice it is very important. Most importantly trying to understand why this has to be your best answer, finding the Strong REASON for your answer.

Prepare for your documents at the same time; take help of a professional counselor who will guide you well.

Remember, getting an admit from a university itself is a process. You don’t get I-20 only on good GRE Score. It is also your Academics, co Curricular & Extra-Curricular activities, Projects in college. While your GRE preparation, don’t forget to prepare your documents like keeping your passport ready, transcripts, recommendation letters from your professors, Bank solvency etc. Keep a track on the University requirement & deadlines. Because, if you get good score but miss the deadline due to lack of preparation of documents on time, you would be late not less than 6 months. So, be attentive.

Learn GMAT in Mumbai

2009-12-01T12:24:00.004+05:30

The Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) is a standardized assessment that helps business schools assess the qualifications of applicants for advanced study in business and management. Schools use the test as one predictor of academic performance in an MBA program or in other graduate management programs.

What does the GMAT Measure?

The GMAT exam measures basic verbal, mathematical, and analytical writing skills that you have developed over a long period of time in your education and work.
It does NOT measure:

-Your knowledge of business,
-Your job skills,
-Specific content in your undergraduate or first university course work,
-Your abilities in any other specific subject area, or
-Subjective qualities such as motivation, creativity, and interpersonal skills.

Format and Timing

The GMAT exam consists of three main parts, the Analytical Writing Assessment, the Quantitative section, and the Verbal section.

Analytical Writing Assessment
The GMAT exam begins with the Analytical Writing Assessment (AWA). The AWA consists of two separate writing tasks, Analysis of an Issue and Analysis of an Argument. You are allowed 30 minutes to complete each one.

Quantitative Section
Following an optional ten-minute break, you begin the Quantitative Section of the GMAT exam. This section contains 37 multiple-choice questions of two question types: Data Sufficiency and Problem Solving. You will be allowed a maximum of 75 minutes to complete the entire section.

Verbal Section
After a second optional ten-minute break, you begin the Verbal Section of the GMAT exam. This section contains 41 multiple choice questions of three question types: Reading Comprehension, Critical Reasoning and Sentence Correction. You are allowed a maximum of 75 minutes to complete the entire section.

The purpose of the GMAT is to measure one's ability to think systematically and to employ the verbal and mathematical skills that one has acquired throughout his/her years of schooling.

The test does not aim to measure the knowledge of specific business or academic subjects. One is assumed to know basic algebra (but not calculus), geometry and arithmetic, to know the basic conventions of standard written English, and to be able to write an analytical essay.

Test-taking Strategies for GMAT:

1. Spend more time with the initial questions than the later questions.
2. Answer as many questions as possible.
3. Do an educated guess, if not sure with the answer.
4. Pace him well and should be aware of remaining time.
5. Confirm the answer only when he/she is confident about the selected option.

Be careful about section exit and test quit commands, as one cannot go back to the previous section.

A FACT Gmatian is blessed with the skills of high order cognitive reasoning,persuasion,problem solving...and not to mention the best scores....!! When faced with or obstacle,a FACT Gmatian says " LET ME ACCEPT IT ; FACE IT & MANAGE IT MYSELF..I CAN DO IT !! "

DECISION IS PERFECT WHEN IT IS TAKEN AT A PERFECT TIME !

2009-11-26T16:24:00.002+05:30

Success of the life depends on the Decisions that you take at each and every stage of your life. And the decision can be perfect when it is taken at the perfect time.
Most of us have the fear of taking decision because we are afraid of its results and though we take a decision we are careless about the Time that we are taking to implement it. Everything you do is an investment of time.

Here are some specific suggestions for those who aim to pursue MS Degree from the reputed US University, and if you have

•Appeared for GRE and searching for Universities:
The perfect time to start FALL applications is in the month of September/October but still it is possible to apply for FALL 2010.But do not delay the things as you delayed and did not start applications in September. Understand the importance of time and have professional guidance as soon as possible.

•Just decided to pursue MS Degree from US University:
Remember one thing that this process takes minimum 6 months to maximum 2 years from GRE preparations till you get Visa. If you don’t want to miss golden opportunities, it is mandatory to have a proper schedule. The problem is, your life is already full, and you end up busy with all the day-to-day things, unable to find time for what you really want to do. And how often have you reached the end of the day, and had no energy? How often has something unexpected cropped up that steals away the time you were going to spend working towards your goal?

Here are some ways to make the time that you need:

1.Take the first hour of your day and use it for what really matters to you. Everything else can wait for just one hour.
2.List your activities according to the importance level and follow the hierarchy.
3.Instead of wasting time to just chat with friends on unnecessary matters You could ask a friend to keep you accountable by checking up on your progress, whether that’s through a weekly phone call or a quick daily check-in on Twitter. Sometimes, it’s easier to stay motivated when you know that someone else is cheering you on. So friends can also be a great source of encouragement.

There are Chances that you will be tired, and want to do something else like answer your emails, or watch television, or sleep in. You will be able to enjoy all these things also if you arrange your activities from initial stage rather than doing the last minute show.

In many ways time is more valuable than money. You’ll always have the opportunity to make more money, but once time has been spent it’s gone forever. When you think of time as a commodity, and all of your actions as investments, it changes the way you approach every day decisions.

Ultimately “DECISION IS PERFECT WHEN IT IS TAKEN AT PERFECT TIME”

Conquer Those Fears

2009-11-20T15:04:00.003+05:30

Many students ask me: "Sir, I am a student from vernacular medium. Will I be able to score good in SAT, GRE, GMAT, TOEFL or IELTS?" Another question is posed to me very frequently: "Sir, I am very weak at mathematics. Should I prepare for SAT, GRE or GMAT?" My simple answer to these questions is: "If you ask me WHETHER, I will not be interested. But if you ask me HOW, I will be more than eager to put extra efforts so that you may overcome this hurdle."
I am not saying that these questions are irrelevant. On the contrary, these are very important questions. But, should one give up the idea of going abroad for higher studies just because his/her first language is not English or he/she is not comfortable with mathematics? Any one has to put some efforts for the tests discussed above. And the students who are weaker than average, will have to put some extra efforts. But yes, it is possible for a student, who is below average, to score equally good. Period.
But it is equally true that one has to work in a planned way in order to score high. Reading standard English i.e. editorials of good newspapers,magazines,etc. is very important if one wants to score good in verbal section. Brushing up one's grammar also will help a lot. In addition to this, one should watch some good news channels like CNN or BBC on a regular basis. As far as mathematics is concerned, it is not very difficult. But it is tricky. In other words, it is not so difficult that one should get disheartened and it is not so easy that one should ignore it. Like verbal section, mathematics also requires a lot of practice. Hence, studying high school books is very important. But one has to be very specific and should study only relevant portions. Otherwise, a lot of time and energy will be wasted. Keeping time limit in mind, learning short cuts also is necessary.
Having made proper strategies, one should start implementing them immediately. Because an ounce of action is far better than a ton of planning. I would like to quote a famous saying in this context, "An action without vision is a waste of time. And a vision without action is day-dreaming." In other words, the weaker students will have to do more thorough planning. And not only planning, but more proper execution also is required. So, do not kill your dreams, execute them
The students from vernacular medium have little problem in grammar. But they may face problems in sentence formation or conversation. To overcome these problems, they should read as much as possible. Taking help of print and electronic media is very helpful. If they study with a right and aggressive approach (not physically please) and are regular, they can do as good as convent educated students, and in some cases, even better.Hence, overcome your mental hurdles and start practicing now.

Study effectively for Gre,Gmat,Sat,Ielts,Toefl.

2009-11-20T14:31:00.003+05:30

1. Prepare blocks of study time and break:
As your tests are approaching develop and plan for, blocks of study time in a typical week. Blocks ideally are around 50 minutes, but perhaps you become restless after only 30 minutes. Some difficult material may require more frequent breaks. Shorten your study blocks if necessary—but don’t forget to return to the task at hand! What you do during your break should give you an opportunity to have a snack, relax, or otherwise refresh or re-energize yourself. For example, place blocks of time when you are most productive: are you a morning person or a night owl?

2. Dedicated study spaces:
Determine a place free from distraction (no cell phone or text messaging!) where you can maximize your concentration and be free of the distractions that friends or hobbies can bring! You should also have a back-up space that you can escape to, like the library, departmental study center, even a coffee shop where you can be anonymous. A change of venue may also bring extra resources.

3. Weekly reviews:
Weekly reviews and updates are also an important strategy. Each week, like a Sunday night, review your words, your notes, your calendar. Be mindful that as deadlines and exams approach, your weekly routine must adapt to them!

4. Prioritize your assignments:
When studying, get in the habit of beginning with the most difficult subject or task. You’ll be fresh, and have more energy to take them on when you are at your best. For more difficult courses of study, try to be flexible.

5. Postpone unnecessary activities until the work is done!
Postpone tasks or routines that can be put off until your school work is finished! This can be the most difficult challenge. Distracting activities will be more enjoyable later without the pressure of the test, assignment, etc. hanging over your head. Think in terms of pride of accomplishment. Instead of saying “no” learn to say “later”.

6. Identify resources to help you

Are there tutors? An “expert friend”? Have you tried a keyword search on the Internet to get better explanations? Are there specialists in the library that can point you to resources? What about professionals and professional organizations. Using outside resources can save you time and energy, and solve problems.

7. Use your free time wisely

Think of times when you can study "bits" as when walking, riding the bus, etc. Perhaps you’ve got music to listen to for your course in music appreciation, or drills in language learning? If you are walking or biking to school, when best to listen? Perhaps you are in a line waiting? Perfect for routine tasks like flash cards, or if you can concentrate, to read or review a chapter. The bottom line is to put your time to good use.

8. Review notes and readings just before class
This may prompt a question or two about something you don’t quite understand, to ask about in class, or after. It also demonstrates to your teacher that you are interested and have prepared.

9. Review lecture notes just after class
Then review lecture material immediately after class.
The first 24 hours are critical. Forgetting is greatest within 24 hours without review!

Self- Confidence is the key to Life !

2009-11-17T12:50:00.005+05:30

“TOO MANY PEOPLE OVERVALUE WHAT THEY ARE NOT AND UNDERVALUE WHAT THEY ARE”

Self confidence is the difference between feeling unstoppable and feeling scared out of your wits. Your perception of yourself has an enormous impact on how others perceive you. Although clothes don’t make the man, they certainly affect the way he feels about himself. No one is more conscious of your physical appearance than you are. When you don’t look good, it changes the way you carry yourself and interact with other people. Use this to your advantage by taking care of your personal appearance. This doesn’t mean you need to spend a lot on clothes. One great rule to follow is “spend twice as much, buy half as much”. Rather than buying a bunch of cheap clothes, buy half as many select, high quality items. Buying less also helps reduce the clutter in your closet.

When we think negatively about ourselves, we often project that feeling on to others in the form of insults and gossip. To break this cycle of negativity, get in the habit of praising other people. By looking for the best in others, you indirectly bring out the best in yourself. I am sure that you have heard the expression, give in order to receive, well, start complimenting people every day and watch how many compliments you'll start receiving in return.

Walk with good posture, as in walking tall, that will also boost your self-confidence and self-esteem. This by the way has been scientifically proven.

If you are shy of doing something, then that won't build your self-confidence until you can face it. If you are shy of public speaking, the only way to build yourself up about public speaking is by doing it.

What we need are more people who specialize in the impossible.

Learning Verbal..

2009-10-14T15:44:00.003+05:30

Lord Gautam Buddha was awakened or enlightened under the tree of Pipal or the Bo-tree which is famous for the story of how Prince Siddharth became Lord Buddha. So that particular tree has been famous by the name of BodhiVruksha. Now, that tree also signifies us something other that we don’t often care to understand. We do see the huge setup of the tree but we often forget how deep in the ground the roots of the tree are! Unless the tree grows its roots meters in the ground, it cannot gain the sky catching height we see. That teaches us that to reach heights of knowledge it is absolutely necessary to have roots of basics firm. So learning the basics of any subject will provide you knowledge that will be thorough and long lasting.

As far as Verbal is concerned good knowledge of English is necessary and that doesn’t mean that people, who don’t get on with English language well, won’t do well. Learning the Verbal section with right approach is necessary. Many students have a common misunderstanding that learning wordlists by heart is the only way to score good in verbal sections. I would suggest learning in right approach will make it easier to understand, interesting and long lasting in memory. How many words will you memorize? 300? 400? 500? And how long will you remember them? There are some 4000 words that are commonly used in Spoken-Written English in countries like U.S. and U.K.

The aim for keeping this Verbal section in exams like GRE, GMAT, SAT is that the students should get familiar with the type of language, the variety of words that are commonly used in English speaking countries. Not with the aim of ‘lets see how much can you memorize?’ Ok, You will learn Nouns, then Adjectives, then Verbs-Proverbs and all the parts of speech; so you can tell me that you have learned everything for Verbal section and you are now ready to take on the test. But I will ask you, ‘Have you learnt English?’ The aim of learning often gets sidelined. Then what is the use of learning it? There are techniques of learning. If you follow them the learning will become a merry journey rather than prolonged, boring and unending process.

The way to prepare for Verbal section goes through understanding of construction of the language. Every word that comes before us has been made up with some basic elements like suffix, prefix and the main root or stem of the word. Now, the approach towards learning should be like a Surgeon; you should look to dissect the word in its elements. Try to separate the root of the word and then look for its meaning. Then go for the prefix and suffix that are attached to the root and get what information they provide about the word. This method should be followed for each word that comes before us, that may be in Eveready’s newspaper, in any book or in day to day listening. It’s all about getting it as a habit. Look at a verb- “confine” that means “to restrict”. Now instead of just memorizing it, lets dissect it! 'con’ is the prefix that signifies ‘within’ and ‘fin’ is the root which tells us ‘limiting something’. The whole word turns out ‘to limit within’ or to say ‘to restrict’. Now lets see word ‘finite’, which is a noun. Look for the root; it is ‘fin’ which now we already know. It says something about ‘limiting’. And the given word is a noun without any prefix. So can the meaning be derived as ‘limited’; yes, that is the step towards getting the meaning.

Students must get the habit to look beyond just the word, the sentences and create awareness about what and how they read, listen or speak. This awareness is more important while preparing for SAT as SAT test have a bit weight on Grammar. Learning the language as a whole will be the better option than trying to memorize the words. Same goes with the writing of essays. Once you get the central idea of what to write, the ideas will start to flow automatically. It’s all about explaining yourself the same topic. Once you convince yourself that you have understood the subject, it will be matter of typing the same matter on the computer screen and the reader will understand it as you have understood it. Nothing makes the joy of understanding something more appreciable than knowing it thoroughly and in right approach. Learn to enjoy the process and then results will follow you.

CRACKING THE TOEFL

2009-10-14T15:10:00.003+05:30

Test of English as foreign language is widely recognized as a necessary prerequisite by most of the English speaking countries.These are the 5 easy steps to crack TOEFL .

1.practice reading comprehensions
2.brush up your listening skills
3.breathe some spontaneity in speaking
4.put your writer’s cap on
5.make a habit of giving the full length tests for 4 hours as your test date draws near.

TIPS TO CRACK RCs

1.never read the passages in a reading comprehension
2.remember that TOEFL is a student friendly test,so as soon as you finish scrolling, the computer senses that you are done reading the RC and starts shooting questions.
3.so the first thing you do when you see the RCs is scroll down to the end of the page.
4.also remember that the paragraph which appears on the screen corresponds to the question being asked & thus making it easier for student to answer questions.

TIPS TO CRACK THE LISTENING SECTION

1.Jot down points as fast as possible when the conversation on a lecture is played
2.If your retention and grasping power is good, maybe you would just jot down the major points
3.when the question flashes on the screen ,correlate it with your points, scan the options and then make your answer choice.
4.listening section requires practice but its very simple once you get the hang of it.

TIPS TO CRACK THE SPEAKING SECTION

1.The first two tasks in the speaking section requires a good presence of mind and spontaneity. So be careful while answering them.
2.for the remaining 4 tasks, if you are well versed with speaking sections from the CD tests ,you can very well answer the questions smoothly.
3.for those who fumble while speaking here Is a tip :- you can record your voice,say in the cell phone or a recorder,as if you are answering a question from toefl speaking section itself and then listen to it.You yourself will be able to judge your mistakes and hone your speaking skills and vocabulary.
4.Toefl requires clear,lucid pronunciation with simple yet a sound knowledge of vocabulary
5.for the first two tasks, group discussions ,or one on one discussions with a friend is recommended.

TIPS TO CRACK THE WRITING SECTION

1.the section which most of students tend to neglect is in fact the most important section of all.
2.just two tasks carrying weightage of 30 on scale
3.for answering the issue ,remember to ask 3 “ WHY ” questions,jot down points which support or bolster the answer tp those “WHY” questions and then garnish it with apt and suitable examples.
4.use simple, good vocabulary, avoid spelling mistakes and do not present your views in a complicated way.

ALL THE BEST.

Those crucial few minutes....

2009-10-14T14:10:00.001+05:30

For Gre and Gmat students, the CAT format of the tests requires them to be alert and attentive and give their best shot during the initial 6-7 questions. These initial questions are very crucial because this is the ‘level setting phase’ i.e as you all know three different types of questions are data based in the computer [ easy, medium and difficult ] and the difficult the level of questions you get, the higher will be the score. Initially more and more right answers you give, you are likely to get ‘difficult level’ questions further but on the contrary if you keep on giving wrong answers for the first 6-7 questions, you would get ‘easy level ’ of questions which is detrimental to your score.
Hence keep your cool, don’t panic, read the questions properly, think logically and spend more than one minute per question if need be. Doesn’t matter but do get it right, its worth it. Remember it is not a ‘hit and run’ phase, it is a think and click phase. Your final score is the outcome of your performance in those crucial few minutes.

ASPIRING FOR SAT,GRE,GMAT ? DEVELOP READING HABIT.

2009-10-14T14:03:00.003+05:30

Students preparing for the Sat,Gre,Gmat tests have to mandatorily develop the habit of reading extensive until and unless you read extra stuff other than your academic recording – you can never be sure of performance in all these list. RC’s or reading comprehensions is the toughest part of all these tests even for the best of the students.Two or three month span that you have for preparation makes sure of the following.

1.Devote atleast one hour for extra reading.

2.Pick up anything and everything of your disposal for healthy reading.

3.If not anything newspaper reading also will do if done religiously. Read the “Speaking Tree ” in Times of India and editorials from newspapers.

4.While reading concentrate on the time take n to comprehend the stuff, which should be reduced with each passing days.

5.Magazines like readers digest will not only help you improve your language but also in quicker comprehension.

Strategies for learning wordlists.

2009-10-14T13:58:00.003+05:30

Learning the 'Word Lists' is a big problem for students. Here,we can discuss and follow some strategies and become 'Wordsmith'.

1. First of all, don't go for the rote learning or 'rattafication' as they call it. Always try to understand the meanings of the words. Most of the words may have more than one meanings. Study all the meanings minutely as many of them can be tricky. Keeping all the meanings of a certain word in mind may be a real challenge. But DONT run away. Take the bull by its horns instead. Plan and follow a well-defined strategy. You can form sentences mentally in order to remember different meanings of different words. In case of adjectives, you can personify them i.e. you can allot the adjectives to certain persons whom you know. Don't worry, s/he will never know it. You are doing everything mentally.

2. Secondly, do not depend on only one or two sources for your words .Learn them from different sources viz. newspapers, magazines, books, flash cards, etc. There is a very good book in the market to improve word power. It's called ' Word Power Made Easy' written by Norman Lewis. Watching good T.V. channels like CNN or BBC is also a good idea. Just keep your sensors alert, you will learn a lot in the process.

3. Last but not the least, while going through ' Word Lists ' of any good book like 'Barron's, you should revise them periodically. I will elaborate this point through an example. Barron's GRE has fifty word lists. I recomend ten word lists in the first week. Once you have completed ten of them, revise those ten and then go ahead. Complete next ten in the second week. After two weeks, you will have completed twenty word lists. Again revise those twenty and so on. Thus, by the end of five weeks you will have completed and revised all the fifty word lists.

However, don't stop even after completing all the fifty word lists. If you don't practice them, you will forget them very fast. So in order not to forget those words and to learn many more new words, read. Thus, you will come across the words you have learnt and they will remain with you for the rest of your lives. Further, use the words on daily basis in your writings and conversations. Take my word for it.

Work in a planned manner and it will pay very handsome rewards. All the best.........

Preparing for the tests...Work Hard and Relax !!!

2009-10-14T13:42:00.005+05:30

Many students work really hard for their tests (SAT/GRE/GMAT/TOEFL/IELTS). But still they do not score good marks. Morever, they are unable to make out what went wrong. A very BIG reason for doing bad in the test is that they worked HARD. May be too hard. There is a whole lot of difference between working 'hard' and working 'intelligent'.

It is very important to make a proper schedule for your studies and follow it properly. Break your study time into short intervals. An ideal duration for one session is two hours. Study for two hours and then take a short rest for upto half an hour. In that half an hour, you can eat or drink something light. Don't take a big meal if you want to study. Eat something light at short intervals. If you take a heavy meal, you will feel lethargic and may fall asleep. If you want to sleep during day, take a siesta after lunch. It is also known by other names like cat nap or power nap. After this, you can start with fresh energy. It should not exceed 30 minutes. Else it will make you feel lazy.

If you are tired or bored of studies, do not force yourself too much. take a break. You can do deep breathing exercises. Our brain does not work to its full capacity if it lacks oxygen. Therefore, it is our responsibility to supply it with fresh oxygen. You can take a cup of strong tea or coffee also.

The most important day of your preparation is the previous day of the exam.And the most vital activity of that previous day should be to RELAX. You have prepared for the hundred meter race. You have worked very hard for it. Hence, DON NOT practice just before going to the field. What I mean to say is that your frame of mind at the time of the test is very important. If you have already exhausted it, it is going to take revenge which may be disastrous.

Therefore, take proper sleep on the previous night. Eat good food before going for the test. 'Good food' means the food which provides you energy but does not make you feel sleepy. Drink water at regular intervals.

While taking the test ATTACK every question. It means that you should be fully alert and should utilize your brain to the hilt.It is important to work hard for whichever test you are preparing for. But it is equally important to reward yourself on a daily basis for the hard work you have done. You must be aware of the saying : " All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy". Hence, avoid being a dull boy and enjoy and relax after you have done your hard work.

All the best........

Learning the vocabulary

2009-10-14T12:00:00.003+05:30

Step 1
Get a GOOD vocabulary list for the test that you are preparing for. The key for this method is repetition. First, find out what you do not know. Then, memorize them by repetition by tricking the brain to recognize the information as very important. The goal is to make the new vocabulary into long term memory using this method.

Step 2
For the first time, read (skimming speed) the entire list from the beginning to end. Check the words that you do not know. You are done for the day.

Step 3
The next day, start with any alphabet letter you want. For the words you do not know, take time to understand the word by reading the meaning and word usage in a sentence. No need to write the words more than a couple times.

Step 4
The following day, read the vocabulary list again. Focus on the words you checked earlier. However, this time around cover the meaning part to see if you remember them. If you don't, put a check mark again on the side of the word. Read the meaning and sentences usage again. Do the prior step with a new set of alphabet.

Step 5
Do this step until you cover all the alphabets in the vocabulary list and there are at least 3 check marks for the words that you do not know. This should have taken 1 to 2 weeks working 2 hours a day, 3 to 4 days of the week.

Step 6
Now the number of the words that you do not know would have reduced significantly. From now on, highlight the words that you do not know as you go through the list again. Spend one week (3 to 4 days). Next time around, use different colors.

Step 7
Now, create a separate vocabulary list of the words that you have not yet memorized.

Step 8
Remaining words are, for some reasons, especially difficult for you to master. For these words, use methods such as association and giving special meaning to the words. The more personal, the easier to remember. Group the words into synonyms and antonyms. Studying prefix, suffix and roots of vocabulary is helpful, too.

Step 9
For the last couple of weeks, just review the final list that you made. On the last week, take couple of sample tests. You should be pleasantly surprised to find your score improvement.

Step 10
Now, You are ready. So go get them !!!

Preparing for the Graduate Management Admission Test.

2009-10-14T11:39:00.005+05:30

1.The first thing you need to do when all that stands between you and the top business schools is learn how this particular test is formatted. When you understand the format of the test it will be easier to prepare for the test and then perform well when the time comes.

2. Next, you should download the free software that is available to people who are going to take the GMAT. When you download the GMATPrep software you'll be introduced to the format as well as sample questions. These will help you prepare for all three sections of the test. You may also want to purchase three GMAT Paper Tests that you can use for extra practice.

3. Many people struggle with the analytical writing section of the test. If writing is not your strong point you will want to practice writing essays and have them looked over by people who have done well with this section of the test. You can find sample topics on the internet that will guide you to the sort of topics that you may be faced with.

4. You will want to review all of your basic skills as well as possible. Think about grammar, punctuation, and even basic math skills. You will need to call on all of these skills during the test and you don't want to overlook anything.

5. From the date you start studying, you should allow for at least four weeks of study. During this time you should focus on just one aspect of the test at a time as this is how you are going to pass the test and get into that MBA course that you have been looking into. Being prepared as possible will require a lot of study time, so really dedicate yourself to it and get your hands on all of the GMAT materials that you can find to help guide you through the study process.

Using variety in studies

2009-10-07T11:22:00.003+05:30

You must have heard the phrase:"variety is the spice of life".This is true for your studies as well.Many a time,students get bored doing too much of the same thing viz.word lists,etc.But if one does word lists day and night,one will easily get bored and tired and cannot retain much of what one has learnt.In order to get rid of 'boring' word lists or any other section for that matter,some students keep on studying the same thing for too long a period repeatedly.But this is NOT a good strategy.

Lets consider TOEFL as an example.
TOEFL has four sections i.e.Reading,Listening,Speaking and Writing.Let's discuss them one by one:

1. Reading:
Sections such as Reading and Writing are common to all the tests viz. GRE,GMAT,SAT,TOEFL and IELTS.To perform well in Reading,one should follow three most important strategies.These strategies are i).to read,(ii).to read and (iii).to read more and more.You should read not only the help books but also a lot of other books,newspapers and magazines of your choice.Whatever you read,read it fast and get used to grasp its contents at a very fast rate.Thus,the pressure of the time limit during the tests can be handled efficiently.

2. Listening:
For some students,this section can be very tricky as they are not used to American accent.Therefore,it's a good idea to watch some good news channels like CNN,BBC,etc.Listening to news programmes on All India Radio also is a good idea.Thus,you will realise the benefit of being a 'good listener'.

3. Speaking:
Students can learn a lot from Radio Jockeys (RJs).They should try to inculcate the quality of being spontaneous from a good RJ.A good RJ speaks with clarity and does not fumble.Even if he fumbles,he does not stop (But unlike RJs,you should know where to stop).He excuses himself and moves ahead.In the same manner,you also should avoid fumbles.And if you have fumbled,you have not committed a crime.It's better to maintain your calm and move ahead. Reading something (newspaper,etc.) out improves your diction and clarity.Hence,you can perform well in this section.

4. Writing:
If you read and listen to a lot of quality English,writing will be very easy for you.While reading and listening/watching T.V.,you will gather a lot of useful information which can be used effectively for organising an essay.

Whether you are preparing for SAT,GRE,GMAT or TOEFL, making a consolidated effort always helps.Read newspapers,magazines,etc.and watch news channels on a daily basis.In addition to these,study your help books such as Barrons',Kaplan's,etc.Believe me,you will do wonders. All the best.......

Time Management while preparing for the tests

2009-10-07T11:19:00.001+05:30

Time management has been in existence for more than 100 years. Unfortunately the term "Time management" creates a false impression of what a person is able to do. Time can't be managed, time is uncontrollable, and we can only manage ourselves and our use of time. Time management changed my way of thinking for life from one major perspective: efficiency. It taught me the true meaning and importance of being efficient.

Time management is important in any situation and most people have difficulty getting started. Time management is a skill that you have to learn. It is a life style. The best place to begin working on time management is by changing your behavior and your environment. Time management helps you add discipline in your life and brings a sense of self-confidence and positive attitude in whatever you do. Time management is the tool that can shape your skills as well your personality.

College is a competitive environment; in order to succeed in it a student needs certain skills. Those skills can only be learned. A college professor mentioned that there are five basic rules that need to be followed in order to become a good student: study, do all the homework and the assigned reading, attend class, and, most importantly, develop self-discipline and time management.

So, always remember that you will never find time for anything, if you want time you must make it. I recommend you take care of the minutes and the hours will take care of themselves..Time once gone can never be retrieved hence learn to use it wisely.

WANT TO STUDY ABROAD?

2009-10-01T17:04:00.001+05:30

Importance of foreign education:

Globalization is the word today. International business has risen, cultural exchanges are taking place. As a result, number of students wanting to study abroad to gain valuable international exposure is increasing day by day. Also, increasing scholarships abroad and easy availability of loans have added to this trend. Hence, foreign education is on the rise and will keep doing so in future.

But there are few important points which have to be kept in mind by both students and their parents while taking the important decision of foreign studies.

a) Selection of country –
A wrong country selection can be detrimental for your career. Many Indian students expect jobs after studies in foreign countries. But this is not possible in many countries. Jobs are given depending on the vacancies in a particular field.

b) Easiest is not always the best –
If a student is guaranteed admission within 15 days or without any exams or on less marks,then there are chances of fraud and exploitation of the student.

c) Go with the flow –
It is always better to go with the course which is most preferred while going for abroad education.

d) Contact your Indian counterparts –
It is always wise to contact your Indian counterparts at the university which you have selected because many times their advice will be valuable to you in making decisions.

e) Choose your counselor carefully –
Counselors for foreign education have mushroomed today. So it is imperative that you
be watchful at every step while choosing your counselor. Consider his/her qualifications, experience in this field. Many agents play with the students career by sending them to wrong universities just for the sake of making money.

f) Financial Responsibilities –
Many parents are unaware of the total financial estimates associated with foreign studies and many end up getting duped by this commission agents. Hence, parents must always contact universities and confirm the total amount of money required for the course.

Reach us at http://www.gurukulonweb.com/ouroffices.html to know us more and help you to shape your academic career......

GOING USA FOR STUDIES

2009-10-01T16:58:00.000+05:30

Considering the number of Indian students going abroad every year for education, the number of institutes have also mushroomed up. Some are genuinely in the business of making the careers of these students while some are just for exploiting the students for filling their own pockets.

FEW TIPS FOR PEOPLE GOING FOR USA STUDIES :

1. USA universities stress on research work and academic studies equally. That’s why students get scholarships while doing research work. Hence American education is considered best today with students from various countries studying there. In that also, the percentage of Indian students is far higher. This is coupled with the easy availability of loans from Indian banks thus enabling the middle class to dream of studying in USA.

2. When you approach any counselor who is into sending students abroad, be sure to ask the following things : Which field to study ? Which university to select ? How to raise funds, get scholarships and financial issues ? Guidance for VISA . Ensure that these things are properly addressed by the counselor.

3. If you don’t get proper guidance, then you can be playing with your career.Here, parents should be more cautious and alert. It is very important to understand that two types of counselors exist. First type are the one who act as commission agents for certain universities and send students to those universities only. Second type are the ones who donot act as commission agents and send students to universities solely on their merit. Since the First type counselors get commission from universities, they do not charge the students. But before approaching such counselors, parents and students must ensure whether the university and course offered fits his/her choice.

4. Foreign education builds students career but also involves investment from parents.So it was very necessary to get proper guidance. Think wisely before taking any decisions while choosing your counselor.

Consider the following factors for selection of your counselor :

- Experience of counselor in the field
- If the organization is certified or registered.

Reach us at http://www.gurukulonweb.com/ouroffices.html to know us more and help you to shape your academic career......

Preparing For GRE - An Approach

2009-09-23T14:57:00.003+05:30

For tests like GRE it is absolutely important not to get nervous and feel uncomfortable at the test day. When you feel familiar to the atmosphere or if you think the gre test like a routine, you tend to perform better. It is a human tendency, when you do a thing again and again; you do it better than the first attempt. So why not prepare for the test day accordingly and do it from very start of your study for GRE.

Many students start preparing for Writing Section by writing essays on paper. If you are going to Type them in the actual test, why not actually start with typing them? Do it as you are asked to do in actual exam. Then you will get the idea about what is your typing speed, how you can manage, how much you can manage, etc. First time you may not finish your issue in 45 min.s but then you will understand it at the very start of the preparation not when your exam is a week away or so…

It is not always easy to prepare all on computers as we are, until now, have got used to paper based study; it’s ok, but remember you have to give test on computer.

Then the most important thing, The D-Day, the test day! As you must have known or you will get acquainted from others about the test center and the way in which test is carried out. You have to finish the test with only one break of 10 minutes and that too between writing section and Verbal-Quant section. So prepare accordingly. Make sure you practice enough Full-length tests. While doing them, do as if you are giving it on test center. Don’t allow yourself to get distracted by anything, don’t pause the test, don’t escape any section and complete the test in one go. That too if you can do in isolated room without facing anything but only the computer screen, it will work out better. This all allows you to feel accustomed to the test center environment. When you will sit in front of the screen on test day, you will not feel any different and any nervous, strange feelings will not get better of you.

Many times any examination doesn’t turn out the true reflection of talent of the person but it reflects to how much extent the person has performed to his strength at the given time and at the given situation. To perform to the highest limit of yourself, be yourself, be confident and to do just that you must defy every nerve that tries to overcome you. So try this approach of preparing for the test day, you will be able to go near your 100% at the day.

MUMBAI SEMINARS on 20 SEPTEMBER 09 on "SCHOLARSHIPS IN USA "!!! Register now...

2009-09-16T10:09:00.004+05:30

Foreign Academic Consultancy & Training ( FACT ) is organising Seminars in Mumbai on 20th September 2009 at Thane,Vashi,Dombivli,Andheri,Borivali and Dadar.

The seminars are for participants interested in pursuing education abroad in USA. The seminars will give info about scholarships in USA as well as opportunities for Post HSC,Post Graduation and Medical field.

FACT has placed more than 5000 students abroad in the past 8 years with most of them availing scholarships.

Seminar Schedule for 20th September 09:

Borivali : 11 am
Andheri : 2 pm
Dadar : 6 pm
Vashi : 11 am
Thane : 2 pm
Dombivli : 6 pm

Interested ones wanting to attend the seminars can register themselves on http://gurukulonweb.com/register_mumbai_seminar.html at the earliest..

Do spread the message !!!

Relieve word scare in GRE......

2009-08-01T13:57:00.005+05:30

The GRE, or graduate record examination, tests your verbal, mathematical and critical abilities as part of the graduate school admissions process. This exam is required as a prerequisite before applying to a graduate school.Before getting your test taking nightmares , here is some information which will transform your nightmares to a sparkling dream with a great future in the US of A.

1. Firstly all it takes is 3 months to prepare for the GRE .However it should be kept in mind that those 3 months should be entirely dedicated to words and numbers , for almost 8 hours a day on an average.
This is not to scare you off but just to let you know that the fruits of this hard work are definitely sweet and its indeed a pleasure to bask in the glory of a 1400+ score .For those who have a background of a sound knowledge of math or who have a habit of regularly poring over the news paper pages or flipping through the novels , for them, 1 and a half to 2 months should be enough to get the hang of the exam and give their best shot.

2. Concentrating on the verbal ability , the major mistake most of the students do is that THEY SIMPLY READ THE WORDS . What they fail to realize is that application of the knowledge of those words in solving analogies , reading comprehensions ,antonyms and sentence completions , simultaneously as they are done with half of the wordlists , is of utmost importance .

3. To break the monotony of “mugging “ up the words , the best way is to relax , sit back, switch on the computer and enjoy a game of Verbal Warfare or Super Voca or even GRE Hangman!!And the best order to solve the questions is Barrons,Princeton , Nova ,Kaplan ,ETS and The Big book.

Hope this relieves the “word scare” and helps in flying out with 800 colors in verbal ability .

Visa Issues & Documentation

2009-07-28T13:53:00.006+05:30

This is the last and the most delicate of the steps while planning to study in the United States. Most students are scared and tensed by the time they reach this stage. But they need to understand that by being tense, they are increasing the chances of failure rather than reducing it. Instead, if they collect all the relevant information, make thorough preparation, and feel confident, there is nothing that can stop them from achieving their objective.

1. What Visa Officers look for while issuing visa

Evidence of Residence Abroad:

The consular officer may not issue a student visa unless satisfied that the applicant:
(1) has a residence abroad (India),
(2) has no intention of abandoning that residence, and
(3) intends to depart from the United States upon completion of the course of study.
Applicants generally establish their ties abroad by presenting evidence of economic, social, and/or family ties in their homeland sufficient to induce them to leave the United States upon the completion of studies.

2.VISA Interview

Try and gather information on the current trend, what the visa officer is expecting, why visa is being rejected, etc. Look for decisions and experiences particularly in the consulate where you will be appearing for the interview. Knowing what to expect helps!

When you go for the visa dress well. Speak slowly and clearly. Don't appear tense and don't look desperate. Showing self-confidence helps. They should never feel that you will have any sort of difficulty language, finance, racial, religious, etc. FACT (Dadar,Borivali,Nashik,Pune,Vashi,Thane,) helps you to develop the appropriate skills required for the visa interview.

3. Risk of VISA rejection

Yes. It is true that if your visa is rejected, all your efforts and money put into the process of studying in the United States go waste. But you can always apply for a second time and get your visa approved. As per the new rule, you can apply as many numbers of times as you want. (the application fee is to be paid every time). But the best way is to go well prepared right in the first time.

VISA Consultancy at FACT

FACT provides comprehensive visa documentation and interview training to its students. We are an international education consulting company. We have 10 years of experience handling all types student visas. We are specialists who handle only student visas and related matters. Our expertise lies in the fact that over the years we have handled all types of students with a very high success rate. Although ethically and by law, we cannot guarantee the outcome of any case, our rate of success is extremely high. The visa approval rate for past few semesters has been 100% and our approval rates have never gone below 97% in any year.

SIX RULES FOR FASTER COMPREHENSION

2009-07-28T12:48:00.002+05:30

1.READ MORE:

You must make time for reading,atleast two full hours thrice a week.This makes reading a natural habit & more rewarding.

2.LEARN TO READ FOR MAIN IDEA:

Stop wasting time& effort for details ,push through effeciently for a quick recognition of the main idea.Be more interested in the writer`s basic thinking than in his minor points.

3.CHALLENGE YOUR COMPREHENSION:

Try to read difficult & challenging material. you will never become a better reader by limiting yourself to easy reading.

4.BUDGET YOUR TIME:

Keep youself deadlines in reading .Say to yourself: "i have this book & i want to finish it by tomorrow night"
This way you will mobilize yourself for reading as an intellectual pursuit

5.PACE YOURSELF:

Set yourself a time limit,say 15mts & count the no of pages you have finished in that time, multiply by 4& you have your potential speed for that book per hour.
Keep to the rate you have set yourself.This way you will learn to devise personal tricks to speed up.

6.DEVELOP HABITS OF IMMEDIATE CONCENTRATION:

Nothing makes concentration so easy ,so immediate as the technique of sweeping through the material purposefully looking for main ideas & broad concepts.
This stimulates your mind, you get involved in the writer`s thoughts & as an added dividend you soon find increased concentration.

All about Graduate Record Examination (GRE)

2009-07-28T12:39:00.004+05:30

The GRE or Graduate Record Exam is required for admission to most U.S., Canadian, and UK graduate schools. Students are required to take GRE for pursuing Master degree in these universities. The GRE general test does not test specific knowledge in any subject. It measures the ability to respond to questions in limited time. The Graduate Record Examination (GRE) is a multiple-choice exam designed to measure verbal, analytical, and quantitative skills. The GRE General Test, required by most graduate schools, many vet schools, and various other allied health professional schools. The GRE Test Score is Valid for 5 years. It is considered to be a good predictor of your success in a graduate program.

Your preparation for the GRE General Test must not be a last minute cramming; etc. it must be a well planned & structured test.

Understanding the GRE (Graduate Record Exam) :

The GRE has following Sections :

1. Two Verbal Sections (38 questions and 30 min each)
2. Two Quantitative Sections (30 questions and 30 min each)
3.Two Analytical Sections (25 questions and 30 min each)
4. One Experimental Section (30 min)

The Experimental section is not scored, nor is it identified in the exam. It may be of a verbal, quantitative, or analytical nature.

There are some important facts to remember when taking the GRE General Test.
First, each question is worth the same number of points, no matter how hard or easy it is. Second, in each section except the reading comprehension questions (in the Verbal Section), the questions tend to go from easy to difficult. Therefore, it is rash to spend too much time on early questions when you know that later ones will probably take even longer. You have somewhere around one minute or less to answer each question (on the average), so budget your time effectively. Finally, when in doubt, guess. Do not leave a question unanswered. There are no penalties on the General Test for wrong answers.

1. Verbal Section (38 questions in 30 min each)

The GRE is perhaps the most important standardized tests you'll ever take. As difficult as it might be, there are some tried and true ways to perform very well and prepare yourself for the verbal portion of the exam. In doing so, you'll greatly increase your odds of getting accepted into your dream program.

Tip 1

“Go back to your basics”. Get your basic Roots, Stems, Prefixes, and Suffixes of English in place. Familiarize yourself with the prefixes of the language as these will be obvious clues as to the meanings of words and allow you to instantly eliminate some of the choices given to you. For example, "ex-" in Latin means "out of" and is commonly used in English words such as exodus, exit, extinct and so on. Knowing the prefix can tip you off to the words approximate meaning.

Tip 2

Memorize suffixes and roots of the language as it will help in analogies. This will save you so much time and energy and will pay huge dividends when you take the test. Knowing the meaning of a given suffix is like a shortcut to knowing the meaning of any given word. So, for example, "able" roughly means "can do." And from this suffix we get "capable." "-less" means "without" and therefore someone who is "penniless" is without money.

Tip 3

Practice taking the test. You'd be surprised at how much you can improve your score simply by becoming familiar with the restraints and procedures of the test itself. Get yourself used to the test environment. Shut yourself up in a room. Don't take any breaks because you won't be allowed to during the actual test. Repeat the exam as many times as you possibly can. Take the same copy of the test more than once if necessary.

2.Quantitative Section

The quantitative section is one of three sections on the Graduate Records Examination (GRE). This section of the GRE tests the basic mathematical concepts that you were most likely exposed to in high school. For your best score possible on the GRE quantitative section it is important to review and prepare.

Tip 1

Become familiar with the types of questions in this portion of the test. The GRE quantitative section consists of 28 questions divided between quantitative comparisons, discrete quantitative (multiple-choice) questions and data interpretation questions. Study these different question types.

Tip 2

Study a list of facts and formulas regularly used in the GRE quantitative section. These lists can be found in study guides and online. Memorizing these facts and formulas will help you save time during the test.

Tip 3

Use the diagrams provided or draw your own to help clarify a question. Diagrams provided in the GRE quantitative section are drawn to scale and can be trusted.

Tip 4

Look for mathematical shortcuts. Math problems can be solved many different ways. Try to choose the fastest and easiest method to solve problems found in the GRE quantitative section.

Tip 5

Keep track of units given in GRE quantitative questions. Some questions may ask for an answer to be given in different units than were used in the problem.

Tip 6

Take practice tests and answer sample questions to become familiar with different question types found in the GRE quantitative section.

3. The Analytical Writing Section - 75 Minutes

•Issue Writing 45 Minutes

•Argument Writing 30 Minutes

The analytical writing section assesses your ability to articulate your ideas in an essay written in Standard English. It is designed to assess the candidate's ability to express his/her ideas clearly in a written essay. Candidates are judged on whether they can support their ideas with valid examples, how clearly and succinctly they can express their thoughts, and how well they are able to use elements of the English language.

How do I register for GRE?

There are 3 ways to register for graduate record examination GRE.

•Online GRE registration visit www.ets.org

•Phone/FAX GRE Registration

•Mail GRE registration.

The new Scholastic Aptitude Test

2009-07-28T12:38:00.003+05:30

The new SAT is used along with your high school and other information to assess your competence for college work.The test lasts 3 hours and 45 minutes and consists mostly of multiple choice type questions,with some grid-in questions and an essay.The critical reading sections test your ability to read critically ,to comprehend what you read.The math sections list your ability to solve problems using mathematical reasoning. The writing sections test your ability to write a clear precise essay and to find grammar and usage errors and improve them,

STEPS FOR A MIND BLOWING PERFORMANCE

1. Set a goal

2. Be focussed

3. Know the directions

4. Dont get stuck on any one question

5. Be careful.Watch out for careless mistakes

6. Guess only if you can eliminate one or more answers

7. Practice using the plus-minus system,the elimination strategy,avoiding misreads method,etc...

Medical Career in USA…the Steps to Success..

2009-07-28T12:36:00.001+05:30

1. The Exams

The USMLEs (United States Medical Licensing Examinations) are a set of medical exams designed to evaluate your readiness to safely enter the American medical system. The organisation that watches over the application of foreign nationals to the American Medical system is the ECFMG (Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates) and they administer the USMLEs outside of the USA. USMLE are multiple choice exams that are now only held on computer. There are three steps to completing the USMLE exams. Your nearest testing center can be found on www.prometric.com

The first part, USMLE step 1, is a multiple choice exam consisting of about 300 questions taken over eight hours in one day at the test center. The step 1 covers all of the basic sciences - Anatomy, Biochemistry, Physiology, statistics, Behavioural science, microbiology, pharmacology, pathology and ethics. 66% of international medical graduates pass this exam with each sitting, while 91% of US medical students do.

The second part was recently divided into two parts, USMLE step 2ck (clinical knowledge) and USMLE step 2cs (clinical skills). USMLE step 2ck consists of a similar one day computer based examination, and covers all of the clinical sciences including medicine, surgery, pediatrics, obstetrics and gynecology, psychiatry, forensics, emergency care, ENT, ophthalmology, tropical health, ethics. 75% of international medical graduates/students pass this on first sitting, while 95% of US medical students do.

The USMLE Step 2cs examination is a newer requirement for ECFMG certification. The USMLE step 2cs is an expensive ($1200) examination is held in only a few American cities throughout the year. It brings examinees face-to-face with ten simulated ('standardized') patients - ie actors pretending to have specific complaints. You are tested on your ability to rapidly assess a patient, communicate your thoughts to them, and to write a note about your assessment and plans.

2. The ECFMG Certificate

The ECFMG (Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates) certificate is a document proving that you have fulfilled the education requirements needed to practice medicine in the USA. The Necessary components are to have
1. - your medical degree and transcript verified by ECFMG (can take a long time)
2. - passed USMLE 1 and 2ck
3. - passed the clinical skills assessment (or step 2cs)
4. - passed a TOEFL english examination (or step 2cs)
5. - paid ECFMG in full
All of these components must be valid at the time when you apply for final certification. This certificate testifies to the fact that you have fulfilled the requirements for entry into clinical training in the USA.

3. ERAS

The electronic residency application system (ERAS) is a method of centralised, computerised application for residency. After you have paid the required application fee and requested a 'Token' via the On-line Applicant Status and Information System (OASIS), ECFMG will send a unique identification number ('a Token') by e-mail. This Token will permit the applicant to access the AAMC's ERAS website to complete his/her ERAS application on-line. Simultaneously, you'll have to mail photocopies of your supporting documents to ECFMG. On this online site you have to
a. enter your personal details in a standarised curriculum vitae
b. enter a personal statement (click here for advice about creating your personal statement) and...
c. designate the residency programs you wish to have your application sent to.

The supporting documents that you have send in the mail include
1. your photograph
2. your examination transcript and
3. your letters of reference
4. your dean's letter /medical student performance evaluation

Foreign medical graduates send these paper items to the ECFMG who act as your "dean's office". They scan your paper documents and photo, match it to your online application items and e-mail the lot to the residency programs you selected. You should complete all of the ERAS application procedures as soon as possible, but by December 1st in your year of application at the latest.

4. Interviews

The most difficult part in your application will be securing an interview.
There are no guaranteed methods to getting an interview at any of the top hospitals. However you can increase your chances by

- doing an elective
- getting good USMLE scores
- doing well in your own medical school
- having a research publication
- having very strong letters of reference from your dean and referees

5. The Match
What happens in the Match is .....
(1) You apply to the programmes in the hospitals that interest you
(2) those programmes that are interested in you will invite you for an interview
(3) after the interview, the hospital ranks you among all those they've interviewed
(4) After all your interviews, you rank the programmes that you want and
(5) on a certain date in March, all of these preferences are chewed on by a computer and the hospitals are matched with the applicants.

You will optimise your chances of matching by...
(1) Being organised and ready
(2) having good grades, USMLE scores and references
(3) performing well at interview
(4) having done an elective at the hospital you're applying to
(5) knowing about your visa plans

You can obtain a position before the match too. This happens when programs are sufficiently impressed with you (or sufficiently desperate for applicants) that in the days or weeks after the interview, they offer you a position directly, providing you agree to withdraw from the match right there and then, and sign the paperwork. This works well for less competitive candidates who are very unsure about their potential to match through the ranking process, and are happy with the offer.

Tips for The TOEFL

2009-07-28T12:32:00.002+05:30

Test of English as a Foreign Language commonly known as TOEFL ,a two and half hour test is used to assess your ability to use and understand type of english used in an academic environment. The TOEFL exam presents questions & tasks that integrate 4 essential skills-reading,listening,speaking and writing.

Fortunately TOEFL is not as daunting as it may seem.

This internet based test can be successfully attempted with the following points :

1. Careful and strategic learning

2. Religious practice on different cds (available at FACT)

3. Working with focus on the weaker areas (like speaking & writing)

4. Exercising patience & perseverance specially during reading & listening where experimental questions are likely to come.

GRE ! A love affair with words....

2009-07-23T17:26:00.001+05:30

Falling in love with words is all GRE is ! Eat,drink,sleep and walk words! Words,words and words because analogies are full of logic only.Words can make that magic.Antonyms are synonymous to antegonists sans word power.Sentence completions give you a excuse of completion but with words! R.C's are a nightmare if not buttressed with words..So dear friends make your vocab sound ! Let every wall of your house be a witness,every nook and corner be not spared ,let the words adorn yout wardrobe,your bathroom too !!

Become a maniac with words and come out with flying colours in GRE .

Why study in the U.S.?

2009-07-23T17:23:00.000+05:30

Advantages of usa education...

Quality:

U.S. colleges are known worldwide for the quality of their facilities, resources, and faculty. Accreditation systems ensure that institutions continue to maintain these standards.

Choice:

The U.S. education system features many types of institutions, academic and social environments, entry requirements, degree programs, and subjects in which you can specialize.

Value:

A U.S. degree offers excellent value for the money. A wide range of tuition fees and living costs, plus some financial help from colleges, make study in the United States affordable for hundreds of thousands of international students each year.

Flexibility:

U.S. universities and colleges offer flexibility in choice of courses, but more importantly there is also the option for students to move from institution to another. Completing the first two years of a degree at one institution, usually a community college, and then moving to another, is very common.

Preparing for foreign education tests !!!

2009-07-23T17:19:00.001+05:30

Friends, if you are planning to take GRE,GMAT or SAT , the first and the most important thing you should do is to brush up your grammar.

Grammar is the back-bone of any language. So if you want to score high in ' Verbal Section' also, invest some time in getting your grammar right. I know you will say that you have studied enough of it in your school days. But what you have studied in your school days, you might have forgotten. And if you have not forgotten it, you might have started to use it wrongly. In our day-to-day life, we come across so many wrong uses of grammar that we start believing that the same is correct.

It is not that only illiterate or semi-literate people make very common grammatical mistakes. It is also not true to say that faulty English is printed by ' cheap press' only. If you think so, take any leading English newspaper and read its second or third page, then you will realise what I want to say. Sentences like " He is living in Mumbai since five years.............", " The incident occured when she was returning back home..........", etc. are very common. And we think that it is such a ' prestigious' newspaper, how can it make such a blunder? The fact is that ' prestigious ' newspapers and magazines also are full of such glaring mistakes.

Therefore, as a student, it is your duty to go through some good grammar book such as Wren and Martin's before you think of any examination which requires proficiency in English language. Otherwise, you will make ' BIG ' blunders.

Tips for Quant preparation for GRE

2009-07-23T17:07:00.001+05:30

Tips for Quant preparation for GRE :

1. Brush up your school level math like algebra, fractions, percentages, geometry and data analysis. Of course the questions would not be that easy, but you need to get your basics right.

2. If you’ve just begun your preparation, your first step should be to solve all the math exercises in the Barron’s. In this book, each math concept is given separately followed by a set of exercises based on that concept. This arrangement is very useful because it helps to test how well you can apply the concept you’ve just learnt and pinpoint your weak areas. If you’re a non-math test-taker, the Barron’s guide is the most important part of your preparation because it covers all the basic definitions related to number theory (prime numbers, whole numbers, etc.) But remember that all the necessary concepts are not covered here

3. Look for mathematical shortcuts. Math problems can be solved many different ways. Try to choose the fastest and easiest method to solve problems found in the GRE quantitative section. Sometimes rather than doing the sum, you should be able to just look at the answer choices and have an idea of what the answer possibly could be, and then confirm it. Use the process of elimination. Often, you don't need to do any work when you can easily eliminate the wrong answers.

4.Keep track of units given in GRE quantitative questions. Some questions may ask for an answer to be given in different units than were used in the problem.

5.And last but not the least thing you need is a lot of practice, nothing more, nothing less.