COMPOSURE COUNTS ON ALL COMPETITIVE EXAMS !!!!!

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 !

AWA- Analytical writing assessment

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.

GRE Preparation- General study plan/ tips to crack GRE

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.

Prepare strategically for your GRE !!!

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.

Preparing For GRE - An Approach

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.

Relieve word scare in GRE......

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 .

SIX RULES FOR FASTER COMPREHENSION

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)

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.

GRE ! A love affair with words....

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 .

Preparing for foreign education tests !!!

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

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.