ADMISSION TESTS: WHAT YOU NEED TO STUDY ABROAD


For prospective international grad school students, admission tests such as GRE, GMAT, TOEFL and IELTS are often the most dreaded stage of the application process. Using advice from students and academics, Top Grad School explores some of the most common admission tests, so that you can prepare for them accordingly.


Graduate Admission Tests: GRE


As many as 700,000 aspirants sit for the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) annually and almost all graduate courses and business schools accept a GRE score for admission. The test examines your analytical writing, verbal reasoning and quantitative reasoning.


In August 2011, the format of the GRE was revised, in order to accommodate questions which expect you to react to ‘real-life scenarios’.


The test is four hours in length and gives no partial credit to examinees. “You have to nail the content just right,” says Lee Weiss, director of graduate programs, Kaplan Test Prep.


Many candidates about to appear for this admission test are high achievers and sometimes tend to take the tests lightly. Weiss says, “An average score of 600 in GRE


requires a minimum 100 hours of preparation.


However, the brilliant candidates often underestimate it. This is not a test to cram for; it requires consistent study—not 8 hours a day but one and a half hours a day for 2-3 months at least.”


Weiss also advises students to get used to the computer-based format of the test. “Practicing on the computer, and regularly, will build endurance and give confidence,” advises Weiss.


Graduate Admission Tests: GMAT


About 200,000-300,000 candidates bound for business school appear for a GMAT every year.


He also feels that candidates have to realize that practice is their only saviour. “Practice, practice, practice and more practice,” he says.


Weiss advises that unless one is sure of doing a management course, one should not take the GMAT, even though the scores are valid for five years.


Weiss says, “Our surveys have revealed that like GRE, the GMAT score is the most important part of the application and it should not be taken lightly”.


Raghav Sharma, 26, due to attend Nanyang Business School, Singapore, feels that the key is not to, “get overawed or fall for the hype around GMAT”.


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