Graduate School Admission Requirements

 

The minimum credentials required for applying for admission to a Graduate School are

• 10+2+4 years Education  (some programs require 10+2+3+2)
• Passport
• Standardized Tests

Graduate Record Examination (GRE)

Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT)

Law School Admission Test (LSAT)

Medical College Admission Test (MCAT)

Most graduate programs require the GRE for admission; however, law, medical, and business schools usually require different exams (the LSAT, MCAT, and GMAT, respectively).

• TOEFL

 

GRE/TOEFL

 

• GRE and TOEFL are the two most common prerequisite exams to apply to a masters program in the universities of the US.
• They can be taken in any order but preferably GRE should be taken first followed by TOEFL after a gap of 20 days or more.
• The exams may be taken on any working day (Friday, Saturday and Sunday are holidays) throughout the year.
• Though different universities ask for different minimum scores in the standardized tests, it is advisable to score at least 79/120 in TOEFL.
• The earlier you submit your application to the university the better your chances are with the university and the earlier you get an admission. Getting done with these tests at least a year before you intend to attend grad school (i.e. in the third year of your undergraduate program) will enable you to apply sufficiently ahead of the deadlines.
• Applying well ahead of the deadlines will also put you in the race for financial assistance and it is therefore strongly recommended.
• However, the importance of these tests cannot be overemphasized and thorough preparation is imperative. You can never be sure when you are completely prepared but be rest assured that very few can achieve their full potential by not preparing at all.  Make sure that you spend at least 50-60 days preparing for the GRE and 20 days preparing for the TOEFL.

 

How to register for GRE/TOEFL?

 

• Costs: The GRE fee is $190. The TOEFL iBT test fee is US$165
• The online registration is the fastest and most convenient way to book a slot for the GRE. All you need is a Credit Card, and the credit card needn’t be your own.
• Once you begin the registration process, please do not use your browser’s Back button to return to a previous page. Be careful to not double-click a field entry.
• Click on Schedule an Exam. This would lead you to an instructions page, click Next at the end of this page. The next page requires you to click on I agree to proceed, after which you click Next. This throws up a page listing out all the available test sites in India. If in a city there are two test sites you may schedule your test in any of the two. Click on the schedule appointment link beside your preferred test centre and you will then be directed to a page where you would have to select an available month and click the ‘Go’ button. When the calendar(s) appear, select an available date and then time. You will then have to fill up a form asking for your name, address, etc. The next page will ask for your credit card details. A confirmation page pops up once you fill up the credit card details. Please save that page. ETS will also send you a mail confirming your appointment.
• A test date for TOEFL can be booked online. Currently, TOEFL is available in two formats in most cities- the TOEFL Internet Based Testing (New) and the TOEFL Computer Based Testing.
• The TOEFL iBT registration here requires you to create an id to TOEFL Access. Log in with your id and password and you see a page that says My Home Page. Under Test Registration and Orders (in the left) click Register/Order. This leads to the Select Product Type page, select TOEFL Test and continue. Click on I agree in the next page, then choose India in the test location field and wait for the page to update. Select a city; wait for the page to update. Select an available test date and wait for the page to update. You will see a list of available test centers; choose the one you want by clicking on the link beside the address. The next page throws up a Reservation Summary, click continue here after checkin the details. Now in the next page you will be allowed to select four schools to which you can send in your scores for free. The page is self explanatory and you do have the option of skipping it. However, use this facility now to save 60$. The next page lets you choose how you’d want to receive your scores, choose one of the available options and click continue. You can skip the next page; it only asks you some research questions. Finally, you see the Order Summary, click Check Out, you will be led to a page in which you can select your payment mode, choose Credit Card and continue, then provide your credit card info and click Submit Payment. This will confirm your order.

 

 

Other Standardized Tests

 

Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT)

The GMAT is a standardized test used by 1,500 graduate management programs around the world to assess the qualifications of applicants. The GMAT exam consists of three main parts, the Analytical Writing Assessment, the Quantitative section, and the Verbal section.  The exam begins with the Analytical Writing Assessment of two separate writing tasks, and you are given 30 minutes to complete each essay. The quant section contains 37 multiple-choice questions which you have to complete within 75 minutes. The verbal section consists of 41 multiple choice questions in Reading Comprehension, Critical Reasoning, and Sentence Correction. The Verbal section is also timed for 75 minutes. GMAT scores range from 200 to 800. The fee to take the GMAT is $250. For more information on GMAT, click here.

 

Law School Admission Test (LSAT)

The American Bar Association requires a half-day standardized test for admission to any of the law schools that are members of the Law School Admission Council (LSAC or Law Services). The test is administered only four times a year. Most law schools require that the LSAT be taken by December, nine months before law school begins. However, The Law School Admissions Council recommends taking the test earlier, 15 months to a year before law school begins. The registration fee for the LSAT is $118. More information on the LSAT is available here.

 

Medical College Admission Test (MCAT)

The MCAT tests skills in Verbal Reasoning, Physical Sciences, Writing Sample, and Biological Sciences. Almost all U.S. medical schools require an MCAT before admission. More information on the MCAT is available here.

 

Preparation

 

GRE

GRE Overview

Exam	Sections	Time	Types Questions	Max Score	Totol Score
GRE	Quqntitavite	60min	4	170	340 + 6 Points
	Verbal	60min	3	170
	Analytical Writing	70min	2	6 Points

 

Preparation

Verbal    

• A good beginning would be working on the high frequency words.
• Finish the 50 word lists in Barons or any good book you are comfortable with (typically contains 3000+ words)
• Practice reading comprehension. Most RC passages are demanding and often have nothing to do with what you have studied in the last three or four years. Patience is a prerequisite while doing RCs as is alertness.   Get sentence completion practice from Barons.
• Take as many practice exams as possible (Cambridge, Kaplan and PowerPrep CDs). Take tests against the clock, sit through the entire test, do not skip or ignore sections and study the results. Make yourself familiar with the kind of questions you can expect, the time constraints of the exams and the pressures while doing a test.
• Over time you will learn basic yet key strategies for getting many answers right.
• Preparing from books is not entirely effective, using the CDs for computer based tests like GRE and TOEFL makes abundant sense.

 

Quantitative

• This section is rather easy and needs only  a review of fundamental math concepts
• This is the scoring part of the exam.
• Finish all of Barons (twice, if possible)
• If you prepare and perform intelligently you can score 170/170. But, do not be over confident.
• As in the verbal section, practice is important.

 

 

TOEFL iBT      

Exam Overview

 

Exam	Sections	Max Points	Typical Time	No. of Questions
TOEFL	Listening	30	60-90 mins	34-51
	Reading	30	60-100 mins	36-70
	Speaking	30	20 minutes	6 tasks
	Writing	30	50 minutes	2 tasks

 

 

 

 

Preparation

 

• Do all the questions from Cliffs or Barons or some good book which you are comfortable with. Know the basic syntax rules. Use the Power prep CDs as much as you can.
• Practice the Listening Section from CDs. Familiarizing yourself with some common idioms and phrases used in American English will help.
• Have patience and concentration at the time of exam.

 

 How do I select Universities?

                

Based on your Profile i.e., GRE/TOEFL scores, percentage in your Bachelors course, Backlogs, Technical/Term paper presentations, Work experience, other significant achievements, etc., you can choose universities considering the following factors

 

• Majors/ Program Offered
• School rankings
• Profile Match : Admit chance in the University
• Tuition fee
• Funds for research in your area of interest
• Research/Teaching Assistantship positions
• Cost of living
• Campus jobs

 

What are the application materials to be sent to the Universities?

 

The following are the list of things that you need to send to the universities you will be applying to.

1. Completed application forms

• Graduate School Application
• In some cases, a separate application for your department
• In some cases, Research/ Teaching Assistantship form

2. Application Fee Demand Draft (US $XX) (If you are applying online, however, you’d be paying by credit card)
3. TWO sealed transcripts

• BE / B.Tech (Bachelors, individual Mark sheets in Sealed Envelopes singed by a registrar or the controller of examinations)
• Class XII or Intermediate
• Class X

4. Three Sealed Letters of Recommendation (on college letterheads, to be taken from 3 professors in your college or from employers/project leaders). In some cases, a separate recommendation for assistantships/fellowships
5. Resume (formatted very neat and professional)
6. Experience Certificate Xerox (if applicable)
7. Project Certificate Xerox
8. Statement of Purpose (we can guide you with this; feel free to mail us)
9. Affidavit of Support, Original (on Rs. 10 bond paper, your parent or guardian should sign it, saying he/she would sponsor your education)
10. Bank Statement, Original (on bank letterhead, giving by bank manager to show $20k+ balance in dads account)
11. Passport Xerox (the page which contains your photo)

Do not forget to send your GRE and TOEFL score reports to the universities you haven’t listed among the four free names that you can give at the end of your tests. You will have to order additional score reports from ETS for such universities. Few Universities ask for Photographs as well.

Some universities may not require all of the above materials or may request additional material. Check the college website for the required documents to be sent along with the application.

 

How do I post my application packets?

 

Depending on the time you have, you can choose any of the following services

• EMS Government Speed Post service, delivers in 10 working days: Average Charge 600/-
• Courier service like DHL, delivers in 4- 5 days with acknowledgement: Average 1200/- (Preferred, Because of tracking option)

 

When do I get my i20?

 

It depends on the university. You may request details of admission status after 3-5 weeks.

 

What do I do after getting an i20?

 

• Get all the documents required for your visa interview like income papers, savings & property papers
• Then book a VISA slot at www.vfs-usa.co.in
• You’d have to pay a fee of Rs.7450 at a designated HDFC bank to obtain a bar code. The procedure is given in the in the above website.
• Pay Sevis fee of $200 to university at www.fmjfee.com
• You would have to go to the consulate in Chennai for the interview.
• The interview would be easy as long as you are confident and speak in good, fluent English with a positive assertive attitude.
• Be prepared with the frequently asked questions like Why US, What after MS, etc.
• Make arrangements for travel to your university.