College provides a secure climate to learn not only the subjects of one’s interest but also grow as a person. It is a great opportunity to improve personality and prepare for life in general. Studying abroad gives an opportunity to interact with people of different mindsets, thought processes and habits and working is a totally another level of experience.
It’s mostly a wise decision to grab an opportunity to study in a place other than yours specifically if the college is providing more than any of your colleges in your country can offer. Usually, to apply in abroad colleges general exams testing English skills has to be given. Now, these exams can be GRE, GMAT, SAT, TOFEL, IELTS, PTE, CAE, USMLE, GGFNS, ACT. Colleges in Australia accept a good score in PTE while in Canada IELTS score is more preferred for accepting a student. So one has to have the clarity about which subject they want to study, the colleges providing the course, the country of it accordingly give the test required.
To write these exams Passport is the most important document for writing these exams.
This article gives an idea about 2 such exams GRE & TOFEL conducted by ETS.It covers exam pattern, registration and who can appear for it.
GRE:
This test is usually given to apply for masters and doctoral programs.
This test is usually given to apply for masters and doctoral programs.
The exam is accepted in colleges of USA, UK, Canada, China, Brazil etc.The detailed list of colleges is given here https://www.ets.org/s/gre/pdf/gre_aidi_fellowships.pdf
There are 7 tests in GRE General, Biology, Chemistry, Literature in English, Mathematics, Physics, Psychology. GRE General Test has to be taken by everyone but one of the remaining has to be given according to the college demands.
The computer-based GRE General test can be given throughout the year while the paper backtests can be given 3 times a year as updated in ets site. The test score is valid for 5 years. In a year the test can be given 5 times with a gap of 21 days between each. The test center and time of booking form an important factor in the selection of the date for writing the exam. It is best to register for exam 2 to 3 months before to get a date of your choice.
The cost of the exam is 205$. Charges for canceling or postponing the exam apply accordingly. Postponing or canceling of the exam can be done 4 days before the and in case you miss the exam the amount will not be refunded. An incorrect name while registering would lead to false Id and the score obtained will be declared invalid without a reimbursement.
The duration of the test is approximately 3 hours 35 minutes with a break of 1 to 10 minutes between each section.
The exam can be given either in the morning or afternoon.
There are 3 sections in this test
1)Analytical Writing
In this 2 essays are to be written one giving a perspective of an issue and other on analyzing argument as asked in the questionnaire. It is 60 minutes test. The test is for 5 marks.
2)Verbal Ability
This section tests English grammar. It has 40 questions divided into 2 sets. Each has 20 questions consisting of 6 text completion,5 sentence equivalent, and 9 reading comprehension. Each set is for 30 minutes. It is scored for 130 to 170 marks.
3)Quantitative Ability
This section consists of 40 basic math questions. This too is divided into 2 parts of 20 questions. There are 7 quantitative comparisons, 10 discrete quantitative and 3 data interpretation questions to be attempted in 35 minutes. The test is for 130 to 170 marks.
Each set of Verbal and Quantitative ability questions are alternated.
There is an extra quantitative or verbal section whose score is not counted and it can not be predicted so every question has to be answered seriously.
The result will be displayed once you are done with the test. The final score will be displayed on the website after 2 weeks.You can submit the test score to list of colleges you wish to apply.
TOFEL :
This exam helps in acquiring the visa for students as well migrants.
It tests reading, writing and talking abilities of English.
Some colleges require Tofel score along with GRE exam while some simply accept Tofel score. So it all Depends on college chosen. The scores of this exam are accepted by colleges is many countries. End of the day its all dependent on the college you select to give the exam or not.
The exam can be given throughout the year just like GRE.
Fees for the exam is 180$.Cost of canceling, reviewing etc are applied separately.
The exam is conducted 50 times a year in institutions authorized to conduct this exam. It can be taken how many ever times one wishes but with a gap of 12 days.
The test has reading, writing, listening, talking sections.
Reading consists of answering 36 to 56 questions on given 3 to 4 passages in 60 to 80 minutes.Listening consists of hearing conversations and lectures and answering questions based on them for 60 to 90 minutes. Speaking expects the exam taker to speak clearly on questions based on listening section. It is for 20 minutes.Writing section has 2 essays to be written in 50 minutes. It has 10 minutes break in between.
The result is obtained within 10 days on the website.
The test is completely on computer and paper ordered test is conducted in institutes where computer exam is not conducted.
The validity of the result is for 2 years.
The exam is for 120 marks.
These exams not only help in placing yourself in a great college but also scale your aptitude. Scoring in these tests is just a step towards your goal of being in a great college as after this applying to college with an excellent essay stating why you deserve to be selected, loans, scholarships place to stay etc form remaining part. But yes the whole journey starts with writing the exam and usually prepping for it is not that of a challenging task. Regular studies for a month usually helps in gaining a decent score. You just need to aim the score that your dream college is setting and achieve it.