MCA Exam

The application procedure to be followed when applying to Universities in the US involves a number of steps. Listed below are some of the most important things you need to be aware of when applying for University study.

1. Passport : A valid passport serves as a primary means of identification to gain admission to your test centre. If you don’t have a passport then apply for one as soon as possible, as you cannot appear for the GRE without it.

2. GRE Registration : Register for the GRE at least three months in advance to be assured of obtaining your preferred testing date.

3. TOEFL Registration : International students who haven’t studied in a country where English is the primary language, have to appear for the Test Of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) in addition to the GRE. Find out about the TOEFL by visiting www.toefl.org.

4. Preparation : Preparation for the GRE should begin at least six months before you plan to appear for the exam. Check out what study material is available to help you prepare for the GRE by visiting the Books & Software section.

5. GRE : You are expected to arrive at your test centre at least 30 minutes before the scheduled start of your exam. You are expected to bring the following items with you to the test centre :

• Acceptable Identification (Passport + Driving License/College Id Card)
• Names of 4 Colleges to which you want ETS to send your scores

At the end of your test, you can specify up to 4 colleges to which ETS will send your scores for free. Therefore, before appearing for the exam, prepare a list of your first choice colleges, by anticipating the range of your likely GRE score. ETS charges $13 for every additional college you send your scores to.

6. Choosing Colleges : When preparing a list of colleges to apply to, take into consideration the following factors :

• Your Academic grades
• Your GRE score
• Reputation of College
• College’s minimum requirements
• College fees
• Availability of Financial aid
• Location of college (e.g. East coast or West coast)

Choose about 3 to 4 ‘dream’ colleges, 3 to 4 ‘average’ colleges and another 3 to 4 ’safe’ colleges. Go through the college websites for information regarding each univ - Colleges

7. Pre-Application : Pre-application involves emailing the colleges of your choice, requesting them to send you the application forms by mail. Mention the following in your pre-application letters :

• Your name & address
• Degree sought
• Undergraduate Academic grades
• GRE & TOEFL scores
• Any additional qualifications that you may have

Many colleges often inform you there and then about your chances of gaining admission into their college. By doing this you can often save the cost of the application fee by knowing before hand which colleges are likely to accept you or not.

8. Transcripts : Request your college to provide you with transcripts of marks obtained for all four years of your undergrad study completed. Make sure that all the copies of your transcripts are attested and certified as true copies of the original.

9. Financial Documentation : Along with your application, it is required that you attach a letter from your bank indicating sufficient funds to finance your education in the US. It is recommended that your bank certificate show proof of funds amounting to approximately $30,000. - Sample Bank Certificate

10. Recommendation Letters : Try to get about 3 recommendation letters from professors at your undergraduate university who are familiar with your course work. Learn how to write a good recommendation letter by following the tips given here - Recommendation Letters

Your statement of purpose should include the following points :

• Reason for pursuing higher studies.
• Research and academic interests
• Goal in life
• Personal strengths and weaknesses
• Academic and other achievements
• Related experience / projects undertaken
• Reasons for applying to a particular university

Spend as much time as possible over your statement of purpose because it is the only means that you have to actually ’speak’ to the college authorities, in order to convince them that you really deserve to be admitted to their University. Refer to the Personal Satement section for detailed information.

12. Application : Send your applications to colleges at least six months before you hope to begin your study there. Based on personal experience, I can assure you that the earlier you send your applications, the better your chances are of gaining admission into universities. Also, the earlier you apply, the sooner you get your replies, and so you have more time to decide which college to finally go to. - Sample Application Package

13. Visa : If you are an international student, you have to apply for a student VISA to the US. At the time of applying for a VISA, you have to have to prove to the VISA officer that you have sufficient funds to support your study in the U.S., as well as enough reasons for returning to your home country after completion of your education. Find out more about the visa procedure at Visa Information

14. Final Preparation : Contact students who are currently studying at the University you are going to, for information regarding what to expect once you get there.

Graduate Record Exam is an exam which prospective undergraduates take in order to take admission in a graduation course. When you pass out of a school and seek admission in a college or university you will be expected to have taken the GRE. This exam is a part of the admission criteria of colleges. Your school results are not sufficient for admission in a college. College admission authorities intend to take in the best students so that they produce good results. GRE acts as a source of certifying the caliber of students at the same standard level.

GRE tests the candidates for their proficiency in English, their ability of quantitative reasoning and their analytical writing skills. This it does through three sections of the test; Verbal Section, Quantitative Reasoning Section and Analytical Writing Section. Each of these sections has a fixed format and fixed types of questions. These questions are not of the ordinary type and level which you have done during your schooling. They are tricky and require practice and study. Hence in order to score well you will have to take up GRE study seriously and work hard. After all, it is not just the passing that counts here but a good score as well. It is finally the merit that the colleges will consider for admitting students.

The first step towards GRE study is planning. You have to start well in advance about when and how you are going to start preparing for the exam. Gain as much knowledge about the test as you can through friends, books, teachers, internet, official websites, blogs etc. After you are well aware of what the test requirements are choose the best medium for GRE study according to your capabilities and shortcomings. For each section of GRE you will have to practice. There is no portion of the test which you can attempt without studying specifically for it.

For the verbal section you need to concentrate on the vocabulary and English grammar. For improving your vocabulary it is best to get a list of words. This list you can download from some websites, or consult a book or prepare one yourself. The easiest way is to get a readymade wordlist but it is ideal to prepare one yourself. You can start a year in advance and start writing difficult words which you come across in newspapers, magazines, textbooks etc. compile them and start learning a few everyday. You must also know the usage of each word and for this you can refer to examples or form some on your own. The verbal section also has questions on antonyms and so you must also learn the opposites of the words you list. The knowledge of English grammar is equally important in this section. You will be asked to complete sentences with words given in five options. You have to fill in the blanks with those words which complete the sentence both logically and grammatically. For this you can go back to basics of grammar which you were taught in school. Take up a good book for grammar and revise your concepts. This revision should be done before you start with any written practice so that you can fix the concepts of grammar. English grammar, though complex, is brief. You need knowledge of applied grammar instead of just remembering the rules. Thus it becomes important that whatever you study, you practice as well for it. This section also has reading comprehension questions. You can practice these from any grammar book, or other books especially for the purpose of GRE study. Practice of comprehension will help you learn how to speed up and save time in the real exam.