How important are extra-curricular activities in your application?

By // No comments:
Do you think having just a good GPA or a good test score enough to get into a top ranking university? The answer is no! Extra-curricular activities might just be as important for your application to be accepted.  In this post, we try to answer why.


Almost all applicants at top ranking colleges have excellent academic record!

At highly selective schools, almost all applicants have a reasonably good GPA as well as good test score. The university obviously can’t admit all of those applicants who are equally good academically. It is here that extra-curricular activities can help draw a distinguishing bar. Selective colleges are attracted to students who are curious, active and eager relative to their peers.

Universities want to build diversity in their classrooms

Many a times, universities look for other details beyond a strong academic record so that they can create diversity in class. Thus, you would at times see some applicants who might not be academically extremely stellar being selected to top ranking universities – it is the right mix of their extra- curricular activities and beyond classroom engagements in a relevant area that gets the ball rolling for such applicants. Therefore, if you have got the right mix of extra curricular activities to showcase, that might just cover up your not so stellar grades.

Extra-curricular activities speak a lot of things about you!

Admissions committee get to know a lot about your personality with the kind of extra curricular activities you have on your profile. For example, if you have initiated a club in your college, it conveys the admissions committee of your confidence, leadership, initiative, team work and networking skills. Universities specifically value activities wherein you have showed leadership and created an impact. After all, they want that their campuses give birth to future leaders in business, academia or research.

Finally - It’s not about quantity, but about quality!

This is a word of caution. While extra- curricular activities are important, they are not the by all and end all for your admission. Scores do matter, and of this, there is no doubt. Extra-curricular activities act like the icing on the cake of your application and make your application look appealing to the admissions committee. So, rather than flooding your profile with a deluge of different extra-curricular activities, it is better to narrow down your domain to 2-3 areas (say, community service, or, literary club, or soccer club , or research club, or anything that you are passionate about) and have your extra curricular activities revolve around those areas. This will help you convey a ‘narrative’ about yourself to the college admissions committee.

Thus, to conclude, while your GPA and test scores, do matter, extra curricular activities are the cherry on the top of the cake, and they complement your academic profile. The catch is maintaining the right, relevant mix of extra curricular activities on your application which can convey a robust, dynamic impression of your personality to the admissions committee.

6 ways to equip yourself with GRE/GMAT/SAT much before you begin your test prep formally

By // No comments:
They say “A little progress everyday adds up to big results”. Most people start preparing for the GRE, GMAT or SAT just months before they have to actually take the exam. Most candidates give themselves a 3 month/6 month/12 month prep time to formally prepare for these exams. But it is a wise decision to equip yourself with the skills tested on these exams years before you face the actual test situation, just by making the certain skills a part of your everyday life, so that you can master the skills in small doses.

Wondering how? Skill Maestro lists some tips to equip yourself adequately with the skills tested on these exams much, much before you actually start preparing formally. 


Habituate yourself to non-fiction reading daily

All the standardized tests throw at you dry non fiction, academic styled passages, often not from your area of study. It is often a struggle to tackle reading comprehension, since many of us are not habituated to read those serious and dry academic passages, and hence mastering such reading comprehension passages requires a lot of practice. Hence, the best way to equip yourself for cracking reading comprehension is to already have a sound and thorough practice of reading such material. 

You should habituate yourself with reading heavy, analytical columns from magazines and newspapers to get your reading and assimilation speed fast. Get yourself daily to read a piece of reading from newspapers like the New York Times or magazines like the Scientific American. If you get accustomed to reading such pieces, you’ll take lesser time in dealing with the RC section when you actually plan to prepare for the test, thus giving you a competitive edge over others.

Maintain a vocabulary diary

Vocabulary is important to master for any competitive exam, and as such students preparing for these exams have to learn some 2000 odd words in any case to crack these exams. Those with an already good flair of vocabulary definitely get an edge over others. Hence, it is advisable to build your vocabulary way before you intend to start preparing for the tests. It will help you save your time which you would have otherwise devoted to learning words you didn’t know. 

To be adept at vocabulary, you can maintain a diary and start writing words you come across with their meanings and usage. This also has a bearing with point number 1 – when you get yourself to read the academic styled pieces, you are sure to come across with new words, note those words in a diary along with meaning and usage.

Start using applications for word games or speed reading

With a deluge of smart phone apps, you should definitely get your hands on apps that help you in your language skills. There are plenty of apps available for word games, vocabulary building and speed reading. This will help you ‘learn by fun’! You will never come to know that you have actually acquired essential skills for your test through this!

Practice writing analytical pieces – like say movie/book reviews and critique!

Almost all standardized tests have an analytical writing component. Many students struggle with this section, since it is not just about writing flowery language or being a literary genius, but is more about developing strong arguments and expressing critical thought process. You could equip yourself with such skills by developing a blog of your own for commenting and writing reviews about the movies and books you have read! This will not only be fun, but will help you develop analytical style of writing, just what is required in your tests!

Audit your way through practice tests to know what exactly the tests require of you

It is a good idea to sift through full length GRE/GMAT/SAT practice tests to get a hang of what exactly these tests demand of you. Once you get a fair idea, you can tweak  your daily habits in a way such that it revolves along the lines of acquiring the skills required in the test.

Start  estimating calculations and validate them later 

Estimation and ball-parking is an important skill required in competitive tests. Often you do not have the time to perform lengthy calculations, especially in the data interpretation section. The good news is that the test makers also do not expect you to perform those lengthy calculations! The answer choices in the tests, especially in the data interpretation section, are often such that if you can make a reasonable estimation, you are good to go!

Hence, make it a point to start estimating calculations in your daily routine – this will help you save your considerable time in the quant section, especially in the data interpretation part. 

These were some ways you can equip yourself with the skills needed for the standardized tests much before you formally start your test prep. Adopting these ways can help you gain a competitive edge over others, for sure! 


We hope that this post cleared the essential differences between the GRE and the GMAT when making a choice to study abroad. Skill Maestro wishes you all the best for whichever option you think is more suitable for you!

About Skill Maestro
At Skill Maestro, We guide prospective students about the entire application process as well as suitable universities as per their profile/test scores. We have consulted dozens of prospective students for MIS across the globe. We have a physical presence in Indore where we also help students prepare for GRE, GMAT & SAT Follow Us  on Google+!

How to manage GRE/GMAT prep if you are a working professional?

By // No comments:
GRE/GMAT are no easy going tests that can be taken lightly – both of them require thorough and adequate preparation. It is relatively easier to take out time for test prep when you are already a student, because you are already fixated in that momentum. However, with working professionals, things change a bit and it becomes relatively difficult to take out time for adequate test prep. 
This post is for all such working professionals who are wondering how to manage their working hours and schedule to take out adequate time for test prep.

Make judicious use of your commute times

Commute times which people see as a hindrance and waste, can be turned into a favourable opportunity if only you use them wisely. You may use your travel time for brushing up on concepts or revising vocabulary. If you have joined a coaching for test prep, you can revise the portions taught in the classes while you commute. You can make use of flash cards for vocabulary while travelling or can maintain your own diary of vocabulary and revise them while commuting. One of the most effective ways to use your travel times for test prep is by listening to audio lectures and audio vocabulary tapes. 

Constant Practice/Revision at regular intervals

This may sound like a cliché but when you are a working professional, staying focussed becomes a bit difficult and you tend to forget soon the concepts and words you have learnt amidst your professional work. Thus, regular practice and revision becomes all the more important when you are a working professional.  You may take out a fixed amount of time at regular intervals for review and revision. For example, you can set aside an hour in every two days for reviewing and practicing the previous concepts. This will help you break the interia which working professionals often get trapped into when they venture back to studies. In addition to this, you must definitely take a practice test, say, each Sunday. 


Use good test prep applications

There is a wide proliferation of GRE/GMAT prep centric apps which you can use for your prep. For example, there are many apps specifically built for vocabulary enhancement for GRE/GMAT. Many apps help you in explanation of math concepts tested in the GRE/GMAT. It is wise to use these apps, since you can use them even while you are at work. All you need is your smartphone!

Invite other test aspirants for revision sessions

This is another effective way for you to stay focused and motivated in your test prep. If you have any friends also preparing for GRE/GMAT, you can set up your revision sessions with them – this will help you as well as them to spend some more time on preparation. Not only this, it will also help you monitor your progress viz a viz, the other person and is a good motivational booster.

These are a few small tips how can manage your GRE/GMAT preparation while working. At Skill Maestro, we have coached several GRE/GMAT aspirants who were working professionals and helped them dovetail their work schedules with their test prep. Almost all of them have got their admits to top universities even after tight work schedules. If you are also a working professional aspiring for GRE/GMAT, Skill Maestro wishes you all the best and welcomes you to interact with our test mentors.


We hope that this post cleared the essential differences between the GRE and the GMAT when making a choice to study abroad. Skill Maestro wishes you all the best for whichever option you think is more suitable for you!

About Skill Maestro
At Skill Maestro, We guide prospective students about the entire application process as well as suitable universities as per their profile/test scores. We have consulted dozens of prospective students for MIS across the globe. We have a physical presence in Indore where we also help students prepare for GRE, GMAT & SAT Follow Us  on Google+!
©2014. Powered by Blogger.