4 Common mistakes that people make while preparing for GMAT

“To err is human”

Certainly. But definitely not something that should hold you back. Mistakes should always be something that you should learn from. In GMAT, there's a pattern of mistakes that students usually tend to commit on a frequent basis. While you are in the process of learning from your own mistakes, why not learn from other’s, in the meantime?

Here’s a list of mistakes that you don't wanna commit, while preparing for your GMAT!

Leave out a concept

While preparing for GMAT, you will come across many concepts that are completely new. Some you might find easy, but some really difficult. You might even want to leave that particular concept because leaving just one concept wouldn't make that much of a difference right?

No! The ideal key to dealing with such kind of situations is to at least brush up the subject concerned. You don't want to leave any page unturned. The number of “just one” concepts will gradually increase and will result in poor preparations.

Do tedious calculations

The GMAT reliably uses a set of simple numbers. When it doesn't, you can usually approximate. That means stay clear of tedious calculations. They not only consume too much of your practice time and reduce your speed of solving questions, but also take a toll on your confidence level.

Careless Mistakes

These are the kind of mistakes that make you wanna bang your head against the wall. Don't worry, we’ve all been there. The mistakes that give you the feeling that the solution could have almost been correct if it weren't for it. Unluckily, there's no step marking in GMAT, if you choose the wrong answer then you completely lose marks. Some very common careless mistakes that you can make are:

• Read too quickly / misread the question: Yes, you're on a time constraint; but reading in a particular pace and not comprehending at the same, can lead to misinterpretation.
• Solved for the wrong variable / question: This can be a consequence of the above mentioned mistake, or could happen because your inattentiveness.
• Made an arithmetic error (got the wrong sum, product, etc): you might make a mistake with calculations that were too easy in the first place. This could happen because of lack of practice or constant habit of using a calculator.
• Performed the wrong operation (multiplied instead of divided) or Skipped a step: Again, a result of inattentiveness.
• Got it right, but clicked the wrong bubble: this kind of mistakes usually happen when you’re under stress or in a hurry.
• Forgetting the unique numbers: let's understand this with the help of an example. A quick question; what number should you square to get 25? Your immediate answer would be 5. But you know that's not the only answer to that question. To get till -5 will take a few seconds of thinking. Its very common for people to completely ignore the possibility of such unique numbers and solutions.

To overcome such careless mistakes, you'll need lots and lots of practice. Regulate your speed of reading and solving problems, try not to get distracted and always stay focused, practice calculations in your head if you're used to a calculator and don't stress too much because stressed brain will never get you better results.

Conceptual Mistakes

These are the kind of mistakes that can be completely overcome by diligent practicing. Types of such mistakes are:  

• didn’t understand what the question was asking
• didn’t rephrase the right way (or thoroughly enough)
• didn’t know/remember the rules
• mixed up rules or applied the wrong rule/formula

These mistakes take time and patience to master over, but it's totally worth it. Afterall, what's better than a dream score? But also, In the end, don't just concentrate on a perfect GMAT score, instead, try going for an overall profile which is competitive in nature.

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+!

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5 essential GMAT study tips every student must know

To do your best on the GMAT exam, you will not need magic tricks or secrets, but only a study plan and timely preparation. Studying well for GMAT will not only help you secure a good score on the test but also help you in building valuable skills for future studies. After the pre planning as mentioned in the previous post, it's time to costume up and take a deep dive into the ocean!

Time Table

Remember how as kids we used to make a timetable, stick it on the wall and forget its existence? Well this is some what like that, with just a tad bit of difference. Don't stick it to your wall, stick it in your brain! There’s nothing better than having a chart out plan of days left for exam and topics to cover. Plan it in a way that you prioritize chapters and concepts that are your weaknesses. Not only will it help you increase efficiency in your studies but will also give you mind peace. A calm mind yields better results in an examination hall than a chaotic one.

Progress Brick upon Brick

Ever seen someone constructing the 10th floor of the building before even starting with the ground floor? This is the most common mistake that students usually commit, with an attitude of “If i can solve the most difficult question, then my entire concept is clear”. However appealing and short this method sounds, it will not really take you too far.

Start with easier questions in the beginning. But again, the definition of easy and difficult is relative to every individual. Be your own judge for questions according to the results obtained in the practice test that you took in the beginning. Master these questions before you move on to the next difficulty level.

Mix it up!

When you solve questions belonging to the same chapter at one time, you already know what kind of question or what concept type you're gonna face ahead. Questions in GMAT are not so straightforward. They are such that would need multiple concepts to solve. So when you're done with a set of concepts, it is advisable to mix up the questions for further practicing.

Read the questions properly.

Don't just skim through the questions, make it a habit to read the questions thoroughly. At times the language of the question is tricky and you might end up selecting the wrong answer even when you were familiar with the concept.

Overshoot the target score!

Don't overestimate the GMAT prep results. Students have been found experiencing an increase or decrease in their score by an average of 30 marks. Aim for the score that is 50 more than your target score. Keep practicing until you’ve reached your target!

But the most important thing of all is, don't try to cover everything under the sun. Visit those problems that you think you know. You will be surprised by how many concepts we take for granted. Time every Practice session and every question that you solve, because a correct answer is as important as getting it in the right amount of time.

Hope this article helped you in building your confidence and develop a winning approach.

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+!

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4 Biggest Mistakes that people make while preparing for the GRE

Are you aiming for a really high GRE score? A critical factor in ensuring your success on the GRE is knowing what not to do. Skill Maestro lists 4 common mistakes that most people commit while preparing for the GRE. Avoiding these mistakes can help you streamline your time and efforts more judiciously, which can be a significant score booster.

Last minute preparation

Many GRE aspirants slack most of their early preparation time and try becoming a ‘samurai’ in the last few weeks. Most of them think that working under pressure might increase their productivity. This is, however, a common fallacy. That’s because GRE is an aptitude based exam and not some undergraduate college exam where full swing last minute prep can help you ace the exam. GRE requires tacts and tricks to crack it. You cannot expect last minute prep to help you crack the GRE. Preparing for the GRE is a process.  If you want to crack it, you need to be methodical right from the beginning. Remember, cracking the GRE is a skill that you can acquire if you give yourself sufficient time. 

Focusing only on one section

It is quite common for students to underestimate either quant or verbal section of the GRE, thinking that they have the natural ability for a particular section, which leads them to systematically neglect their preparation for that section. This can be deadly. For example, many students underestimate the quant section of the GRE and take it too lightly. This can prove to be lethal because GRE is a tricky examination and building familiarity with the common traps that the test throws you with is important. And only practice can help you with that. Thus, no matter what it is always advisable to have a balanced study plan.

Not charting your performance after practice tests

Practice tests allow you to monitor your performance for patterns, weaknesses and strengths. Therefore, just seeing your score on the practice test and not charting the mistake patterns you have committed can be a blunder. Understanding your mistakes, weak areas and strong areas can help you quantify your progress and accordingly help you create a study plan for yourself. This can make a significant difference in your performance. 

Reviewing only the questions that you got wrong

It is essential to review each and every question that you practice, because getting the right answer is just not enough - how you got the right answer is more important. You might get an answer correct with a lot of drudgery that can eat up your energy and time, leaving you with less of it for other questions. Thus, knowing the most efficient way to approach questions is extremely important. Thus, review all the questions that you practice and look out for the solution process given in the answer sheet and ask yourself what’s the most cost efficient way of approaching this question.

We hope this article would make you more methodical in your GRE prep plan. After all, knowing what not to do is also crucial! 

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+!

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

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+!

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

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+!

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Should you join a coaching for GRE preparation?

Whether to join a coaching for GRE preparation remains a dilemma for many. The answer to this question is actually not in black and white. It depends on a lot of factors, which people usually are unaware of.

Skill Maestro is committed to genuinely assist GRE aspirants – whether they take the coaching for GRE or not. This post is dedicated to you for an objective evaluation of whether to join a coaching for GRE or not.

We list a number of factors that will shape your decision to join coaching or not.

1.    Take a diagnostic test

The first and the foremost step in deciding whether to opt for coaching or not, is by self evaluation through a diagnostic test. Take the ETS powerprep Test 1, which is the official sample GRE test and evaluate yourself on it. If you score between the bracket of 157-170 in both verbal and quant, you probably would not require a coaching to assist you. You would just need good practice material and you are good to go.

However, if you score below this bracket on any one of the section, you might want to take a coaching class, as GRE tutors would provide you with a GRE oriented direction with handy tips, tricks and valuable advice on your weak spots. Remember, cracking the GRE is more of a skill which can be developed. GRE tests your English and basic quant skills, which any adult is capable of intrinsically, it just needs to be fine tuned in accordance with the GRE pattern.

2.    Are you self-motivated and disciplined enough?

Are you an extremely self motivated person? Or do you have just short, capricious, inconsistent bouts of self motivation? Self preparation often takes a lot of self motivation on your part. If you are one of those people who can manage to stay afloat with regularity and discipline, you may consider not taking a coaching. But if you do not fall in this category, it might be a risk to undertake self-preparation.  Joining a coaching in such a case makes your study more regular, structured, consistent and disciplined. Decide which category you fall in.

3.    Small Tricks and Hacks

Remember, the GRE is a manageable exam to crack, but it is interspersed with a lot of tricky questions. The Verbal section is not easy, even for those who have a good command over English, and often a lot of hacks and tricks can help you in dealing with different types of questions. For example, on the Reading Comprehension (RC) questions, the GRE often puts a lot of trap wrong answer choices, which you will be tempted to choose. Wrong answer choices often contain the same relevant sentence from the RC, but would just distort the sentence by changing some minor words, which completely change the meaning of the sentence. Now just because you see a similar sentence structure on the answer choice, you feel tempted to pick up that answer in a hurry, without noticing how those subtle omissions/additions in the sentence have changed the meaning of the answer choice. 

A good GRE Verbal tutor will assist you in identifying the wrong answer choices and in understanding why the choice is wrong. The same goes for the Math section. There are multiple tiny tricks and hacks which GRE experts may help you with.  This is the greatest advantage of joining a GOOD coaching with GRE experts.

4.    Are you exposed to study material that is close enough to GRE like questions?

For the GRE, it is quite important that you study from study material which is representative of the GRE questions. A lot of students, due to lack of awareness, study from sub-standard material, which often is not representative of the GRE material. In fact, a lot of coaching centres also use non representative GRE study material and often have non experts teaching the GRE aspirants. It is simply a DRAIN of your money! The best study material is the Manahttan Books, which are a very good reflection of GRE questions. Other good materials includes Princeton Review’s 1014 Question Book and of course, the ETS official guide. If the coaching centre you plan to go, does not expose you with these study materials, there is a good enough chance that you might be exposed to study material that is not close enough to GRE like questions.  

Whatever decision you take, to join or not join coaching, you MUST get your hands on GRE like material, otherwise, it is a waste of time, money and efforts.

5.    How well are you placed for the writing section?

A majority of students, including those who possess fairly good writing skills, manage to score only between 3 to 4.5  out of 6 on the writing section of the GRE. The primary reason for this is that most of the students remain unaware of what exactly is expected of them in the writing section of the GRE. The writing section measures your analytical and critical thinking skills more than just you ability to use fancy words. Using fancy words and complex sentence structures is definitely a brownie point, but remember that is not all.

If you think you can develop the skill of writing critically and analytically along with a high standard of English, you may manage to prepare on your own using good resources. But if you feel under-confident about it, or you feel you need a personal guidance, you must consider taking an expert’s help for this. Remember, even if you do take mock tests online, only a few of these give you your writing score, which is why a lot of students are unable to evaluate their writing section while preparing on their own. A lot of coaching centers personally train students on how to develop this skill of writing critically and analytically. 

The decision to join coaching for the GRE or not, depends on your capabilities, aptitude, perseverance, self motivation, access to resourceful rich practice material and the ability to write critically and analytically.   Evaluate yourself on all these parameters and take a decision accordingly. In case you decide to opt for classes, remember that a good coaching center must provide you with multiple mock tests (both paper based and computer based), periodic tests, training for tricky GRE questions, an exposure to the representative GRE questions and a personal guidance by experts for the writing section. 

We hope after this objective evaluation of whether to join coaching or not, you are good to go!

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+!

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TOEFL vs. IELTS

Are you confused which exam to take –the TOEFL or the IELTS? Are you wondering what are the essential differences or similarities between the two tests? If yes, then this post is for you!

Speaking very fundamentally, both the TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) and the IELTS (International English Language Testing System) are tests to measure English proficiency of those who come from countries where English is not the first language. Most universities worldwide while accepting students from such countries require such students to exhibit their proficiency in English, and these two tests are the most widely accepted tests for English proficiency.

But before deciding which test to take, it is wise to understand the differences and similarities between the two tests. Skill Maestro offers a comprehensive comparison between the two tests.

1.    Scope

While both the tests are widely accepted, it is important for you to know which test your intended choice of university accepts. If you are planning to head towards the US or Canada, the TOEFL should be your preference, while if you are planning to head towards Europe, Australia or New Zealand, you might want to give the IELTS. While TOEFL scores are accepted over 500 locations in the US and over 4500 locations worldwide, IELTS scores are accepted at 59 locations in the US and about 900 locations worldwide. You must check the website of the universities that you intend to apply to be sure whether they accept TOEFL or IELTS, and then take your decision accordingly.

2.    Medium

While TOEFL is a computer based test, IELTS is a real time physical test. This means in order to be able to give your TOEFL successfully, you should be comfortable with typing on the computer (for the writing section) and with answering over the microphone (for the speaking section). Similarly, it follows that for the IELTS, it is a brownie point for you if you have a legible handwriting and are more comfortable with a detailed in-person interview than speaking over the microphone.

3.    Pattern

Both the TOEFL and the IELTS measure your English proficiency on four parameters – Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening. However, while the TOEFL tests only Academic subjects, the IELTS is a mixture of both, the academic writing and reading sections plus the general listening and speaking sections.

Also, in the writing section, the IETLS does not have a listening component like the TOEFL does on the integrated assignments (instead it may have a graphic or other written information source for building up an argument for your writing).

As far as the speaking section is concerned, the TOEFL mostly requires you to give your opinions and summarizing and interpreting information from various sources. On the other hand, on the IELTS, the speaking test is in person, and includes a short speech to be prepared within a small period of time and a conversation component as well.

4.    Question Types

While the TOEFL mainly has multiple choice questions in the listening and reading section, the IELTS has diverse question types including multiple choice questions, fill in the blanks, matching, flowcharts, true/false questions etc.

5.    Exam Duration

The TOEFL is a 4 hour long test, while the IELTS is a 2 hour 45 minutes test. However, the duration of the exam is not the indicator of the toughness of the exam. As far as the toughness is concerned, both the exams have an equivalent level of rigor. The extent of your comfort with the respective exam pattern is what determines which exam might appear easier to you.

6.    Score Scale

The IELTS grades you on a scale of 0 to 9, while the TOEFL is graded out of 120 points (30 marks each for its four sections).

Having read this comprehensive comparison between the TOEFL and the IELTS, you might find yourself in a better position to decide which exam is suited to your requirements. Remember, it is difficult to compare the level of hardness of the two exams, and as such both the exams are rigorous and are accepted widely. At the end of the day, it all narrows down on the requirement of your intended university.

Skill Maestro wishes you all the very best for your IELTS/TOEFL!

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+!

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Some Handy Hacks for the AWA section on the GRE

Analytical Writing Section is an integral part on the GRE, and as ETS cautions, ‘Everyone- even the most practiced and confident of writers- should spend some time preparing for the Analytical Writing Measure before arriving at the test center’. You might be wondering why this caution. The fact is that the AWA section on the GRE does not measure only your writing skills, but moreover, measures your ability to think imaginatively and critically on an issue or argument. 

Here are some tips for facing the AWA section more confidently.

1.    Be sure to read the question with its instructions carefully

Both the issue and the argument task often come are accompanied by varied set of instructions. For example, in the issue task, you could have an instruction like– “Write a response in which you discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the claim and the reason on which that claim is based”, or you could have something like,  “Write a response in which you discuss which view more closely aligns with your own position and explain your reasoning for the position you take. In developing and supporting your position, you should address both views presented”. 

As evident, both set of instructions expect different things from your response. Therefore, be sure to read the instructions carefully. By the way, there are fixed 6 set of instructions on the issue task, out of which one would show up. Same goes for the argument task. You can have a look at these fixed set on the ETS website.

2.    Budget your time

Since you are given, 30 mins of each task, in which you have to think , organize as well as type out your response, it is important that you budget your time. Ideally, you should adopt the following –
3 mins – Brainstorming and forming the outline
3 mins – Introduction
20 mins – Body and Examples
2 mins – Conclusion
2 mins – Review

3.    Dont waste too much thinking for that perfect introduction

More often than not, people tend to spend more than required time to think for a perfect impactful introduction, and often this leaves them lesser time for developing their body, and as a result, the body does not look quite that impactful, replete with diverse examples. Now, you need to know that your introduction and conclusion do not carry as much weight as your body does. What makes an AWA task stand out is the body. So, even if your introduction and conclusion are just of one line, it really does not matter, and you should not be wasting too much time on it.

4.    Length matters!

On the AWA, the length of your writing does count toward your score. So, try to write a lengthy essay, of course, one that does make sense. For this, you must try to provide numerous examples, as they could help you increasing the length of your essay, without being devious and senseless. Often, the essays with a score of 6 are lengthier. Of course, quality does matter, but what you should know is that even if a similar quality essay is to be graded, but it is much shorter, it is more likely that it would get a 5 or a 5.5, and not 6. So, work on the length.

5.    Always address ‘the other side’

As mentioned above, the purpose of the AWA measure is to test your critical thinking. Hence, you must always develop your position fully, implying that always address the other side of the argument as well. You could state how the other side holds true under certain circumstances, or you could state the other side and then refute it by your stance - anything! When you address the other side, it gives an impression that you are aware of the holistic picture and are able to think critically. You could address this ‘other side’ in the 3rd or 4th paragraph.

6.    Number of paragraphs

Ideally, you should have at least 4 paragraphs on your essay. The first should be the introductory paragraph, in which you state your thesis statement (indicating your stance), followed by 2/3/4 paragraphs in the body (elaborating your stance and bolstering it with examples, and also addressing the other side) and then a concluding paragraph.

Introduction – First paragraph
Body - At least 2 paragraphs
Conclusion – Last paragraph

On the argument task, you must point out at least 3 logical fallacies and elaborate on them, stating how those fallacies weaken the argument and how the argument could have been made stronger.

7.    Do check out pool of the essay topics

The topic that you would see on your test day would not be unfamiliar to you, if you once have a look at the pool of essays that ETS has published on its website. There are some 250-300 topics, out of which, one would show up on the test day. So, do check out the pool.

Tell us what you think about this post. Our team would love to hear back from 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+!

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GRE Anxiety Mantra - How to cope up with GRE Anxiety

GRE is an examination critical to shaping your future life and hence anxiety for this exam is a common phenomenon. However, letting this anxiety overtaking you completely can have a negative impact on your performance. Therefore, it is essential that you understand the causes of this anxiety and find ways to overcome it. Remember, taking an exam is not a matter of life and death; it is just about the feeling that you’ve proved your abilities! Instead of thinking that ‘you HAVE to take your GRE’, think that ‘you WANT to take the GRE’- that is the key to self motivation!

Skill Maestro suggests some ways that can help you cope up with your anxiety levels.

1.    Figure out the Root Cause

Understand the root cause of your stress. Is your anxiety arising from inadequate preparation? If it is so, you must fully prepare yourself first. It will definitely take time for getting fully equipped. Give 6-7 hours daily for your prep.  When your prep is adequate, it fuels up your confidence.

2.    Plug in the Loopholes

It is always a good idea to focus on your loopholes. Which are those areas where you are facing troubles? Plug them in. This can prove to be very effective rather than just taking a list of endless questions without evaluating your weaknesses. When you plug in your weaknesses, your confidence (and your score) drastically improves.

3.    Leave Pestering Areas 

If still weakness in certain areas persists (even after devoting adequate time), do not waste much time chasing those areas incessantly. For example, if you feel your critical reasoning questions are not gaining much improvement even after more than adequate devotion of time and practice, you may want to focus on other areas than just be bogged down with it. As it is, critical reasoning questions carry little weight on the exam. So weigh you pros and cons wisely. There is no point being alarmed by certain areas which just aren’t improving as it may have a chain effect and may negatively impact your performance on other areas of the test too, which is certainly an unnecessary cost that you are paying.

4.    Remember that ‘A little progress everyday adds up to big results’ 

It has been proven by cognitive psychology that daily practice leads to better retention of memory than a prolonged one shot study. Thus, it is important that you study bit by bit daily to add up to big results rather than attempting to do things in one shot. This is effective not only to reduce your anxiety levels, but also improving your score.

5.    Do not Compare

Stop comparing your results with your peers, it just fuels up your anxiety levels and puts you under performance pressure. Studies show that performance pressures are a deterrent to optimum performance.

6.    Stop Painting that too Big a Picture

While taking the actual/practice tests, do not take questions with the attitude ‘I want to score a really high score’, instead face the questions with the attitude ‘I need to answer this question correctly and carefully’. Take care of the small things and the big things will take care of themselves.

7.    Biological Clock 

Setting your biological clock is an effective strategy to boost your performance. Take practice tests on the time slot when your actual test is scheduled so that your mind becomes agile during those hours of the day. This strategy can be a great confidence booster.

It is not a big deal to crack GRE if you have the iron will to manage your anxiety levels. More than half the candidates on any exam are not able to score up to their abilities, just because they do not know how to manage stress levels. You are not among those people anymore. Now that you have the mantra to manage the anxiety, go ace your GRE!

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+!

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10 Tips to Face the GRE that the Test-Prep Text Books Probably won’t Teach you

You might have prepared hard for your GRE, but that’s not enough. You also need to be familiar with some useful tips and strategies that test prep textbooks might not teach you. While the test-prep textbooks will help you to prepare for the exam, it is also important to take note of certain facts that you must be careful about while you take the actual test to not commit a stupid blunder. We list some strategies and tips that you may find extremely helpful while you face your GRE.

• Never try to predict the experimental section

On the GRE, you face 6 sections – one writing section (AWA), two verbal sections, two quant sections and one experimental section (either verbal or quant). Now this experimental section is an un-scored section, implying that it won’t count toward your GRE score. But the important takeaway is that you don’t know when this experimental section will show up. You could have your experimental section show up as the third section or the fourth or the fifth- you really don’t know! So even if you have got two verbal and two quant sections already and say the quant section comes up again, do not be led into believing that this is an experimental section. It could be your scored section! So always take all your sections as seriously as though they are your scored sections. You don’t want to throw your score in jeopardy in case you just feel a section is an experimental section and take it up lightly when in reality it was your scored section!

• Avoid attempting all the Reading Comprehension (RC) questions in one go

RCs are one of the most challenging questions on the GRE. It eats up a considerable part of your time and monotonous passages may simply exhaust you out. If you choose to attempt all the RC questions in one go, there are chances that you might just lose track of time. Also continuous reading might obscure your further readings.  However, this is a subjective choice and may vary from person to person. Adopt what suits you best.

• Do not waste a lot of time on Critical Reasoning (CR) Questions

CR questions are challenging questions and many of us use more time than is required on these questions. You need to be aware that CR questions just make one percent of the entire syllabus. Thus, do not waste a lot of time on them.

• Do not be tempted to use the Calculator for everything

Just because the calculator is available to you as a tool on the GRE, do not jump to use the calculator for every question. Many questions that might seem computational, in reality are not tedious and can be solved by simple algebraic techniques or simple application of logic. While you do not realize it, the ETS throws you many questions, that prima facie might appear that they will be requiring the use of calculator, but you can break your question down through simple techniques. Through such questions, the ETS tempts you to use the calculator which might ironically take up longer time than what you’ll take if you break the question down through certain techniques. Most test prep books elaborate on such techniques.

• Compensate for the time that RC and CR questions take up by Sentence Equivalence questions

Sentence equivalence questions are mostly easy (of course only when you’ve built your GRE vocab) since they require you to look for consistent synonyms, and as such they take less than a minute if your vocabulary is sound enough. Thus, you can always compensate for your time that gets eaten up in RC and CR questions on these questions. Manage your time in such a way that you can leverage this fact. It is a good idea to finish off with your RC, CR and Text Completion questions first and attempt your sentence equivalence questions at the end since all the sentence equivalence questions can be completed in less than 5 minutes.

• Do not waste much time on questions where you get stuck

The Revised GRE is a section adaptive test. You can scroll through the questions of the entire section and mark those questions which you aren’t confident about to attempt them later in your 30/35 min time for a particular section. It is always a good strategy to attempt the easy questions that you are confident about. This not only gives you a psychological edge, but also gives you more time for the questions troubling you which you can then take calmly. Do not simply get stuck on that one question that you aren’t able to solve. You can always come back to that question as long as you are on the same section.

• Do not leave the questions that you aren’t confident about, unanswered

While you should not waste much time on questions that are troubling you, remember not to leave them unanswered. You should know the fact that there is NO NEGATIVE MARKING on the GRE, implying that you don’t get penalized for a wrong answer choice. Thus, even when you are not sure about the correct answer of a question, still attempt it using your instincts and guesses. Although with lesser probability, you still have a chance to get your guesses correct. If you choose not to attempt that question, you altogether devoid yourself of the chance of getting it correct.

• Beware of the questions that have multiple answers

On the Revised GRE, there are questions that have a single choice as the correct answer and there are questions that have multiple choices as the correct answers. Do not be in a blithe disregard of the questions that expect more than one answer from you as you may end up choosing just one answer for a question that had two correct answer choices, which won’t fetch you any marks. Remember that the questions with square boxes in front of the answer choices are the multiple answer questions and the ones with round boxes in front of the answer choices are single answer questions. Being in a disregard of this fact, might prove to be very costly.

• Familiarize yourself with the 300 topics suggested by ETS for the AWA

ETS has created a pool of 300 topics for the writing section. You can familiarize yourself with those 300 topics so that you do not find yourself in a situation where you just do not understand a particular topic. Note that if this happens, you would not only spoil your AWA section, but the panic might also spoil your other sections, since the AWA section is the first section.

• Do not ramble unnecessarily in the writing section- Focus on the pith of your writing

Your essay questions are expected to be of a length of 350- 500 words. While attempting the two writing sections, remember what you are primarily evaluated on. In the Analyse an Issue task, always take a stand. The pith of your entire essay should be the justification of that stand through reasoning and examples. The stand could be positive, negative or neutral. In the Analyse an Argument task, always try to find the fault in the logic. Do not be led into believing that only using fancy words or verbose writing can make your essay better. Focus on the pith!

You might feel better equipped to take the GRE now. We wish you good luck for your test!
Feel free to express your concerns or ideas in the comment section below!

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+!

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GRE Workshop - July 2014

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GRE Practice Tests: A Tactical Approach

One of the most enticing aspects of taking practice tests for GREs is that they make you feel productive. They seem like they provide you an edge on “the real thing”. On top of that there’s always that secret anticipation that this time you’ll hit it out of the park and you can eventually stop cramming.

At SkillMaestro; we love the idea of taking a lot of practice tests. I love them as an instructor, as they assist me evaluate my students’ progress. And I am pretty sure our students love them too, because it helps them assess where they stand. We emphasize more and more on taking these tests productively.

However, many a times, I have seen students taking the practice tests in ways that are totally unproductive. Since your time is invaluable and you want to achieve the best possible results for whatever limited time you have to invest, I’d like to provide my $0.02 on using practice tests effectively.

Take a mock test before starting your preparation.

The first practice test which you should take is right before you start your preparation.  This is the most efficient and an insanely valuable task, which needs to be taken care of.  Apparently it’s the one test; students are most likely to skip. Most of the students avoid the practice test at the beginning of a test preparation because they are afraid of what the results will be (thinking that they haven’t prepared at all). Many other times, they know the result won’t be worthy enough for their school of choice, thereby taking the test pointless. I have also often heard my students saying that they don’t want to squander one of their practice tests until they have started studying in a serious manner.

I am very confident saying that, without any exception, these are all wrong reasons to miss the first practice test. It is very important to exactly know where you’re starting so that you can draw a clear roadmap for the kind of preparation you need to work on. Taking a practice test at the start of your preparation will provide you a starting point from which to measure your growth and a vital exposure to GRE to prepare a study plan for studying.

Take tests in a proper simulated environment

One of the major complaint I have heard from students is “I used to get XYZ on my practice tests, but…”. This implies that you have not utilized your practice tests as efficiently as you could have. Some of the DOS & DONTS you need to keep in mind while taking the practice tests:

DOs

·         Always take a TIMED practice test.

·         Always try to take it in a time slot when you are actually planning to take the real test

·         Always use authentic tests from reputable sources

·         Always take full test and not avoid the AWA section

DONTs

·         Don’t take an unusually long break in between your practice test or pause it many times.

·         Don’t take it when you are expecting a lot of interrupting phone calls, or you have a laptop that’s going to crash.

·         Don’t take it when you’re tired, or hung over, or sick or after a hectic day.

You get the notion? You would want to minimize any external mitigating environments that can possibly explain why your practice test score is lower or higher than it should be on the real test. I can understand that it is very difficult to avoid all interruptions during a practice test but you need to make your best efforts to make sure that the practice test reflects a true assessment of your abilities.  In order to make sure that you get the most out of a practice test, it needs to be in a perfectly simulated testing environment, which is the whole point of taking a practice test in the first place.

One of the most important things to remember is that practice tests are NOT learning tools but evaluation tools and should be used as such. Tests should be utilized to assess what you have learned and your capability to apply that learning under simulated conditions similar to the actual test as much as possible. In the broader perspective of your test preparation, you should take a practice test at the very beginning of your study preparations to establish it as a baseline and determine your strength and weakness areas. After that, it is advisable to wait for another practice test until you’ve had a chance to review some content and have taken some shorter tests focused on individual particular areas. Once you’ve gotten a sizable chunk of material and practice behind you, you should start including full-length practice tests into your study plan.

To summarize, here are three valid reasons to take a practice test:

·         To measure what you currently know

·         To practice your test-taking strategies (which also includes pacing your test and sometimes intelligent guessing)

·         To identify your weaknesses & key areas to study going forward.

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