Entrance Tests
Students from all over the world apply to American universities for admissions. They belong to different educational backgrounds and different grading systems. In order to compare their aptitude on a common platform, the universities in the United States require all the international students to take SAT (Scholastic Aptitude Test) for undergraduate studies, GRE (Graduate Record Examination) for graduate studies and GMAT (Graduate Management Admission Test) for MBA. Nearly every good university in America requires that the students take one of the above tests for admissions.
Simillarly, in order to ensure that the student wanting to study in an American university is capable of understanding English, all universities in the United States require their applicants coming from non native Englsih speaking countries to take TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language).
So, if you want to study in USA after HSC, you have to take SAT & TOEFL as two tests. If you want to go for your masters after graduation, you have to take GRE and TOEFL and if you are an MBA aspirant, you have to go for GMAT and TOEFL. These tests are conducted throughout the year. The scores of TOEFL are valid for two years. Whereas, the scores of GMAT and GRE are valid for five years. Therefore, it is advisible to take these tests well before your applications to the American Universities.
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The GRE General Test measures critical thinking, analytical writing, verbal reasoning, and quantitative reasoning skills that have been acquired over a long period of time and that are not related to any specific field of study.
Analytical Writing The skills measured include the test taker's ability to
- articulate complex ideas clearly and effectively
- examine claims and accompanying evidence
- support ideas with relevant reasons and examples
- sustain a well-focused, coherent discussion
- control the elements of standard written English.
Verbal Reasoning The skills measured include the test taker's ability to
- analyze and evaluate written material and synthesize information obtained from it
- analyze relationships among component parts of sentences
- recognize relationships between words and concepts.
Quantitative Reasoning The skills measured include the test taker's ability to
- understand basic concepts of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, and data analysis
- reason quantitatively
- solve problems in a quantitative setting.
Who Takes It and Why?
Prospective graduate applicants take the General Test. GRE test scores are used by admissions or fellowship panels to supplement undergraduate records and other qualifications for graduate study. The scores provide common measures for comparing the qualifications of applicants and aid in evaluating grades and recommendations.
When and Where is it conducted?
The GRE Test is offered year-round at computer-based test centers at Mumbai, Ahmadabad, Allahabad, Bangalore, Calcutta, Hyderabad, Delhi, Chennai and Trivandrum. You can register for the test by logging on to www.gre.org. Please note that there is a lot of rush to take these tests during July to January period. It is always advantageous to register on time. Pass port is necessary on the date of your test.
Here�s how, a typical GRE format might look like:
Section |
Time (Minutes) |
No. of Questions |
Analytical Writing Assessment |
45
30 |
1
1 |
Present your Perspective as an Issue
Analyze an Argument |
Verbal Ability |
30 |
30 |
Antonyms, Analogies, Sentence Completion and Reading Comprehension (Questions will be intermingled) |
|
|
Quantitative Ability |
45 |
28 |
Quantitative comparison and Maths Ability (Questions will be intermingled) |
Experimental Section (one of the following |
Varies |
Varies |
Verbal or Quantitative |
Research Section (may be included) |
Varies |
Varies |
Tutorials will be available for review before the test is administered. An optional 10 minute break is given after the Analytical Writing Section. The format, scoring and order of sections can vary somewhat.
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The SAT tests students reasoning based on knowledge and skills developed through their course work.
It measures their ability to analyze and solve problems by applying what they have learned in school.
The SAT Reasoning Test is a measure of the critical thinking skills you'll need for academic success in college. The SAT assesses how well you analyze and solve problems skills you learned in school that you'll need in college.
The SAT has following three sections:
- Critical Reading
- Mathematics
- Writing
Each section of the SAT is scored on a scale of 200-800, with two writing subscores for multiple-choice and the essay.
The SAT includes a Critical Reading, Math, and Writing section, with a specific number of questions related to content.
In addition, there is one 25-minute unscored section, known as the variable or equating section. This unscored section may be either a critical reading, math, or writing multiple-choice section. This unscored section does not count toward the final score, but is used to try out new questions for future editions of the SAT and to ensure that scores on new editions of the SAT are comparable to scores on earlier editions of the test.
The 25-minute essay will always be the first section of the SAT, and the 10-minute multiple-choice writing section will always be the final section. The remaining six 25-minute sections can appear in any order, as can the two 20-minute sections. Test takers sitting next to each other in the same testing session may have test books with entirely different sections.
The SAT is developed and administered by the US-based College Entrance Examination Board. This implies that College board sets the questions, conducts the test, and sends each examinee the score report. In India, SAT is conducted at Bangalore, Calcutta, Cochin, Chennai, Hyderabad, Kodaikanal, Mumbai, Mussoorie and New Delhi.
Is the new SAT Harder?
No, the new SAT will be designed so that a student who could score a 500 on the math section (for example) of the current SAT could score a 500 on the math section of the new test.
97% of college-bound students complete 3 years of math so the test will more closely measure the math they are already studying.
Extensive field trials confirmed that students are taking more upper level math, which is why the overall difficulty of the test is not affected.
While the test is longer, field trials also confirmed that the increased length of the test has no impact on the students scores.
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The Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) is a standardized assessment that helps business schools assess the qualifications of applicants for advanced study in business and management. Schools use the test as one predictor of academic performance in an MBA program or in other graduate management programs.
What the GMAT Measures?
The GMAT exam measures basic verbal, mathematical, and analytical writing skills that you have developed over a long period of time in your education and work. It does NOT measure:
- your knowledge of business,
- your job skills,
- specific content in your undergraduate or first university course work,
- your abilities in any other specific subject area, or
- subjective qualities�such as motivation, creativity, and interpersonal skills.
Format and Timing
The GMAT exam consists of three main parts, the Analytical Writing Assessment, the Quantitative section, and the Verbal section.
Analytical Writing Assessment
The GMAT exam begins with the Analytical Writing Assessment (AWA). The AWA consists of two separate writing tasks Analysis of an Issue and Analysis of an Argument. You are allowed 30 minutes to complete each one.
Quantitative Section
Following an optional ten-minute break, you begin the Quantitative Section of the GMAT exam. This section contains 37 multiple-choice questions of two question types Data Sufficiency and Problem Solving. You will be allowed a maximum of 75 minutes to complete the entire section.
Verbal Section
After a second optional ten-minute break, you begin the Verbal Section of the GMAT exam. This section contains 41 multiple choice questions of three question types Reading Comprehension, Critical Reasoning, and Sentence Correction. You are allowed a maximum of 75 minutes to complete the entire section.
The purpose of the GMAT is to measure one's ability to think systematically and to employ the verbal and mathematical skills that one has acquired throughout his/her years of schooling.
The test does not aim to measure the knowledge of specific business or academic subjects. One is assumed to know basic algebra (but not calculus), geometry and arithmetic, to know the basic conventions of standard written English, and to be able to write an analytical essay.
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- Spend more time with the initial questions than the later questions.
- Answer as many questions as possible.
- Do an educated guess, if not sure with the answer.
- Pace himself well and should be aware of remaining time.
- Confirm the answer only when he/she is confident about the selected option.
- Careful about section exit and test quit commands, as one cannot go back to the previous section
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The Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) measures the ability of nonnative speakers of English to use and understand English as it is spoken, written, and heard in college and university settings. The TOEFL tests all four language skills that are important for effective communication: speaking, listening, reading, and writing. The test helps students demonstrate that they have the English skills needed for success. TOEFL also emphasizes integrated skills and provides better information to institutions about students ability to communicate in an academic setting and their readiness for academic coursework.
The TOEFL test is developed and administered by the US-based "Educational Testing Service" (ETS). This implies that ETS sets the questions, conducts the test, and sends each examinee the score report. For the conduct of the test, ETS has appointed Testing Agencies in various countries, which act as franchisee for ETS. In India, this agency is the "Prometric Testing Services Pvt Ltd." which administers the test at 9 centres in the country: Ahmedabad, Allahabad, Bangalore, Calcutta, Chennai, Hyderabad, Mumbai, New Delhi, and Trivandrum.
Computer based TOEFL test is held all-round-the-year. Unlike other exams, you can choose your own date and time for taking the TOEFL test! The test is administered in the above cities five-days-a-week (Monday through Friday), twice-a-day. September to December is the high season for TOEFL test, so in case you intend to take the test during this period, you need to register very early (say 90 days in advance) to get a date of your choice. Otherwise, registering at least three days in advance is mandatory. The test lasts roughly four hours.
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Our courses offered in all our offices are a part of our training division. FACT has been offering goal-driven and skill-enhancing courses since 1996, and has been recognized as a Value-leader for test training courses (GRE, GMAT, SAT, TOEFL etc.). We offer these courses in collaboration with CliffsTestPrep, USA that uniquely focuses on real-time, student specific feedback to all students on their weaknesses.
The objective of our test preparation courses offered in Mumbai, Pune, Nashik, Kolhapur, and all other offices is to provide training with a view to imparting conceptual understanding of the test assessment areas. The objective of the training classes is also to arm students with efficient Procedures for dealing with the test sections, time-tested and works-every-time Strategies for picking the correct answers to all Verbal and Quantitative problems, and unique Diagnostic support in all assessment areas so that each student can achieve a better score. We provide the best courses backed by the best score Guarantee.
SCORE GUARANTEE: Our entire test Courses are backed by our unique Score Improvement Guarantee, wherein you are guaranteed a test Score improvement of at least 20% to 80%. You will be required to validate the Score Guarantee by Completing to the best of your ability all of the mandatory Pre-Course assignments, by attending all the sessions of the training prep-class in which you are registered, by actively participating in the class tests and assignments, and by completing the post- course practice tests and exercises. You will also be required to take the test within 30 days of the last day of the final test.
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