GRE

GREat Five-Minute Reads: Episode 6

Dilip Oak's Academy

It seems like the end of the lockdown is in view. Social distancing may soon be a thing of the past, but we would like to start a new trend: social reading! Ask your parents if they remember the now-antiquated public libraries…you can do the same with a click: read and share these articles!

Some forward fodder for you to impress your friends!

  1. Investigating the detective fiction of Scandinavia
  2. Tender Loving Care
  3. Heliocentric, geocentric…eccentric?
  4. Evolution of the HMS Beagle: the ship that was home to Darwin
  5. Saving the earth with just a few cents!

Look out for a new Reading List every week on Thursday!

GREat Five-Minute Reads: Episode 5

Dilip Oak's Academy

As GRE-at Five Minute Reads turns “fabulous five” with this list, we would like to commend you, our readers, and present a tongue-in-cheek thank you speech for all those plaudits which are still to come: “Thank you, dear students, for persevering with reading when you would much rather be bingeing, for resisting the temptations of click-baits, and, for providing us with much-required validation on social media! As we stride forth, we want to look back and rejoice!”

So, this week’s list brings you articles on History — that supreme purveyor of lessons, which we never seem to learn!

  1. Dam! That burst destroyed one of the most powerful civilizations in history!
  2. Lincoln Logs: Wartime history
  3. Sticking kids in front of a screen: history of educational television (surely, an oxymoron!?!)
  4. Fun and games from the prehistoric times before Angry Birds and Candy Crush Saga
  5. Environmental history: it is not all fun and games…it is TEOTWAWKI!

Look out for a new Reading List every week on Thursday!

Lockdown Upgrade: Dilip Oak’s Academy’s Online GRE Coaching!

Dilip Oak's Academy

Dear students and readers,
To make sure that the lockdown does not hamper with our students’ prep, Dilip Oak’s Academy started online coaching to cater to our existing students. We are happy to announce that, with the combined efforts of our staff, technical team, and faculty members, the initiative was a resounding success with over 850 students attending ongoing classes, conducted 150+ course hours, for GRE, IELTS, and German language.

By modernizing our 30+ years of coaching experience, our online sessions built on our strengths. The effort was well appreciated and based on the positive feedback we received, we have now launched completely new online batches with live lectures and doubt-solving sessions. These are a few things we promise to deliver with our forthcoming online sessions as well:

Dilip Oak’s Academy’s Online Coaching Highlights:

  • Interactive live lessons with dynamic faculty-driven discussions

  • Easy to understand topic-wise presentations and notes

  • Well-structured and well-paced sessions

  • Real-time exercise and practice with plenty of questions to solve

  • Extensive use of whiteboard for providing explanations and solving exercises

  • One-on-one as well as group-based doubt-solving sessions

  • Implementation of stringent security protocols (including closed classes and constant monitoring)

Our current students are our best supporters, who lauded our initiative with glowing reviews that speak for themselves:

“The session was perfect, as smooth as classroom lectures, with no technical glitches that are common in online classes. Every doubt was cleared and every question answered, just like their classroom sessions.”- Akshay

“The teaching was splendid! I was comfortable answering and raising doubts in the interactive chat, which was immediately acknowledged by the faculty. Praachi Kale ma’am and Vikram Thatte sir’s lectures were very interactive and they solved every small doubt. It was a great experience.”- Siddhee

“A big thank you to Vikram Thatte sir for conducting VT 7-12 lectures online. The lectures were very well presented with solutions and diagrams provided for each question. I loved how the 90 minutes were utilized, including the Q&A session at the end. Kudos.”- Revati

“The lectures are interactive and the faculty makes sure that every aspect is clear and comprehensible. The communication style of Prof Vivek Gupta is admirable.”- Sarang

“Teachers do not hesitate to repeat anything no matter how many ever times a student asks a particular question.”- Sangawar

“The punctuality, the thorough nature of the lectures, and the meticulous treatment given to the questions, answers, and explanations were the things that stood out for me.”- Ojus

“I loved how all the lectures were moderated by a co-host, who helped to maintain discipline and avoid pranks leading to smooth and uninterrupted sessions.” – Gandhi

Heartened by our success so far, we are launching new batches of online classes in the month of June for GRE aspirants, who want to continue studying from the comfort of their homes. For more information, drop us an email now at support@dilipoakacademy.com

GREat Five-Minute Reads: Episode 4

Dilip Oak's Academy

Take a break from the binge-watching and binge read this week’s eclectic selection which features everything from guns to gurus. Our two listicles talk about human evolution and innovation to focus on the indomitable spirit of our species. The three articles present a triptych on our current situation: an example from antiquity, a glimpse into future consequences, and of course, overcoming harsh conditions and soldiering on in the face of adversity!

Time to begin your binge…

  1. From social networking to undertaking global journeys, our ancestors did it all!
  2. What do AK-47s, office cubicles, and Comic Sans have in common?
  3. All play and no work make Jack duller, dumber, and poorer…
  4. A medieval superhighway to death…
  5. How to paint the town red from your home…

Look out for a new Reading List every week on Thursday!

GREat Five-Minute Reads: Episode 3

Dilip Oak's Academy

Welcome to the latest installment of the GREat Five-Minute Reads. As the dystopic future becomes the current reality, thanks to the worldwide lockdown brought about by a microscopic virus, we present a few distractions that can also serve as drills for your GRE Reading Comprehension and Sentence Completion tasks. Who said learning had to be boring?

  1. iGlasses, anyone? Augmented Reality: possibility or certainty?
  2. Lessons from History to Help you Prepare for the Worst
  3. Plata o plomo? O cobre? Learn how the Spanish conquered the Americas
  4. Did you know you can use oil and eggs to make paintings?
  5. Send out the Bat Signal: these flying oddities are everywhere!

Look out for a new Reading List every week on Thursday!

GREat Five-Minute Reads: Episode 2

Dilip Oak's Academy

In this second edition of GREat Five-Minute Reads, we present to you an eclectic mix of topics to whet your appetite for reading! From historic Moors to futuristic genetic studies, from hot-blooded activists to the cool-headed polar residents, munch on these thought-provoking titbits to make the most of your weekend.

  1. “A woman should have the right to be in the home as a wife and mother”
  2. Fittest or Fattest? It is all the same for these polar bears!
  3. The Moors: Islamic art in ancient Spain.
  4. One Man’s Rebel is Another Man’s Hero!
  5. If you think you may go mad when you are old, think again…or read this:

Look out for a new Reading List every week on Thursday!

GREat Five-Minute Reads: Episode 1

Dilip Oak's Academy

Tired of studying all the time? Instead of binge-watching the latest sitcom online, why not try some reading for fun?

Starting this week, we present to you GREat Five-Minute Reads, curated and compiled by faculty members to ensure that you augment your critical reasoning skills by understanding complex sentence structures and recognizing tricky context clues.

Need more incentive? Well, these articles will also boost your comprehension of tough vocabulary: since the ETS opts for words that can be broadly used in many contexts across many academic disciplines, these words are almost non-existent in everyday conversations or TV scripts. This makes grasping the vocabulary in Reading Comprehension passages or Sentence Completion texts like tackling a behemoth. A simple solution? Read a lot to find out how these words behave in their “natural habitat”, so you can tame the leviathans easily!

This Week’s Reading List:

1] Dinosaurs weren’t the only ones!

2] Alterations to Art

3] Oh Mummy! Old Egyptians, New Curses!

4] From Socialite to Novelist: Edith Wharton’s journey

5] We are all Carbon Copies

Look out for a new Reading List every week on Thursday!

Coronavirus Lockdown: How To Use The Lockdown Time For Smart GRE Prep

Dilip Oak's Academy

The looming uncertainties about visa processes and admissions to US universities due to ongoing lockdown have put the long term plans on hold for many students who have already secured university admits. Meanwhile, many of you, who are currently preparing for the GRE and have joined GRE coaching, are also finding it difficult to plan and manage their studies due to suspension of classes and postponement of tests.

As of now, there is no clarity by when these situations will improve and classes will resume. Therefore, to help you make the best use of this lockdown time without being affected by the mounting pressure, we have come up with a few tips that will help you continue your studies at home, in a smart way! 

Verbal Reasoning Section

  • Keep reading. Not losing touch with the syllabus is most crucial at this point. Revise and practice whatever has been covered in your class till now.
  • Solve at least five to six passages for Reading Comprehension and 10-15 questions for Sentence Equivalence, Text Completion and Sentence Completion every day. Understand where you are going wrong and improvise accordingly.
  • Learn and memorize at least 20 to 25 GRE words every day. Mark the ones you find difficult and practice them more.
  • Brainstorm two to three Issue and Argument topics each, every alternate day to cover different topics.
  • Practice writing at least two Issue and Argument essays each in 30 minutes, every week, to become comfortable with timed writing.

 Quantitative Reasoning Section

  • Make sure to revise and be thorough with basic concepts and formulae.
  • Focus more on quantitative comparison questions since they are trickier than other question types and constitute around 40 percent of the total 20 questions.
  • Solve one set (minimum of 20 questions) every day.
  • The Data Interpretation section is relatively easy to study and score, so make sure you practice that section well. 
  • Most engineering students are good with basic concepts but make silly mistakes during calculations and lose marks. To avoid this, practice manually, using a pen and paper so you become more attentive.
  • For those who are students of Dilip Oak’s Academy, solve Book 4 thoroughly. It will help you to understand the exact requirement of every problem and use the concepts correctly. If you do this, you can manage to score 160+ easily. 

GRE Material and Prep Tools for Quick Study

If you are a Dilip Oak’s Academy student, you have a suite of online features that you can make maximum use of to practice:

Focused Practice – Reinforce your understanding by testing yourself on:

  • Topic-wise questions for the Quantitative Reasoning section
  • Specific question types for the Verbal Reasoning section
  • 400+ on Verbal and Quantitative sections combined

Test Prep

  • Customized Practice Sessions: choose question types and difficulty levels and practice using timed and untimed modes
  • In-depth Explanatory Answers: view detailed explanations for every question
  • Instant Review: view your results immediately after each practice session

Full-length Tests

  • AWM Essays: graded on ETS’s 6-point scale with feedback from the experts
  • Explanatory Review: details explanatory answers for every single question
  • Detailed Analysis: question-wise analysis of your performance to enable you to gauge your strengths and weaknesses

Vocabulary App – Covers 1500 high-frequency words

  • Images illustrating word meaning
  • Sample sentences and roots
  • Test mode to help you master the word list.

Note: All the above-mentioned facilities can be availed fully only if you have enrolled for GRE coaching at Dilip Oak’s Academy. If you are not an academy student, you can still purchase our online practice packages. View our Plans & Pricing HERE

Coronavirus Lockdown: You Can Take the GRE Test Sitting at Home

Dilip Oak's Academy

Taking the GRE® General Test at Home: Equipment and Environment Checks

With the current lockdown, the ETS has made it possible from April 2, 2020, in India for students to take the GRE General Test online at home! This opportunity is will not be available for long and the number of test-at-home sessions is limited. To register for the test, visit ets.org/gre/at-home today!

There are a few criteria that you must keep in mind while applying to take the test at home. Firstly, your computer must meet the equipment requirements for the test. This will mean you have to install the ETS Test Browser and the ProctorU Systems Check on your machine (desktop/laptop). During the test, a human proctor, via video camera, will monitor you and your computer screen to ensure you follow procedures: the entire test will be recorded and your photo will be taken, which will be made available as part of your score record to the institutions you designated. Additionally, there are certain environmental parameters you must follow.

Here are the Equipment and Environment criteria in detail:

EQUIPMENT:

1] Computer:

  • Must be a desktop or laptop computer, not a tablet or mobile device
  • Cannot be a Mac® computer or use an iOS® operating system
  • Must use Windows® operating system, versions 10, 8, or 7

2] Speaker

  • Must use an internal or external speaker to hear the proctor
  • Headsets or wireless earphones are not allowed
  • Recording devices of any kind are strictly prohibited

3] Microphone

  • Must use an internal or external microphone to communicate with the proctor
  • Must not be a part of a headset
  • Recording devices of any kind are strictly prohibited

4] Camera

  • Can be a built-in camera in the computer or a separate webcam
  • The camera must be able to be moved to show the proctor a 360-degree view of the room, including your tabletop surface, before the test

5] Note-taking Materials

  • You CANNOT take notes on regular paper
  • You can take notes using a whiteboard with erasable marker or a plastic transparency sheet and erasable marker
  • You will be asked to erase all notes in view of the proctor at the end of the test

Once your equipment and systems checks are complete:

  • Download and install the ETS Test Browser on the computer you will use for the test
  • Run the ProctorU® System Check from the computer you will use for the test

ENVIRONMENT:

1] Privacy

  • You must be alone in a quiet, well-lit room
  • You cannot communicate with anyone else; no one else can enter the room during the test
  • Make sure you can be seen on camera by the proctor: DO NOT MOVE during the test as suspicious movements could invalidate your test
  • Testing in a public space such as a park, internet cafe or restaurant is not allowed

2] Tabletop and seating

  • Your computer and keyboard must be on a desk or other tabletop surface
  • The tabletop and surrounding area must be clear of all items not approved for use during the test: MOBILE PHONES, RECORDING DEVICES, HEADPHONES, EARPHONES are NOT ALLOWED
  • You must sit in a standard chair; you may not sit or lie on a bed, couch, or an overstuffed chair
  • Food and drink are not allowed during the test

3] Clothing and appearance

  • Your face must be visible: DO NOT wear sunglasses or other accessories
  • Your ears must remain visible throughout the test: DO NOT cover your hair with a hat or other items
  • DO NOT wear jewelry, tie clips, cuff links, ornate clips, combs, barrettes, headbands, and other hair accessories
  • You must be dressed appropriately for your test: you will be monitored via camera by the proctor, and your photo will be shared with institutions that receive your scores

Important links to be followed step by step:
1] Primary link: https://www.ets.org/gre/at-home
2] Equipment and Environment Checklist: https://www.ets.org/s/cv/gre/at-home/equipment/
3] Registration with ETS: https://www.ets.org/s/cv/gre/at-home/ets-account/
4] Registration with ProctorU: https://www.ets.org/s/cv/gre/at-home/proctoru-account/
5] Testing Experience: https://www.ets.org/s/cv/gre/at-home/test-day/

 

Taking the GRE® General Test at Home: On Test Day

The GRE General Test at home is the same as the GRE General Test you take at a test center. It will cost the same as taking the exam at a test center. The score delivery timing and acceptance of the scores by university programs are also the same. Once you have registered for the GRE General Test at home, on the day of the test, you must ensure the following:

Before the Test:

  • Log in to your ProctorU account at your appointment time
  • You will have up to 15 minutes after your scheduled time to begin your check in: if you have not checked in by that time, your test will be canceled and your fee will not be refunded
  • Select “Start Session”
  • Complete the authentication steps, which include showing your ID to the proctor: the name on your ID must match the name on your ETS account
  • The proctor will review the exam rules and request access to your computer screen for monitoring purposes
  • The proctor will ask you to use either a hand-held mirror or cell phone to show your computer screen
  • The proctor will ask you to use the camera on your computer to show a 360-degree view of the room, including your tabletop surface
  • When directed by the proctor, you will launch the ETS secure web browser: the password to access the test will be provided by the proctor

During the Test:

  • The test has six sections with a 10-minute break following the third section and one-minute breaks between the remaining sections
  • You are required to remain in your seat for the one-minute breaks
  • You are allowed to leave your seat during the 10-minute break: if you do not return on time, your test will be canceled and your fee will not be refunded
  • Unscheduled breaks during the at home test are not allowed

After the Test is Completed:

  • At the end of the test, you will be given the option to report or cancel your scores
  • If you choose to report your scores, you will be able to view unofficial Verbal Reasoning and Quantitative Reasoning scores
  • You will not be able to view your Analytical Writing scores at the end of your test
  • If you elect to report your scores, you will be asked to choose up to four score recipients as part of your test fee

To register for the test, visit https://www.ets.org/gre/at-home today!

Coronavirus Lockdown: Impact on GRE, TOEFL and IELTS Tests Administration

Dilip Oak's Academy
There is a lot of confusion overtaking the GRE® General Test if your test date is during the lockdown which has been put in effect till April 14, 2020. Due to the health and safety concerns for students and staff from the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, the ETS has postponed tests in many affected countries, including India. According to the latest update on the ETS website, the GRE® General Test and TOEFL iBT® Test have been postponed in India till April 11, 2020.

 

While both the GRE® General Test and the TOEFL iBT® Test are now being offered as Special Home Edition test, this is only available in the United States, Canada, Colombia, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Hong Kong (China) and Macau (China) from Thursday, March 26. India is not one of those countries: there is no Special Home Edition test for Indian test-takers.

If you are concerned about the rescheduling of your GRE® General Test or TOEFL iBT® Test, the ETS is regularly releasing updates taking into account the WHO directives and the local government orders. If the ETS postpones your GRE® General Test or TOEFL iBT® Test, you will be notified by email and your test will be rescheduled in your account. Check your account and your email regularly to confirm your testing status. If the ETS reschedules your test, the applicable fees will be waived (no rescheduling fees will be applied).

 

If your GRE® General Test or TOEFL iBT® Test is not postponed but you would like to reschedule, you must contact the respected services directly by sending a mail to the addresses provided below. This rescheduling will incur a fee.
To reschedule the GRE test:
Email: gre-info@ets.org
To reschedule the TOEFL test:
Email: toefl@ets.org
To register for tests:
Test dates scheduled within the next 5–6 months are still open for registration for both GRE® General Test and TOEFL iBT® Test. Students can register for available dates on the GRE Tests registration website.

 

Important Links:
GRE & TOEFL Tests
Updates due to COVID-19: https://www.ets.org/s/cv/important-update/
Updates for GRE: https://www.ets.org/s/cv/gre/asia-pacific/
Updates for TOEFL: https://www.ets.org/s/cv/toefl/asia-pacific/
GRE at Home: https://www.ets.org/s/cv/gre/at-home/ (Not Available in India)
TOEFL at Home: https://www.ets.org/s/cv/toefl/at-home/ (Not Available in India)

 

IELTS Test
IELTS with British Council: https://www.britishcouncil.in/exam/ielts/important-information-covid-19-ielts-candidates (India – Some tests are suspended. Please check with your local test center for details)
IELTS with IDP: https://www.ieltsidpindia.com/ (All tests canceled till April 14th, 2020)

Oak’s Online GRE® Prep Tools

Dilip Oak's Academy

As the GRE® test is computer-delivered; the test-taker has to be comfortable with solving questions on the screen. After years of appearing for paper-based tests, this may be a little daunting for the average college student in India. One of the best ways to boost your confidence on the test day is to get used to the computer-based delivery of the GRE® test.

Dilip Oak’s Academy offers an online suite of practice modules and tests. This online suite will help you prepare on the go! The suite includes Focused Practice, Test Prep, Mock Tests, and Vocabulary App and has hundreds of GRE-like questions for both the Verbal Reasoning and Quantitative Reasoning sections. A single sign-in will be your key to unlocking all the online features.

FOCUSED PRACTICE

(Available for our GRE® coaching students only)

  1. Reinforcement of the classroom coaching by helping you keep in sync with the concepts, tricks, and tips taught in the class
  2. 400+ questions for Verbal and Quantitative Reasoning
  3. Topic-wise questions for Quantitative and Verbal Reasoning

 

STUDY PLANS

(Available for our GRE® coaching students only)

  1. Carefully designed according to your GRE® test date
  2. Wide variety of plans — one month to four months
  3. Sent directly to your inbox: a detailed preparation method with built-in milestones to help measure your progress
  4. Regular reminders to help you prepare for the GRE® test in a more systematic manner

 

TEST PREPOaks Test Prep

  1. Personalized Dashboard to track your progress
  2. Customized according to the question types and difficulty level
  3. Convenient timed and untimed modes for practice
  4. Instant Review and question summary
  5. In-depth explanatory answers to gauge where you stand

 

Oaks GRE TestMOCK TESTS

  1. Actual GRE® test experience with full-length timed tests according to the ETS® pattern
  2. Analytical Writing section: Get essay scores and personalized feedback by our experienced evaluators
  3. Detailed Analysis: question by question break up of your performance to help you gauge your strengths and weaknesses
  4. Explanatory Review: help you understand what went wrong and how to get it right the next time

 View our Plans & Pricing for Oak’s Online GRE Prep Tools

 

VOCABULARY APPOaks Vocabulary App

  1. 1500 high-frequency GRE® words
  2. Images illustrating the meaning of words
  3. Sample sentences, and audio and text pronunciation
  4. An interactive audio-visual tool with test mode

You can buy the Vocabulary App from Google Play or App Store

How to Prepare for the GRE Test Day

Dilip Oak's Academy

Preparing for exams

No matter how well you have been preparing for your Graduate Record Examination over a period of time, as the GRE test day comes nearer there are bound to be some jitters and anxiety. Even the most confident of students are no exceptions to these exam day blues. Here are a few tips to calm those nerves and stay confident before and through the GRE test:

  1. Adequate Sleep

Slogging it out the night before the examination is very common. However it does not help you on the exam day. Studies say that a well-rested brain performs better than a fatigued one. So be prepared with all the study material well in advance and avoid burning the midnight oil

  1. Stay away from Caffeine

Caffeine is known to give a refreshing kick for a short time however it has counter effect in the long run. So stay away from black coffee and caffeinated drinks for a day before the examination.

  1. Relax and Unwind

“All work and no play, make Jack a dull boy”, we have heard this quite many times and it’s true too. Play your favourite music, talk to friends or meditate. Do what relaxes you the most (even doodling will do!!). Take short breaks during study time and relax.

  1. Exercise

A light walk or jog or practicing Yoga helps in a big way to calm your nerves. However don’t overdo any exercise as it will induce physical fatigue and later may transform into discomfort and pain.

  1. Eat Light

Eat many small meals instead of one big meal, as it will keep you from feeling drowsy and heavy. It will also improve your concentration and alertness during study and exam.

And all in all you are the best judge of what suits you. Do what you think is good for you. Wish you the best!