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Prerequisites for Pursuing an MS in the USA

Dilip Oak's Academy

Pursuing a Master’s degree in the United States is a dream for many international students. However, before embarking on this educational journey, there are several academic and English language requirements you must meet. Here is a comprehensive guide to help you prepare for your MS in the USA:

1. Academic Requirements:

  • For Technical Fields (e.g., Engineering, Pharmacy, Architecture): Most American universities require applicants to have completed a four-year Bachelor’s degree, which amounts to 16 years of education.
  • For Non-Technical Fields (e.g., Arts, Management): If you’re aiming for such fields, you will generally need 17 years of education (12+3+2), which often includes a Master’s degree after completing a traditional bachelor’s degree.

2. GRE Score:

The GRE (Graduate Record Examination) is a standardized aptitude test used by American universities to assess a student’s verbal reasoning, quantitative reasoning, analytical writing, and critical thinking skills.

  • As of September 2023, the test duration has been reduced to 2 hours. A strong GRE score is essential for admission.
  • While some universities have waived the GRE requirement due to the pandemic, many reputable institutions still consider it important. Thus, having a competitive GRE score can still greatly benefit your chances of acceptance.
  • A score of 320+ is competitive for top 40 universities, with a minimum of 300 usually required for most institutions.

3. TOEFL or IELTS Score:\

Since English may not be your native language, demonstrating proficiency is crucial. Universities often require one of the following English language tests:

  • TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language): Most American universities require a score of 80 or higher out of 120.
  • IELTS (International English Language Testing System): This test is scored on a scale of 9, with many universities requiring a band score of at least 6.5.

4. Good Academic Performance:

Your undergraduate academic record plays a significant role in your application’s success. Maintaining a strong GPA is essential.

  • Ideally, aim for a GPA of 9.0 or higher for admission to top-tier American universities.
  • A GPA of over 7.0 is often sufficient for admission to good universities.
  • Avoid backlogs and year-downs

5. Curricular and Co-Curricular Accomplishments:

American universities value not only your academic achievements but also your practical experiences and involvement in extracurricular activities:

  • Engage in projects and seminars relevant to your field.
  • Consider publishing papers in nationally and internationally recognized journals.
  • Participate in conferences and gain practical experience through internships, whether paid or unpaid.

6. Relevant Work Experience:

Having relevant work experience can increase your chances of admission to prestigious universities and improve your job prospects after completing your MS.

7. Documentation:

Applicants for the GRE examination must provide a valid passport as the only authentic ID proof.

Embarking on an MS journey in the USA is an exciting opportunity, and meeting these prerequisites will set you on the path to success.

At Dilip Oak’s Academy, we understand the significance of this journey. Thus, we offer comprehensive GRE coaching in Pune, both online and classroom, to support you in this crucial aspect of your academic journey. Further, our admission counseling services can guide you through the entire process from Shortlisting Universities to Visa Counseling. With our expertise, we have successfully sent 32,000 students to various prestigious American universities like MIT, Stanford, Cornell, and Carnegie Mellon. To enroll in our comprehensive services, book a free consultation or call us at 91-020-67444222.

We offer GRE, TOEFL, and IELTS coaching, GRE Self Prep and guide students with university selection, application essays, and visa counseling under our Admission Counseling Services for USA, Germany and Canada.  

Understanding the GRE Math

Dilip Oak's Academy

When preparing for an exam, it is important for us to understand the format, structure and syllabus of that exam. So, in this blog, we will try to understand every aspect of the GRE Math Section, which will help us develop a very focused approach to ace this section. It will also answer the frequently asked questions (FAQs) that students ask while preparing for this section. So, let’s begin!

What does the Quantitative Reasoning section of the GRE evaluate?

The Quantitative Reasoning section of the GRE mainly evaluates:

  • Your basic understanding of the mathematical concepts
  • Your ability to interpret and analyze quantitative information
  • Your application skills in solving the questions within the given time limit

What is the scope of the syllabus for the Quantitative Reasoning Section?

  • The GRE broadly tests you on four main topics: Arithmetic, Algebra, Geometry and Data Analysis. The Math Review (PDF) file provides detailed information about the scope of the syllabus.
  • To summarize, it tests you on all your high school math concepts.
  • Good news: No trigonometry, no calculus!

What is the format of the Quantitative Reasoning Section?

  • The Test comprises two Quantitative Reasoning sections with 27 questions to be completed in 47 minutes.
  • The section-wise break-up is as follows:
    • Section I: 12 questions to be completed in 21 minutes
    • Section II: 15 questions to be completed in 26 minutes
  • The following question types are asked:
    • Multiple Choice (Single Correct):
    • Multiple Choice (One or more correct)
    • Numeric Entry Questions
    • Quantitative Comparison Questions
  • An on-screen calculator is available for the Quantitative Reasoning Section. (It is not a scientific calculator.)

What are the sources for preparation?

The following ETS GRE Resources would be the most authentic prep material as they include practice questions straight from the source.

A myriad of publications is available in the market, and a vast resource of material is on the net. But while choosing material, it would be wise to choose GRE-oriented material as it would cater to the format of the exam. At Dilip Oak’s Academy, our books and online practice material have been designed keeping the Test in mind, thus ensuring your focused preparation.

What is the best way to get a good score in the Quantitative Reasoning Section?

To get a good score in the Quantitative section of the GRE, ensure that your preparation involves the following steps:

Concept building:

  • Get a good grasp of the fundamental concepts
  • Memorize your formulae and computational tables to quickly and accurately solve questions.
  • Get familiar with the Question Types.

Practice, practice, practice:

  • Strengthen your concepts by solving a large number of practice questions specifically designed for the GRE.
  • Practice using tricks, shortcuts and time-saving strategies
  • Focus on increasing your accuracy and time management.

Testing:

  • Testing yourself at regular intervals will familiarize you with the format of the exam.
  • Review/feedback will help you understand your strengths and weaknesses, which can be worked upon.
  • Taking at least two tests under simulated testing conditions would be a good approach as it would make you comfortable with the testing environment with time restrictions.

What if I have ‘Math Phobia’?

Many students are always scared of math and thus experience ‘math phobia’, which probably has no cure. Maybe you are not good at math naturally, but don’t give up. Remember, the GRE covers only the basic mathematical concepts studied at your school level, so your math skills are not being tested in this exam. Your application skills are put to the test, along with your logical and analytical thinking. Focus on your strong areas, not the troubled areas that haunt you. Lingering on these may only increase your anxiety and thus affect your preparation and, consequently, your performance.

What should be my approach if I have a strong Math background?

If that is the case, you may find the questions on this exam very simple. But beware! You may be caught off guard! Instead of becoming complacent, a good strategy would be to brush up on your concepts and use the simplicity of this exam to your advantage. Overdependence on your mathematical abilities may affect your score adversely, narrowing your chances of securing admission to a good university. 

What Next?

  • Now that you have understood the focus of the exam and its format, start preparing according to the three steps mentioned above.
  • Ensure that you have a very good understanding of the fundamental concepts.
  • Completing 12 and 15 questions in 21 and 26 minutes respectively is one of the main challenges you will face while answering the Math section. Remember, your speed and accuracy should go hand in hand. You cannot afford to compromise one at the cost of the other.

To summarize, a dedicated and focused approach will surely enhance your test-taking skills, which will guarantee a good score. It’s not necessary to study hard; study smart. Wishing you all the BEST!!!

At Dilip Oak’s Academy, we understand the significance of this journey. Thus, we offer comprehensive GRE coaching in Pune, both online and classroom, to support you in this crucial aspect of your academic journey. Further, our admission counseling services can guide you through the entire process from Shortlisting Universities to Visa Counseling. With our expertise, we have successfully sent 32,000 students to various prestigious American universities like MIT, Stanford, Cornell, and Carnegie Mellon. To enroll in our comprehensive services, book a free consultation or call us at 91-020-67444222.

We offer GRE, TOEFL, and IELTS coaching, GRE Self Prep and guide students with university selection, application essays, and visa counseling under our Admission Counseling Services for USA, Germany and Canada.  

Eligibility Requirements for MS Programs in Canada

Dilip Oak's Academy

1. Academic credentials

A majority of Canadian universities require you to have completed 16 years of education (12+4), i.e. a four-year Bachelor’s degree before applying for MS. This is applicable for students from technical backgrounds like Engineering, Pharmacy, and Architecture. For non-technical fields like Arts and Management, a student is required to complete 17 years of education (12+3+2).

Canadian universities have a very high cut-off percentage. Hence, you need to have a minimum of 70% to 75% in your degree course and an equivalent CGPA of a minimum of 7.5 to 8.5. Top universities especially, give a lot of emphasis on your performance in the last two years (i.e. the 3rd & 4th years) of your degree course.

If you are planning to pursue an MS in Business Management, Finance, or Business Analytics, you are required to have relevant work experience of minimum 1 to 3 years.

2. Qualifying examinations

TOEFL or IELTS: certain minimum English Language Proficiency Test scores are mandatory for admission to Canadian universities. A minimum IELTS band score of 6.5 to 7 or a minimum TOEFL score of 85+ is required by a majority of Canadian universities. At Dilip Oaks Academy, we offer  TOEFL coaching and  IELTS coaching along with rigorous practice sessions and mock tests.

3. GRE: Though a majority of universities in Canada do not require GRE scores, some of the top universities do, and so we recommend that you give your GRE if you aim to get into one of these universities. Our GRE Coaching will help you thoroughly prepare for the GRE exam. (hyperlink underlined words to GRE landing page)

We also offer Admission Counseling (hyperlink to Admission Counseling Masters in Canada page) through which we provide guidance on the selection of universities, application essays, and visa counseling. 

MS in Canada: Admission and student visa requirements (part 2)

Oaks Academy

17th aug-blog banner

In the last blog dated 10/08/2020, we discussed the benefits of pursuing masters in Canada and saw how fast the country is becoming one of the most sought after destinations for higher education. In this blog, we will focus on the admission and visa requirements for MS in Canada and breeze through the top Ten Canadian Universities for STEM courses.

Admission requirements 

Academic credentials

Majority Canadian universities require you to have completed 16 years of education (12+4), i.e. – a four- year Bachelor’s degree before going for MS. This is applicable to all the technical background students like Engineering, Pharmacy, and Architecture etc. For non-technical fields like Arts and Management, a student is required to complete 17 years of education. (12+3+2)

Canadian universities have a very high cutoff percentage. Hence, you need to have a minimum of 65% to 70% in your degree course and an equivalent CGPA of a minimum of 7.0 to 7.5. Top universities especially give a lot of emphasis on the performance of the last two years of your degree course. (3rd & 4th year)

If you are planning to pursue MS in Business Management, Finance, and Business Analytics; you are required to have relevant work experience of minimum 1 to 3 years.

Qualifying examinations

TOEFL/IELTS: English Language Proficiency Test scores are a mandatory requirement of Canadian universities. A minimum of 6.5 to 7 band score in IELTS or 90+ score in TOEFL is required to get into the best Canadian universities. At Dilip Oaks Academy, we offer online TOEFL and online IELTS coaching along with rigorous practice sessions and mock tests.

GRE: Though a majority of universities in Canada do not require GRE scores, some of the top universities do ask for it. We recommend you to give the GRE and keep your scores ready if you aim to get into one of the top universities. Our Online GRE Coaching will enable you to prepare for the GRE in a hassle-free manner.

Crucial student visa requirements:

Once you receive admit from a Canadian university, you need to apply for a study permit that requires you to fulfil four crucial criteria:

1)      Admit should be from a recognized university

2)      Proof of funds to support yourself. At present this is equal to the tuition fee for one year and CA$10,000 as living expenses.

3)      Proof of no criminal record

4)      Fitness certificate from the doctor as recommended by the Canadian High Commission

Lastly, a quick glance at the Top 10 Canadian Universities:

  • University of Toronto
  • University of British Columbia
  • McGill University
  • McMaster University
  • University of Montreal
  • University of Alberta
  • University of Ottawa
  • University of Calgary
  • University of Waterloo
  • Western University

Kick-start your prep for MS in Canada NOW!

Enrol for our admission counselling services and start planning your Canadian endeavour the right way!

When You Should Do Your GRE/GMAT/TOEFL

Dilip Oak's Academy

Students planning to take admission in an American university must have their GRE/GMAT/TOEFL scores in hand at least 9 months in advance. This means that:

  • if you are applying for the fall semester, which starts in September, your score must be ready in January of that same year at the latest.
  • If you are applying for the spring semester, which starts in January, you should have your score in hand by March or April of the previous year.

Ideally, however, you should take your GRE/GMAT tests 1½-2 years before hand. That is,

  • engineering, pharmacy and medical students should take the GRE when they are in their third year
  • students pursuing an MA or MSc should take the GRE while they are doing Part 1 of their course.

This is possible since GRE scores are valid for 5 years. Keep in mind, however, that the TOEFL score is valid only for 2 years and therefore should be given only 9 months in advance as stated above.

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Free Score Reports for the GRE, GMAT, TOEFL and IELTS Tests

Dilip Oak's Academy

Each of the major tests that students generally take to get higher education in the United States – i.e. the GRE, GMAT, TOEFL tests – allows you to send you scores to a certain number of universities or colleges free of charge.

  • GRE – 4 free score reports
    • names of universities to be specified on the day of the test, immediately after your exam
    • current fee per score report thereafter $ 18
  • GMAT – 5 free score reports
    • names of universities to be specified on the day of the test, immediately after your exam
    • current fee per score report thereafter $ 28.00
  • TOEFL – 4 free score reports
    • names of universities to be specified one day before the test
    • current fee per score report thereafter $ 25
  • IELTS – 5 free score reports (to universities accepting an IELTS score) + 1 given to the candidate
    • names of universities to specified in the IELTS application form
    • additional score reports may be requested directly from the testing center – the fee for additional reports will be specified by the test center
Read our subsequent blogs for more details on free score reporting.

 

GRE News: ETS Opens Customer Support Centers in India

Dilip Oak's Academy

Here’s an additional bit of good news for GRE test takers in India. The growing number of students taking the GRE® test in this country has pushed the GRE Program to open customer support centers here.

According to the ETS, the new GRE Customer Service Centers will “provide guidance and information for individuals preparing or planning to take the GRE® revised General Test or GRE® Subject Tests. Information about test preparation materials, test centers and dates, score reports and other test-related inquiries can be answered by call center staff.”

The ETS adds that India Indian students, “may call the new GRE Customer Support Center toll-free at 000-800-100-4072, Monday–Friday from 9 a.m.–5 p.m. IST. In addition, inquiries can be sent via email toGRESupport4India@ets.org.”

This should make registering for, scheduling and cancelling the test much easier for students.

Related:

Great FREE Application Tools on DOA Online: Part 1 – the University Info Feature

Dilip Oak's Academy

Is the Admission Process Becoming a Hassle?

If you have been struggling with the complexities of getting admission to an American university, then you need to know about the great FREE tools available on our ‘online‘ site. They are great for two reasons. First, they will simplify the process of applying to American universities for you. Second, they are free.

There’s no payment and there are no obligations even for students who haven’t enrolled for admissions counseling at Dilip Oak’s Academy. To use them, all you have to do is sign up and start using them. So, tell all your friends about them so they can benefit from them too! This week we will begin with the University Info feature.

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