GRE®
Educational Testing Services, renowned as ETS® conducts the Graduate RecordExamination (GRE) which is a standardised test taken by aspirants to fetch admissionto graduate and business schools across the world. GRE is the right exam forsomeone who aspires to pursue a master’s or MBA degree from abroad. Availableover 1000 test centres in more than 160 countries, the GRE can be taken both as ageneral and subject test. While the syllabus, exam pattern and scoring scales of boththe tests differ, manyinternational graduate and B-schools accept both the scores.Like the English proficiency tests (IELTS and TOEFL), GRE exams do not call forany specific eligibility criteria as well. Aspirants are allowed to select a dateoftheirpreference and register for the test irrespective of age and qualification. Globally, theapplication fee for GRE General Test is $205 and fee for GRE Subject test is $150.For any alteration related to change of subject in the Subject test, candidates will becharged an additional fee of $50. One can appear for the GRE Test once every 21 daysand up to five times within a 12-month period.
GRE® General Test Pattern and Syllabus
GRE General Test
The GRE Test Pattern consists of three sections-●Analytical Writing
●Verbal Reasoning
●Quantitative Reasoning
The total duration of the GRE is 3 hours 40 minutes. Besides the main academicsections, there are two other variable sections and a 10-minute break is given afterthe third (Quantitative Reasoning) section during the GRE Test. The two variablesections are Unscored and the Research section, which do not count toward the finalGRE score.
GRE Subject Test
The GRE test pattern includes six GRE subject tests, namely,●Biology
●Chemistry
●Literature in English
●Mathematics
●Physics
●Psychology
Each subject has a different test pattern. The GRE Subject Tests are conducted inthe paper-based format. Candidates can opt for the test three times round-the-yearin September, October and April. The GRE Subject test is 2 hours and 50 minutesduration.
Having two versions; Academic and General Training, IELTS is open to all aspirants(student or working professional) and do not have any specific eligibility criteria.Both the formats comprise of four mandatory sections, namely listening, reading,writing and speaking. Listening and Speaking sections are the same for both the formats,but the subject matter of the Reading and Writing components differ depending on which test one opts for. IELTS test is designed to reflect the use of English languagein our daily lives; at work, at play and study. The speaking test is conducted asa one-on-one test to assess candidates’ English fluency, coherence, pronunciation,and grammatical accuracy. The responses are recorded by the examiner for analysisand scoring purpose. The candidates are put through a real-life conversation with areal person to get their English conversation skills tested
IELTS Exam Preparation Tips
One of the interesting factors of IELTS preparation is that one can incorporatethe IELTS practice into everyday routine. Test aspirant can prepare while reading is/her favourite book, chatting with friends or even watching television! ThisEnglish language proficiency exam tests candidates’ overall language skills. Onealso needs to religiously solve as many as practice IELTS test papers possible; analyse the mistakes each time, rectify them, and move on.Selection Procedure of IELTS
IELTS scores remain valid for two years. However, the acceptance of the IELTSscore depends much on the IELTS selection procedure of the respective institute/university the candidate is applying to.| Sections | Number of Questions | Allotted Time |
|---|---|---|
| Analytical Writing | One "Analyse an Issue" task and one "Analyse an Argument" task | 30 minutes per task |
| Verbal Reasoning(2 Sections) | 20 questions per section | 30 minutes per section |
| Quantitative Reasoning (Two Sections) | 30 minutes per section | |
| Unscored | Wil vary | Wil vary |
| Research | Wil vary | Wil vary |
skills along with their ability to draw conclusions,understand and add value to partial information provided, as well as identify the perceptionof the author. It also tests the test taker’s ability to identify primary points and differentiatebetween them. The section also aims to test the candidate’s skills with referenceto understanding work relationships and concepts.Lastly, in the Analytical Section of GRE, the candidate is required to effectively understandand articulate ideas both simple and complex. This section also expects the candidatesto be able to support ideas with significant reasons and relevant examples as wellas examine claims and associated facts while able to maintain a rational and well-focuseddiscussion.