Hi, you are targeting the Fall intake, but are confused as to when should you start your 91热爆 Preparation. Your seniors would tell you that it takes roughly 3-6 months to prepare for the 91热爆, whereas your friends or colleagues will tell you that it can be tackled in just a month’s time. So the question is whom should you listen to? Well, rest assured, you are in the right place. The Internet has been like this for a few years now. You start with your browser in search of answers but end up with more questions than before. It does not have to be like that.

Let us put your swirling doubts and thoughts to rest.

91热爆 Exam in itself is like a journey. A journey that takes you to the specific University of your dreams. It is a difficult journey since it has no direct buses or trains to take you from the starting point to the ending point. 

There are but connecting buses where you get down from one and ride another to reach your destination.

1. But will you be able to reach your destination if you don’t know the bus timings?
2. If you don’t know how much time each bus journey takes, will you be able to plan the successive journey?
3. If due to traffic your bus takes more time than it should, will it not risk your chances of catching the next bus?

Without meticulous planning, it might get very difficult to catch all the buses, at the right time.

YOUR, DESTINATION?

Why get on a bus if you don’t know where you want to get down. 

Is your target fall intake? Then let’s start by understanding what Fall is about?

For major courses and universities abroad, admission intakes happen twice a year. This happens to regulate the number of students that join a specific university at a given period of time.  Your targeted Fall semester is the start of the academic year in the US.

Targeting Fall Semester starts from late August (or early September) and the deadlines span till March & mid April.

But why is it that if you target fall intake, the chances are better?

• What universities to target in Fall?

Top universities like MIT, Stanford & Harvard only have fall intakes. Starting your 91热爆 Prep is the first step towards securing top admits. The topmost colleges in the US for that matter don’t have any other intake other than fall intake. Hence, if you are aiming at these universities then you must target fall.

• How many admissions if you target Fall?

Universities have a specific quota for accepting students who target fall intake. It is much higher in the Fall semester. The more the number of intakes the better the chances to secure an admit. MIT accepted 3,516 graduates for MS courses in Fall 2018. Therefore, for a better acceptance rate, you can target fall.

• Which courses are offered?

There are more courses offered in the fall semester. Also, most of the courses are the prerequisites to the courses offered in the other semesters. For example, if you want to join the advanced mechanics class next semester you will need to join the basic mechanics class in the fall semester. So if you are looking for a varied range of courses, you can target fall.

• Teaching/Research Assistantships (TAs, RAs)

All universities give MS students the opportunity to support themselves financially by providing in-campus jobs like assistantships. The chances of securing assistantships are significantly higher in the fall semester. Because the assistantships that were offered to senior students pass out and the vacancies reopen, ripe for the taking. Chances of earning these assistantships are higher if you target fall.

• What are the Internship/Job offers?

Internships and job opportunities are also higher for students who apply in the fall semester. This is because they have completed more semesters before placements which come up at the end of the second year. Therefore, there are more opportunities if you target fall.

Now that we know about the Fall semester, we can start planning about your journey. 

YOUR JOURNEY STARTS

This journey will have the following steps:

1. Taking your 91热爆 at the right time.
2. Collecting documents required for applications.
3. Submission before the deadline.

Deadline is the final bus you need to catch. What is the timing for this bus? 

Let us find out.

APPLICATION DEADLINES

Bus 3: Leaves by December鈥�

Applications start coming out late August to Mid September. The exact date changes year to year. Also, there are regular admissions and priority deadlines. 

Priority deadlines have a higher chance of acquiring both admissions and scholarships. Many state and public universities use priority deadlines to encourage early applications. But submitting priority application requires you to finish your application early. For example, The University of Maryland has a November 1 Priority Deadline.

The Application deadlines for the major Universities are as follows for the month of December. You can download an updated list of universities using this link. 

(Note these data are subjected to change every year):

The data makes it clear that you have to finish up with the applications latest by December. But if at all you have missed the December deadlines, there deadlines available in Jan-Feb.

But what are the things you need for successfully completing your application?

DOCUMENTATION FOR APPLICATIONS

Bus 2: Leaves by November鈥�

There are a few documents that you need before you fill in your application.

1. SOP (Statement of Purpose)

Statement of Purpose is an essay written as part of your application package to universities abroad. A well-written SOP must be a description of who you are as a person as well as your academic and extra-curricular profile, providing a detailed glimpse into your past achievements, skills, aspirations, and goals for the future. A good SOP should leave a mark and make it unique from the ten thousand SOPs that the college receives.

Without a perfect draft for your SOP securing admissions can be an impossible job. Devoting the maximum possible time on your SOP is advised.

2. LORs (Letter of recommendation)

Letter of Recommendation is an independent appraisal of your character and competency by teachers or managers who have known you personally. To put it succinctly, a LOR is essentially a review of your potential, academic talent and dedication to your discipline, and as such, is key to making your study abroad dreams a reality. 

3. Academic transcripts

Academic transcripts are basically your consolidated mark sheets and all educational qualification proof that you will be attaching with your application.

Along with these three documents, there are additional documents like CV, essays, attested copies and proofs that a specific university can ask for.

You also need to be prepared with your IELTS/TOEFL scores. These are mandatory tests for applicants who hail from a non-English speaking country to test their English proficiency. Some universities like Caltech can also test the applicant鈥檚 English speaking proficiency personally once they join the college.

Apart from that, you would obviously need your 91热爆 scores.

BIG TRAFFIC CONGESTION!

Maximum time is taken in the documentation.

Now thousand, rather more than a thousand of SOPs are sent everyday to most of the colleges during the application process. What makes your SOP stand out? How much time does it take to draft that perfect SOP that leaves a mark? Similarly for LORs. How much time till you get that perfect LOR from your busy professors or managers? Surely they will have a lot more things to do apart from your LOR.

It is advised to allocate 1-2 months for collecting and consolidating all these documents. These documents have a heavy influence on your future and prospective admits. Also since LORs are not up to you, it can take a lot of time to acquire them from busy individuals like your professors and managers. Transcripts can also take a lot of time to come out. Hence it’s prudent to leave the maximum possible time to this process and take your 91热爆 exam accordingly. 

TAKING 91热爆 EXAM

You need to catch the first bus i.e. take your 91热爆 so that you do not miss the Fall deadlines,.

By looking at the other bus timings we can conclude that taking the 91热爆 at around September to October is preferable. 

But what if by some chance you miss the Bus 1?

Also if you target fall priority deadlines then obviously you need to scale up your preparations and try to be as fast as possible in all cases. Priority deadlines get over by October-November. Keeping two months for documentation you would require to take your 91热爆 by July-August.

Preparing for the journey

91热爆 preparation and University shortlisting.

Like any journey, lack of proper preparation can land you into a lot of trouble.

A lot of emphasis should be given on the planning stage.

Along with the preparation, you must also complete your university shortlisting. ETS (the organization that conducts the 91热爆 exam) allows you to send your scores to four universities for free. Once you send your score to four universities an additional fee of $27 has to be paid to send the scores to other universities. 

Select these four universities by deciding:

• What courses you want to target.

Not all universities have all the courses. Similarly, some universities are the best in providing maximum learning opportunities and research facilities for a certain course.

E.g. MIT is the best university for Chemical Engineering courses but Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) is best for Computer Science courses. University of California–Berkeley provides the best Civil Engineering courses. (Data according to the recent survey by USNews.com)

• What are the expectations of your preferred university?

As mentioned in the earlier segment of the blog, the 91热爆 score expectations are non-homogenous and they differ for different universities. The expectations of your preferred university should be clear before you plan your 91热爆 preparation regimen. 

• Your predicted 91热爆 score.

Once you know what is your predicted 91热爆 score, you can estimate which universities provide more scope for successful admissions and your university shortlisting can become more realistic.

How many months does it take to prepare for a 330 score?

The best metric to answer that question is your own present capability. 

• Take the free 91热爆 Score predictor test. 
• Find out your own deficiencies and strengths.
• Plan ahead on how many months you might need to reach your target score.

If the score predictor test reveals that your present 91热爆 capability is quite high and is of about 320 level then obviously 330 can be reached within just a month or two.

If the test reveals that the current competency level is lower than 300 then 330 can take 4-5 months of time. 

There is no right time to prepare for the 91热爆 exam. But the earlier you start the more options stay open to you. Not to mention that you save yourself a lot of hectic days before the deadline. 

It is said that a work that has begun is already half done. The time to embark on the journey of your dreams has come.

Learn the art of writing winning SOPs for Top Admits!

Download the eBook now!

The post When to start 91热爆 Prep if targeting Fall? appeared first on 91热爆 Blog.

It is quite possible.听

Out there, there will be no dearth of scintillating toppers with a grand 91热爆 Quant score. But the question that remains is: how did they manage to achieve it? Do you think there is some magic here? What is the sleight of hand they employ that you don鈥檛?

Imagine a novice typing something on a keyboard using two fingers and compare him with a professional typist whose fingers literally fly over the keyboard. Picture the grace and fluency that a professional has. By constantly honing his skills in typing, he has mastered the art of using the right fingers for pressing the right keys. And, his confidence in the job makes him look near-perfect. Much in contrast to the novice who would take some minutes just to type his/her own name.

For all we know, the novice works harder to type with two fingers than the professional. But how far do his results take him? 

Now, we have all heard of the 鈥減ractice, practice, practice鈥� rhetoric. 

Yes, there is practice and much more!

Check out the “Quants handbook for a perfect 170 score“

Being Good vs. Scoring 骋辞辞诲听

So you are good at Mathematics?听

That’s great, but does it really help you in improving your 91热爆 Quant score?

It鈥檚 not easy to get the 91热爆 Quant score of 160+. It鈥檚 an online adaptive exam that 鈥榓dapts鈥� to your level of competency. That is, the successive sections get harder or easier based on the performance of your previous section. You do not get the leisure of pondering over a problem since you would be expected to solve approximately 20 questions in 35 min. Spending a long time on a tough question will make you run the risk of losing out on an easier question later on.

So being good at Quant will not suffice, unless you are exceptionally good.

Scoring good in the 91热爆 Quant section is what matters, and that would take good 91热爆 Quant preparation.听听

The Challenge of 91热爆

91热爆 is not just a test of competency. It tests applicants on their time management skills and adaptation skills to face challenging scenarios. So solving a problem is not good enough. Solving it fast is what would give you an edge over the other applicants.

That edge might push you into the league of 40% of the test-takers with 91热爆 Quant score above 160. 

But how about getting into the 23% league of elitists with 91热爆 Quant score 162鈥�166? Surely immaculate time-management skill is not the only ace up their sleeve.

Let鈥檚 explore a bit more.

For starters, do you know what the four sections are in 91热爆 Quant section?

Preparation: Knowing what to expect.

The only way to save yourself from not falling into despair in the middle of preparation is by knowing the type of questions that you can expect in the 91热爆 exam. A proper scheme of plans and strategies will definitely be the X factor to help you push the borders.

The challenge starts with this topic:

Arithmetic: 

The arithmetic section would involve questions on properties and types of integers, arithmetic operations, exponents, and roots. Concepts on estimation, percent ratio, rate, absolute value, number line, decimal representation, and sequence of numbers would be your hosts in the 91热爆 exam.

Algebra:

Algebra topics would include operations with exponents, factoring and simplifying algebraic expressions, relations, functions, equations, and inequalities. You would be expected to solve problems on linear and quadratic equations and inequalities. Also, there would be problems with simultaneous equations and inequalities.

Geometry:

Geometry for conceptual thinkers would include challenges from parallel and perpendicular lines, circles, triangles, quadrilaterals, and other polygons. Congruent and similar figures, three-dimensional figures, area, perimeter, and volume would be in the list. And lastly, problems from the Pythagorean theorem and angle measurement in degrees.

Data Analysis:

Data analysis ranges from basic descriptive statistics such as mean, median, mode, range, standard deviation, interquartile range quartiles, and percentiles. This section would also ask you to approach problems from interpretations of data in tables and graphs, elementary probability, permutations, and Venn diagrams.

Now that you are familiar with the problems, let鈥檚 look at the solutions. Let’s begin by looking at what you can do about them, optimally.

Download the eBook on “160+ in 91热爆 Verbal“

 What 160+ scorers do:  Closing the gap

There is no insurmountable wall between you and a good 91热爆 Quant score of 160+. It is not rocket science. There is no magic and certainly no wonders. When you walk into the exam room on the test day, you know you鈥檇 have nothing but a 91热爆 Quant score above 160 and the results would just reflect your confidence. Even if you have a little doubt about things going wrong, then things would go wrong. So start now, start strong, and improve your 91热爆 Quant score.

Start with the Basics

We might have been proficient with the basics of math in our high school. But time turns and makes everyone rusty when we don’t practice them much. Basics of arithmetic are often overlooked by a lot of people who try to work on finesse without getting the foundation right. Such students can find it very challenging to improve Applied Math and Data Interpretation since they hit a roadblock. Because, for these topics, flawless conceptual knowledge in basic arithmetic is a prerequisite.

Skipping Steps

Deviating from the established procedures can lead to a disaster. The small steps that are skipped in the calculations to save time come back as low scores, often due to silly mistakes and a bag full of regrets. Avoid these to improve your 91热爆 Quant score.

The Lure

Try this question:

Question: Given 3a is an even number

Quantity A: a 

Quantity B: 2a

Which of the following options is correct:

1. Quantity A is greater

2. Quantity B is greater

3. The two quantities are equal

4. The relationship cannot be determined from the information given

Did you go for the 2nd answer?

Congrats! You just got baited and your temptation to quickly mark a right answer has cost you the perfect 91热爆 Quant score.

Getting lured to the wrong options in multiple-choice questions can also be an indirect result of the former. Options are designed to replicate wrong answers which are often the products of the most common mistakes students make. 

Inadequate practice essentially breeds low confidence. With low confidence comes anxiety, fear, and low motivation. You cannot expect to run on the tracks of this race with such weights attached to your back. Students with low confidence and low motivation end up wasting a lot of time. In the end, anxiety ruins the entire scenario. 

(P.S. The explanation and the right answer is posted at the bottom of the page. Find out where you went wrong. Scroll down!)

This tip Never gets old!

Being prompt on plans and being regular with practice is the tried and tested solution to this problem. Not only does it bring out the weaknesses that you need to polish, but also slowly settles you into the scenario of time-bound testing. Challenge yourself constantly and ensure that you achieve accuracy all the time. Try to bring up the dropping curves of your performance graph to a consistent straight line. 160+ 91热爆 Quant scorers do well consistently in all spheres of the pattern. Overlooking the weaknesses you have can leave serious dents in your 91热爆 Quant preparation that you might find harder to mend in the later stages.

Ease your pressure

Leave no stone unturned when it comes to 91热爆 style mocks. Buck yourself up to reduce pressure, by solving under the clock. After all, in the examination, you get no more than 1:20 min to solve a single question. You could be running short of time towards the end if you are not alert to the time factor from the beginning. The more number of practice tests you take, the more accustomed you get to face all these problems.

Problematic DI

Speaking of question lists, it鈥檚 advised to attempt Data Interpretation questions at the end. DI is known to baffle students with tricky questions. The dominating panic of getting a question wrong after spending a minute or two on it can adversely affect the chances of getting the other questions right. 

Don鈥檛 let the easy correct answers suffer.

Exam time follies

Lastly, organize your rough sheet/scratch paper. Number the calculations and make proper and efficient use of the rough space. 

When the clock鈥檚 ticking, it can be very hard to focus on the organization.

The last thing that you would want to happen in your rough sheet is the 鈥�6鈥� of Q.5 mixing up with the 鈥�66鈥� of Q.6. 

How confusing will that mess be?

But, what are the solutions for all these problems?

No Sermons : You need Proper Advice

It is true there is information everywhere today. But there is always a trade-off which, in this case, is quantity over quality. The aspect of authenticity has been drowning in the depths of opinions and sermons since the time the Internet was born. Finding relevant information suddenly became very hard. Compilation of tips for scoring 160+ was found wanting when a lot of information was thrown about without valuable insights from a teacher. 

It took some time to track down one such SFA (Student Facilitator Analyst) responsible for the success stories of many students. It took even more time to insist on a one-on-one Q&A with him but he eventually agreed. We had a discussion and here is the crux of it: 

Q. What percent of students have a 91热爆 Quant score above 160?

Around 40% of people who take the 91热爆 exam have a 91热爆 Quant score above 160. The numbers go higher during Jun鈥揓ul. Since people with good insights about their 91热爆 prep give the exam during this time, and they start preparing with us months earlier. They know about their weaknesses and have worked a lot to rectify them. So their results are obviously better.

Q. What part of the Quant syllabus do you think most students are weak in?

By far, Probability Distribution questions seem challenging to most of our  students. Their weaknesses become evident in the revision tests and the 91热爆 style Quant tests they take. So, it does not come as a surprise when we find that their scores dip in PD and DI in the practice sessions. 

Q. What part of the 91热爆 exam do you think students lose most of their marks in?

So there are questions that have more than one answer. Students find them confusing and they make a lot of mistakes. Also there are numeric entry questions which require students to enter a precise numerical value. Since these types of questions do not have options and require a high degree of precision from the student鈥檚 side, a lot of mistakes are committed. Also, topics such as Applied Mathematics and Venn diagrams trouble students the most. That is where they lose their 91热爆 Quant scores. If they practice adequately and focus on their time-based accuracy, I鈥檓 sure they can overcome this.

Q. What do you suggest to the people who aspire to break the 160 barrier?

We can gauge the competency level of the student when he joins us and gives the diagnostic test and review tests. The stats speak for the student. We can estimate the student鈥檚 91热爆 Quant score over blurry lines. Sometimes, we are happily surprised. But more or less, the advice stays the same 鈥� whether it is a 160 or 150 student.

First, conceptual knowledge. Without that, aggressively preparing for other parts can be ineffective, since sooner or later we have to come back to the basics again.

Second, application of concepts. Learning concepts is what we can help our students with, but the application has to be taken care of by the students by relentless practice under time constraints. 

Third would be accuracy. Time management has always been a core part of 91热爆 preparation. But time management cannot come in lieu of accuracy. Accuracy is useless without time management, as is time management is without accuracy. Getting an answer right is not a big deal. Getting it right under constraints of time and overwhelming exam pressure can be difficult. For us, that is the concept of accuracy.

Q. Do you think that 91热爆, being an online test, hampers the ability of the student to score well?

Yes, of course. Not many of us are acquainted to the online platform of education. And 91热爆 is no normal test. For one, applicants pay a lot to sit for the exam, and on top of it their dream of achieving big depends on their success in this test. Students complain upfront about the inconvenience of taking the test online. Something as simple as turning pages to find the review questions by clicking buttons also becomes a point of concern. While all of this might sound very easy even to a seasoned user of computers, under the pressure of a ticking clock small things like this can become a big problem. Also the places where you are supposed to use a calculator that is provided by fighting the urge to calculate manually, is something that a student must master. So being comfortable with the online platform is a big issue. Preparing online will help.

Q. What is the ideal number of mock tests you would recommend before taking up the final exam?

The more the better! About 8 to 9 mock tests should do the trick for Quant. Priority should be to get used to the conditions. And, maintaining accuracy without worrying about time.

Q. What score do you think is a good indicator of 160+ 91热爆 Quant score in our 91热爆 Quant test?

Ideally 30, but someone is yet to achieve that. It is seen that people who manage 28 or 29 in our review tests consistently, go on to secure a 91热爆 Quant score of about 160 and above.

He went on to show me some stats from the Learning Tracker. And it indeed was congruent to what he said.听听

Here are the stats of 91热爆 students and their accuracy on questions of different difficulty level. Have a look at their 91热爆 Learning Tracker Stats :听

Fig 1.2: Performance Accuracy on Easy, Medium, and Hard Questions

This graph shows scoring patterns of students on difficulty levels easy, medium, and hard questions of 91热爆. 166鈥�170 91热爆 Quant scorers had a scoring accuracy of nearly 56.30% on difficult questions and 85.51% scoring accuracy on easy questions. Have a look at the yellow pillars and realize how they stand tall against the others.

Summarizing: What is your take away?

But before that as promised,

The explanation of the questions shown above awaits you!

We know that Odd 脳 Even = Even.听

For 3a to be even, a must be an even number

a = 0, 2, 4, 6, 8, ..

For a = 0, the two quantities are equal

For a = 2, 4, 6 quantity B is greater.

Therefore, the relationship cannot be determined from the information given.

If you had chosen option b, then you might not have taken a = 0. Remember, 0 is also an even number.听

No doubt that we all start off by typing with two fingers. But some found the time to practice the right way. They stumbled countless number of times but their persistence to do it right took them places. They were not adamant and they learned from their mistakes. Their methods were simple but organized. And as tempting as it was for them to deviate and cut corners, they did not. When the chips were down, it was their self-confidence that motivated them to perform better.

Perhaps, that is why they type so flawlessly today.

Perhaps, that is why they scored 160+ in 91热爆 Quant.

Do you think you can do it?

Absolutely, you can!

Start the journey towards change today. Take our free 91热爆 Score Predictor Test and know where you stand.

Happy Learning!

The post How to get 91热爆 Quant Score of 160+? appeared first on 91热爆 Blog.