Further Studies Abroad

Further Studies Abroad

Introduction The access to satellite communication and information super highways has made it possible for the Nepali youths to explore opportunities of further education abroad. The West - the U.S.A. and Western Europe in particular - and Australia to some extent have become the magnet for the aspiring youths looking for academic excellence, variety of educational experiences, cutting edge technology, flexibility in educational programs and above all, opportunities for learning and earning at the same time. However, many aspirants are carried away by the rosy picture of the West and the possible benefits of western education tend to overlook the fact that study in the West is an extremely serious and very expensive undertaking. Therefore, if you are planning to go abroad for further studies, it will be wise of you to ask yourself the following key questions before even beginning the application process: • What are the goals of my study-abroad plan? • Do I have the academic preparation necessary to achieve these goals? • Do I have adequate proficiency in English? • Am I prepared to work hard even under stressful conditions? • Do I have enough money to see me through at least six months to one year? • Am I fully prepared to be away from friends and relatives and adjust to alien culture and social customs for the period of study? If you have convincing and positive answers to these questions, you are definitely a right candidate. You should immediately begin [our search for the appropriate college or university as the application process itself may take any length of time from three months to one year. Nowadays, there are a number of educational consultancy agencies in Kathmandu, which provide although at a price, useful information and assistance for securing admission in foreign universities. Some foreign diplomatic missions and international agencies stationed in Kathmandu also offer useful tips and services. For instance, the United States Educational Foundation in Nepal (USEF), The British Council, The Australian Embassy and The Russian Cultural Center have well equipped resource centers, and special staff on duty to advise and assist Nepali students seeking educational opportunities in their respective countries. However, along with the search for the university, you must also prepare for and take the appropriate standardized tests in good time. Without satisfactory scores in these tests, your application for admission to a foreign university will never make it to the decision making body of international admissions. 1.TOEFL The Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) is a standardized English Language proficiency test conducted by Educational Testing Service (ETS) for the College Board and Graduate Record Examinations board of the USA. The chief purpose is to evaluate at a given time the English language proficiency of prospective international students whose native language is not English. The TOEFL scores are required for the purposes of admission by more than 4400 colleges and universities worldwide, particularly in the U.S.A. and Canada. The scores are valid for the intended purposes for a two years period only. In Nepal, the test is conducted in the computer-based format (CAT- Computer Adaptive Test) at the USEFJH American Center, Gyaneshwor, Kathmandu. It is conducted five days a week, Monday through Friday, except on some American and Nepali public holidays. Previous knowledge or skill of working with a computer is not a prerequisite for taking the test. The candidates are given a tutorial on how to use the computer for the test and the center also offers two full-length practice tests for TOEFL, GRE & GMAT to the interested candidates at a reasonable charge. The Test Format The test consists of four sections - Listening, Structure, Reading and Writing - as illustrated in the table given below: Section Time Listening (understanding North American spoken English) Part A: Short conversations, Part Part B: Longer conversations and talks 40 to 60 minutes Structure (Recognizing formal written language usages) Sentence completion Error recognition 20 to 25 minutes Reading (Reading formal written English texts with comprehension) Answering comprehension questions 70 -90 minutes Writing (Explaining/describing data and issues, developing arguments, forming opinion and expressing in appropriate variety of written English) Essay on one given topic. 30 minutes TOEFL Fees and Registration  Fees: The TOEFL fee is US $ 130, which must be paid in full in advance, at the time of registration. Registration: You have two options for registering for TOEFL in Nepal. (i) By submitting the TOEFL registration form at USEF/H American Center, Gyaneshwor, Kathmandu. In this case, you can make the payment in Nepali Currency at the foreign currency exchange rate of the day. (ii) By phone or Fax If you have an international credit card, you can directly call or fax to: Sylvan Learning Systems Faber Imperial Court Jalan Sultan Ismail 50350 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Tel:             00603 76283333      , Fax: 00603 76283366 2. SAT (Scholastic Aptitude Test) The Scholastic Aptitude Test, technically known as the SAT-I, is a test of verbal and quantitative reasoning. The test is required for admission to undergraduate programs of most US universities. Many universities also require you to take SAT-II, which refers to the one-hour subject tests in different subjects. Scores on standardized tests like the SAT-I: (Reasoning Test) and the SAT-II (Subject Tests) help colleges compare the academic achievements of students from different schools because courses and grading standard may vary widely. They also help you to compare your reasoning abilities and academic strength with those of more than 2.5 million students who take these tests each year. The SAT Format The SAT-I is a three-hour exam, divided into seven sections. The following table gives an outline of the SAT-I format. Section Types of Questions Total Questions Timing Verbal I Sentence completion - 9 questions Analogy questions -13 questions Critical reading -13 questions 35 questions 30 minutes Verbal II Sentence completion-10 questions Analogy questions - 6 questions Critical reading -14 questions 30 questions 30 minutes Verbal III Critical reading of 2 reading passages on a related topic 13 questions 15 minutes Mathematics I Multiple choices of Arithmetic, Algebra and Geometry. 25 questions 30 minutes Mathematics II Quantitative comparisons -15 Student-produced-response questions-10 25 questions 30 minutes Mathematics III Multiple choice questions -10 10 questions 15 minutes Experimental Varies Either verbal or mathematics section 30 minutes Total 138+ 3 hours Fees and Registration SAT 1 fee for Nepali students is US $ 45.5 and Nepal has two test centers - Lincoln School and St.Xavier's School. You can take either the SAT-I or up to three SAT-II: Subject Tests on a given test date. There are three common ways of registering for SAT: (i) By Mail Obtain the 'SAT Information Bulletin' available free with USEF/N, American Center or from the College Board website at www.collegeboard.org. Fill in the form, get a draft made (if you are not paying by credit card), and use the envelope provided with the form to mail these to: College Board SAT Program Princeton, NJ 08541, USA (ii) By Fax (Credit Card required) Fill up and write your credit card number in the space provided and fax the form to:             001-609 683 1234      . Please don't forget to add 4% extra to the test fee for fax registration. (iii) Online Registration (Credit Card required) Fill up the form online and mention your credit card number. This is the easiest way to register for SAT. 3.GMAT The Graduate Management Aptitude Test (GMAT) is a computer adaptive test that measures the basic verbal, mathematical and analytical writing skills that are developed over a long period of time. The test is designed to help graduate schools of business assess the qualifications of applicants for advanced study in business and management. GMAT scores are used by nearly 1700 graduate management programs throughout the world, and about 1000 schools require GMAT scores from each applicant The GMAT Format The General GMAT consists of three sections - Analytical, Quantitative and Verbal. The following table illustrates the format of the GMAT with time allotted to each section Section Question Time Analytical Writing Analysis of an issue Analysis of an argument 1 Topic 1 Topic 30 minutes 30 minutes Optional rest break NA 5 minutes Quantitative Problem solving & data sufficiency 37 questions 75 minutes Optional rest break NA 5 minutes Verbal Reading comprehension, critical reasoning & sentence correction 41 questions 75 minutes The Scoring Pattern The GMAT results comprise four different scores: A total score, a separate verbal score, a separate quantitative score, and an analytical writing score. Your analytical writing assessment (AWA) performance is not reflected in your total GMAT score (on 800). You get to know your total, verbal and quantitative score immediately after taking the test. Official GMAT score reports, which include the AWA scores, are mailed approximately two weeks after you take the test. Fees and Registration For Nepali students, the GMAT fee is US $ 225. The registration from, information bulletin and test schedules can be obtained from the USEF/N, American Center, Gyaneshwor, Kathmandu. The fee has to be paid through a US $ denominated bank draft payable to ETS-GMAT and mailed to the Registration Center in Malaysia: For Courier Service Suite 21A-15-1 Faber Imperial Ismail 50250, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. For Ordinary Mail. Prometric, B.V. Branch Office P.O.Box: 12984 50794 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia If you wish to pay with an international credit card, you may call to schedule the test date at Tel No.             00-603-7628-3333       or fax the seheduling form at Fax No. 00-603-7628-3366 4.GRE Like GMAT, the GRE (General Graduate Record Examination) is a computer adaptive testthe skills developed by an individual over a long period of time, not necessarily related to any particular field of study. The GRE scores are required for admissions to graduate programs in all disciplines except business management. The GRE Format The GRE test consists of three sections - verbal, quantitative and analytical writing. Modules Questions Time Listening (Understanding standard spoken English, featuring a variety of accents and dialect) 4 sections consisting of monologues and dialogues. 40 items 30 minutes Reading (Reading standard written English texts with comprehension) 3 reading passages. 40 items 60 minutes Writing (Describing/explaining data, discussing issues, forming arguments, using appropriate variety of English) 2 tasks: Report type Task -150 words Essay type task - 250 words 2 tasks 60 minutes Speaking (Using English as a medium of interpersonal communication) 10-15 minutes Fees and Registration The GRE fee for Nepal is US $ 140 payable by bank draft or credit card to ETS-GRE. The mailing and contact addresses for payment and registration are the same as for GMAT. 5. IELTS Like TOEFL, the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) is a test designed to measure the English language proficiency of non-native speakers of English. The test is developed, managed and administered by the university of Cambridge ESCOL Examinations, The British Council and IDP Education Australia. The IELTS scores are required for the purposes of admissions to educational institutions, immigration and work permit in the U.K., Australia, New Zealand, Canada and other English Speaking Commonwealth countries. The Test Format  There are two versions of IELTS - Academic and General. The students seeking admissions to undergraduate and graduate programs are required to take the academic version while the general version is meant for school level students, job seekers and potential immigrants. Both have the same format as given below: Modules Questions Time Listening (Understanding standard spoken English, featuring a variety of accents and dialect) 4 sections consisting of monologues and dialogues. 40 items 30 minutes Reading (Reading standard written English texts with comprehension) 3 reading passages. 40 items 60 minutes Writing (Describing/explaining data, discussing issues, forming arguments, using appropriate variety of English) 2 tasks: Report type Task -150 words Essay type task - 250 words 2 tasks 60 minutes Speaking (Using English as a medium of interpersonal communication) 10-15 minutes Fees and Registration In Nepal, the fee for IELTS examination is Rs. 7600, payable in Nepali currency. Registration form and information handbooks are available at the British Council, Lainchaur, Kathmandu Monday through Friday. The form should be duly filled and submitted along with the registration fee. Registration by Telephone is not permitted. The IELTS scores are made available two weeks after the completion of the test. This article has been provided by Nepal Educational Directory.