GRE and TOEFL are two of the most written standardized tests nowadays, common mostly amongst the students willing to study abroad. While GRE is an exam which tests the capabilities of a student to handle graduate level course work, TOEFL checks the students’ command over English language. Both of these above mentioned exams have different purposes but taking both these tests will improve your chances of getting into your desired graduate school.
Over the past few years the number of students going abroad for higher education has increased by multifold. This has led to more students appearing for GRE/TOEFL examinations year on year. Some of the major reasons behind this surge are –
Scope of GRE and TOEFL: Looking from an Indian perspective, there has been a huge increase in the number of students who aspires to go abroad for further studies. The scores of both your GRE and TOEFL exams will determine the college where you can get admission and whether you will get selected or not.
The Financial Advantage: One can still get into low profile universities in both US and Europe with low scores or even without attending GRE and TOEFL but thinking from a financial stand point, it will be a better option to attend and score good marks in both GRE and TOEFL which can often help a student in getting scholarship at select colleges.
The Visa Problems: If you don’t participate or if you score less marks in both GRE and TOEFL, you will find it much harder to get VISA approval especially in countries like USA and Germany. The major reason behind this is that to get easy VISA approval you must need funding offers from the universities and if you don’t have good scores on both these exams no university will give you the funds that are needed.
Further Options: The high score in GRE and TOEFL is not just for admission purposes, you can also avail different scholarships using your GRE and TOEFL scores. These scores can also help you to an extent to make up for the low percentage of GPA that you might have.
Setting a Global Standard: Another important reason why students gravitate towards GRE and TOEFL when compared to other exams is that these exams will help you to open many doors as well as get a global reach. You could take this exam from any place you want but the syllabus will remain the same, the exam results are valid for more than a year and more than one or two countries can use the same score card to offer admission.
Fair and Unbiased: Both GRE and TOEFL especially TOEFL are reputed for the quality and fairness of the exams. All the students who attend the exam have reported having similar experiences. For TOEFL the scores are checked anonymously by ETS certified experts. You can also get your TOEFL scores after 15 working days of completing your test along with useful feedbacks regarding the areas in which you can improve.
Similarities between GRE and TOEFL: Thinking from a student’s perspective the biggest advantage these exams have are their similarities. TOEFL reading and GRE reading comprehensions are very similar and the academic vocabulary is important for both tests. Along with this one can easily integrate TOEFL study activities into a GRE study plan.
Scoring good marks in GRE and TOEFL will give you access to many more educational institutes across the world. Starting to prepare from an early age can help you get into your dream college.
