US MS/PhD Admission and Scholarships (2020) – v1

Introduction
US universities offer thousands of scholarships for Masters and PhD. You just need a little hard work (to do
GRE and TOEFL) and way is smooth and have more chances to get scholarship than other countries.
Moreover, After GRE and TOEFL you will also be able to apply for Fulbright Scholarship.
After GRE, you can apply to many universities, to get more chances of admission.
Steps are pretty simple but you must be willing to get a scholarship.

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What is deadline and how much scholarship we get?

There are more than 300 Universities you can target, and deadlines varies from Dec-Feb each year. And almost
every university offer scholarship, so you have more than 300 opportunities.
Universities pay US$ 1500-3000 per month and no tuition fee, which is a handsome amount.

What Documents are required?

1. Transcripts/Degrees
2. CV/Resume
3. GRE + TOEFL
4. Letter of recommendation (LOR)
 5. Statement of purpose (SOP) [a 1-2 pages essay about you and your work]
Can I apply before completing degree?
Yes, you can, ideally one must apply before his/her last year, so you don’t have a gap in your degree.

Can BS students apply?

Yes, US offer PhD directly after BS. (And don’t worry, they don’t expect much research from BS
students). But you can apply even after MS.

General Questions and How to start

What is GRE? Who takes this?
The Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) is a standardized test that is an admissions requirement for most
graduate schools in the United States. The GRE is owned and administered by Educational Testing Service
(ETS). It is computer-based test, and ETS conduct this almost in all big cities e.g. LHR, KHI, ISB, FSD etc. in
every week Mon-Thr throughout the year.
One take GRE if he/she want to apply in US or Canada, few universities of other countries also require GRE.
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What is the structure of GRE?
The GRE Test focuses on testing abstract thinking skills in the areas of: vocabulary (verbal reasoning),
mathematics (quantitative reasoning), and analytical writing.
There are three major portions, 1) Analytical Writing 2) Verbal reasoning 3) Quantitative reasoning for details
follow the link (http://bit.ly/2SlTfcv )
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What is good time to take GRE? And for how long I can use GRE scores?
The best way you can choose is the free time summers or after summers like Sep-Oct. GRE scores are valid up
to 5 years. If you are in 7th semester of BS or 3rd Semester of M.Phil/MS it is ideal time for you to take GRE.
In general, you must appear in the summers before your last year in the university.
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From where should I start?
You can start from the GRE vocab from Magoosh. You can practice online on PC or download mobile
application. Link ( http://bit.ly/2GhVIA6 )
Along with the basic math from “Manhattan Book 1-6” if your basic math’s is good, you can start from
Manhattan 5 lb.
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How much time it takes?
It really depends on what is your background and how seriously you do efforts.
In general, if you work 2-3 hours daily with consistency, you can chase it like in 1.5-2 months. Some students
may need to work even harder especially if they are weak in both Maths and English or they are slow learner.
What is good GRE score?
The GRE is scored on a 130-170 scale in each section.
Verbal reasoning and Quantitative reasoning 40 MCQs each (2 sets of 20 for each). So there are 80 MCQs in
total and hence 80 marks (though each question doesn’t carry equal weight, like one question can have 0.5 and
other may be even worth 2 points.) But in GRE the base score is NOT zero, it is 260 (it means if all your
questions are wrong you get 260) and maximum scores are 340. Writing score reported on a 0–6 score scale for
each section, but not included in the total score of GRE.
If one gets 320+ he has chances to go to 95% of good institutions of US. If he/she gets 310 he can go for 50%
institutions.
Scores 315-330 (Good), and you can Target A, A- universities.
Scores 300-315 (Average) and you can Target universities from B+ to B-.
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What are lowest acceptable scores?
People having 296+ scores are eligible to apply in few universities and still win handsome scholarship, though
the probability to admission is greatly decreased, but I have witnessed cases in both direct admission and via
Fulbright. But, in general one must try to get 305+ to compete.
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Which GRE should I take?
The GRE General Test is normally required by most graduate programs, so you will most likely have to take it.
The GRE Subject Test, however, is often not required
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How many times can I take the GRE?
You can take the GRE revised General Test once every 21 days, up to five times within any continuous rolling
12-month period (365 days).
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What is the best way to prep for the GRE?

1. Put in Time for Score Improvement. ...

2. Study What's on the Test. ...
3. Figure Out What You Need to Focus On. ...
4. Target Your Weaknesses. ...
 5. Practice Makes Perfect. ...
6. Self-Prep. ...

How many questions are on the GRE? And How long it takes to complete a test?
5 sets of 20 questions.
The computer-delivered GRE® General Test takes about 3 hours and 45 minutes and consists of three
separately timed sections: Verbal Reasoning — There are two 30-minute sections, each containing 20 questions.
Quantitative Reasoning — There are two 35-minute sections, each containing 20 questions.
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What GRE score do I need for Harvard and MIT?
Harvard is an extremely competitive school for graduate applicants. On average, the GRE scores of admitted
applicants range from about 155 to 166 for Verbal and 155 to 170 for Quant.
The average GRE score for MIT in engineering would be approximately 162 in the verbal section and 167 in
the quantitative section.
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How do I book a GRE exam?
Create an account on the ETS website, register yourself it costs $205.
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From where should I search US universities?
Here is full list of top 300 universities of US. Link ( http://bit.ly/32w9KYg )
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GRE and TOEFL/IELTS Resources

GRE and TOEFL are required for admission in US universities, and US universities offer thousands of decent
scholarships each year. Almost every university offer PhD with fully funded fee and TA/RA opportunity worth
1500-3000$. Moreover, GRE is also valuable in UK and Canada. Once you have GRE in hand with decent
scores, you have hundreds of ways to scholarships.

1. Manhattan Prep mobile app FREE (Android) https://bit.ly/2JEE8Zg

2. GRE Books https://bit.ly/2NZ1EUQ (There is a pool of books, I suggest only go for Manhattan
and complete the course)
3. Video lectures: https://bit.ly/2xUYLJX
4. Software Collection https://bit.ly/30AEvti
 5. TOEFL videos: https://bit.ly/2XTuV8cb
6. TOEFL complete data http://bit.ly/2LqkG4r
7. Further Suggestions to prepare GRE https://bit.ly/2XLNQ4s
8. IELTS Magoosh: http://bit.ly/MagooshIELTS S
peaking: https://perfectlyspoken.com/
More: http://bit.ly/IELTS-More

To start GRE download GRE Flashcards android app by Magoosh. Learn the vocab.
Alongwith vocab, start practicing Maths from Manhattan Book (1 to 6), if you are already good at Maths Check
Manhattan 5 lb book only.

For contact and more info;

Do read carefully, and try to google the general stuff before reaching out.
Muhammad Abbas
fb: https://web.facebook.com/m.abbas03

Email: 15130003@lums.edu.pk

This document is created for Scholarship Network Facebook group for

Pakistani students with collaboration of Waqar Baig.

Waqar Baig
Contact: https://web.facebook.com/waqarbaig