GRE examinations

Author: Hizbullah Khan

Sir: This is with reference to the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) conducted by the National Testing Service (NTS) recently. I appeared in the test in Electronics in Karachi.

However, I was surprised to see that the test was not formulated according to the paper distribution available on the website where it bifurcates the 70 percent subject section into many technical sections with their expected percentage of questions of which the test was to be organised. There was not a single question from digital logic design (11 percent), microprocessor (six percent) and signal processing (five percent) section. Further, the fundamentals, which have 30 percent of the test, were found minimally in the test, causing frustration for candidates. It seemed as though the test was prepared for electrical engineers as many questions were from motors extending beyond the anticipated number of questions.

It is important to mention here that it is a requirement to pass GRE for PhD admission in local universities where students usually take admission on a self-finance basis. In such a situation, the GRE subject is causing a great hindrance for students in getting admission, especially when the test is organised shoddily by the NTS. Furthermore, the test is conducted every three months with only selected cities as test centres and at the cost of Rs1,200 as application fee. I hereby request the NTS authorities to investigate the subject distribution of the electronics paper and announce a date for reconducting the test.

AYAZ AHMED

Hyderabad