What is the right time to take GRE for an MTech?

Okay firstly, you seem to be slightly confused about the difference between two things: giving the GRE, and actually applying for universities. In reality, the two are entirely different and need not be done at the same point of time. Here's a fun fact that you should know: Your GRE score is valid for five years. Which means, you can give your exam now and then apply for universities months, or even years, later. So, given your situation, the best thing to do would be to give your GRE during the first year of your MTech (when, as you say, the pressure of research work would be less). You can then comfortably apply to the universities you want to, a year later. (Four months of solid preparation is more than enough for GRE. That means if you start preparing today you can easily give the exam mid-October and score well in it as well.) The last part of your question, (the choice between more publications in your resume or a year less lost) is more difficult to answer. it involves a tradeoff between time and quality. Whether you should apply to universities and get in just after you finish your MTech, or whether you should waste (or utilise) another year to improve your profile, is entirely your decision to take. However, if you ask me for my personal opinion, I'd tell you that the best time to join a university is the Fall right after you pass your MTech. While colleges do indeed give a lot of weightage for publications, especially for PhD applications, the advantage gained is not worth losing a year for it. Publications under scrutiny and yet to be published are also given considerable importance by most,if not all, universities when evaluating the profile of an applicant. I suggest you do the following 1)Give your GRE during the October/November of your first year (or anytime later before the pressure of MTech research sets in), 2)Wait tight for the next one year, Improve your profile, try to get something published, and make decisions about which colleges you'd like to join. 3)Then start applying from mid-August of your second year. You have a full four months of time to send scores, get reco's, prepare your SOP's and resumes, etc etc. Your application would be complete and ready for submission by mid-December (the submission deadline for US colleges) and you'll be in the USA by next August.   All the best. And thanks for the A2A :)

I have no knowledge as how M.Tech works in India, but going by your premise you say that next year would hectic because of research. So take GRE ASAP!(If you are sure that you have fully prepped ofcourse:))