Graduate school is an exciting adventure to embark upon. You have finished your undergraduate degree and now you want to take the next step. Part of this next step involves graduate school entrance exams. There are four major exams you might need to take to be accepted into the graduate school of your choice.
They are the Graduate Record Examination (GRE), Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT), Law School Admission Test (LSAT), and the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT).
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GRE
This test is generally required of a student who is pursuing their Masters in Business Administration (MBA), among other programs. You need to prepare in the areas of verbal reasoning, quantitative reasoning, and analytical writing.
This is the most popular test of the graduate school programs to take. However, that does not make it easy. There are resources to help you prepare for the test, so you do not have to take it more than once. The acceptable score for entrance varies from school to school, so it is best to be prepared for the test.
GMAT
The areas covered on this test include analytical writing, integrated reasoning, quantitative, and verbal. This is another test that student looking for an advanced business degree will need to take. While not as utilized as the GRE, this test is a critical tool many business schools us when deciding on admission.
LSAT
If you want to enter law school, you will need to take this test. This test includes sections on reading comprehension, analytical reasoning and logical reasoning. This is an intense test to take, with significantly fewer students actually taking the test every year compared to the GRE and GMAT.
Additionally, it would be beneficial to take practice exams and prep courses online for this test. The more prepared you are, the better you will do and the greater the chance that your school of choice will accept you into their program.
MCAT
As its name suggests, this test must be taken by any student wishing to enter medical school. This is a long, rigorous test including sections of biological and biochemical foundations of living systems, chemical and physical foundations of biological systems, psychological, social, and biological foundations of behavior, critical analysis, and reasoning skills.
Considering the intense amount of knowledge that is required to do well on this test, it is highly advisable that the student enrolls in an MCAT prep course online – at a minimum. The least number of students take this test each year (compared to the other graduate school exams) and sometimes it needs to be taken more than once.
Deciding to apply to graduate school is a big decision that comes along with schools requiring an entrance exam. Whether you want to go to school to be a lawyer (LSAT), a doctor (MCAT), have an advanced degree in business (GRE and GMAT), or you want to pursue something else (GRE), an exam might be part of the process.
Do not let that stop you. Just make sure you are prepared and if you need to take online prep courses or in person prep courses, do it.
