The Next Step Towards Grad School

By Linnea Caswell exam

So you’re thinking about grad school. That’s probably a good thing since more employers than ever are looking for applicants with an advanced degree. But you have to start somewhere.

Apart from knowing which graduate program to attend, preparing for an entrance exam is one of the most important steps to take. Here’s the lowdown on the most popular exams applicants take when applying for grad school: the GRE for masters of arts, the GMAT for business school, the LSAT for law school, and the MCAT for med school.

GRE: Why?

The most general and widely used test is kind of like the SAT for grad school. The GRE (Graduate Record Exam) General Test is a standardized exam that allows you to document what you’ve learned in college. Your GRE score can be a major factor in grad school admissions.

Take note, however, you do not need to take this test if you’re planning on going into business, law, or medicine. Each of those disciplines has their own specialized test as you’ll see later on in this article.

GRE: What’s it like?

The GRE General Test covers verbal reasoning (language: evaluate written segments and parts of sentences and look for relationships between words and concepts), quantitative reasoning (math: solve problems using arithmetic, algebra, geometry, and data analysis), and analytical writing (critical thinking skills: examine claims and evidence, articulate ideas, write a focused and coherent essay).

If you are looking to go into math, computers, sciences, psychology, or English literature you could also consider the GRE Subject Exams which cover specific areas of study and can help you stand out from the crowd.

GRE General Exam

The general exam is offered each month at computer-based testing centers around the country and costs $150. The subject exams are offered in October, November, and April in paper-and-pencil format and cost $130. Your scores are good for five years, so consider the cost an investment for the future.

GRE: Tips

Take general or subject GRE tests as you are completing your degree, or as soon after graduation as possible.
Prepare thoroughly – official free practice exams are available online for the general test and subject tests.
Answer the first 10 questions on the computer-based general exam very carefully – the next questions you get will be based on your previous answers. You can’t go back and change answers either, so think carefully and then move on!

GMAT: Why?

The GMAT (Graduate Management Admissions Test) is a standardized test that helps business schools evaluate student applications since the GMAT can predict academic success in an MBA program. If you are interested in advanced study in business or management, the GMAT is the best graduate entrance exam to take.

GMAT: What’s it like?

While the exam covers basic verbal, mathematical and analytical writing skills, it does not examine your knowledge of business, specific content from undergraduate work, or your job skills. It is only available as a computer-adaptive test and takes about 5 hours to complete. The exam is offered year round and costs $250.

Like the GRE, the GMAT begins with the Analytical Writing Assessment where you complete two writing sections. After that, the quantitative section is multiple choice and includes problems involving data sufficiency and problem solving. Finally, the verbal section tests reading comprehension, sentence correction skills, and critical reasoning.

GMAT: Tips

Prepare and prepare some more! At least 8 weeks of review on average has resulted in the best scores. There are many printed resources for preparation, plus free official practice software is available here.
Strictly time your practice exam(s), scheduling an entire morning or afternoon to do so. This “real time” practice is vital in helping you learn to work under pressure and do your best on the actual exam.
Focus on your weaknesses. If you’re great at critical reasoning, but have a hard time with sentence correction, focus on improving your sentence correction skills. Because the test is adaptive, you may never get to the really hard critical reasoning questions if you answer a lot of sentence correction ones wrong.
Use your pencil & paper scratch paper during the test! For math problems and multiple choice decisions, paper is your best friend.

LSAT or MCAT: Why?

The LSAT (Law School Admission Test) and MCAT (Medical College Admission Test) are specialized entrance exams for those interested in law or medicine. These tests are a substantial factor in admissions applications, so take the time to prepare seriously and give the test your best.

LSAT or MCAT: What’s it like?

The LSAT is offered in June, September, December, and February and costs $132. It is a paper-based exam that covers reading comprehension, analytical & logical reasoning, and writing. While not specifically knowledge based, a broad educational background will be beneficial.

The MCAT is a computer-based, multiple-choice test that is offered throughout the year and costs $225. The test reports scores in Verbal Reasoning, Physical Sciences, Writing Sample, and Biological Sciences.

LSAT or MCAT: Tips

As always, prepare as much as possible and know everything there is to know about the test itself.
LSAT – take practice tests, available here for free. Answer all questions on the actual exam, since you’re not penalized for wrong answers.
MCAT – make flash cards for specific areas of weakness. Use practice materials, available here.

Conclusion

Any standardized test is a little nerve-wracking, however with adequate preparation, thorough knowledge of test details, and a commitment to doing your best, you can be confident in taking this next step towards grad school.

Linnea Linnea Caswell is a CollegePlus! graduate and lives in Illinois with her family. She earned a BA degree from Thomas Edison State College, is a certified paralegal, and teaches piano.