It doesn't matter how well you did on your SATs. They won't get you into graduate school. Your job is to prove you have dedicated your college years to cultivating your knowledge with a
healthy dose of academics. Standardized tests geared toward graduate school play a key role in helping admissions officers determine your mental fitness. For this purpose, you'll find a great variety of tests from which to choose. Don't worry if you've had a difficult time deciding between the SAT and the ACT. Graduate school entrance tests are field specific: The GMAT is for business school, the LSAT for law school, the MCAT for medical school, and the GRE for everything else.
Graduate Record Examination. The GRE is like an SAT for graduate
school. Like the SAT, the general GRE measures your scholastic ability.
Subject-specific tests from 8 disciplines can be tacked onto your general test,
although the general GRE may accommodate your field's requirements. Check with
a school's admissions office to see if you should take a subject test or the
Writing Assessment test. This test is taken on a computer.
GRE test locations. The General Test and the Writing Assessment can be taken year round at Domestic Computer Based Testing Centers and Foreign Computer Based Testing Centers. The General Test is not given every day at all test centers. Contact the appropriate Regional Registration Center (RRC), to verify test dates. Subject tests are paper-based. Check the Test Center List for test availability.
Graduate Management Admission Test. The GMAT tests verbal, quantitative, and analytical skills. The analytical section of the GMAT is comparable to the GRE's Writing Assessment test. The analytical section of the GRE is a collection of brain teasers about
colored marbles in a bag, group seating and other problems that require you to exercise you brain.
In contrast, the GMAT's analytical section requires test takers to write two essays, an analysis of an argument and an issue-oriented essay. Also, you won't find the GRE's analogies,
antonyms, and quantitative comparison sections in the GMAT. In other words, though some sections in the GMAT take a different approach to the material, they basically test the same skills as the GRE.
GMAT test locations. The GMAT can be taken anytime during the year at Domestic Computer Based Testing Centers and Foreign Computer Based Testing Centers. In the United States, U.S. territories, Canada, and Puerto Rico, it may be possible to schedule your test within a few days of taking it, but popular dates book
quickly. In some countries the GMAT may be offered only once per year, so plan carefully.
International applicants should refer to the admissions deadlines of the schools you are applying to and make your appointment early enough to increase your chances of receiving your preferred test date and the test center.
Law School Admission Test. To attend any of the 198 schools
belonging to the Law School Admission Council, you must take the LSAT. Don't
worry if numbers are not your strong suit; potential lawyers do not have to
complete a quantitative section in their graduate school entrance test. The
LSAT contains only reading and verbal reasoning sections. As in the GRE, those
marbles in a bag and group seating arrangement questions will appear in the
LSAT, too, an entire section. The test also includes reading comprehension,
logical/critical reasoning, and a writing section. The essay is not scored, but
it is sent to the law schools to which you apply.
LSAT test locations. The LSAT is not administered at all testing locations on all dates and availability is limited for each test administration. Register as early as possible to be assigned to the domestic or foreign test center of your choice.
Medical College Admission Test. Medical school students are expected
to possess a good deal of scientific knowledge. Two of the MCAT's four sections will be science related. Together, the physical and biological sciences sections are nearly an hour longer than the other two sections, verbal reasoning and writing. Material covered in the science sections includes inorganic and organic chemistry, biology, and physics. Make sure you get plenty of rest before the test. The MCAT lasts almost six hours, not including breaks.
MCAT test locations. There are roughly 500 MCAT test sites in the United States and abroad. You may obtain a registration packet from your advisor or from the MCAT Program Office, P.O. Box 4056, Iowa City, IA 52243, (319-337-1357). Registration packets should be available each year at the end of January.
References for test preparation. Preparation is the key to getting high
marks on these tests. There are a great number of test-preparation you can use. Here is a sampling of what's available:
- Books. Karen Lurie's LSAT/GRE Analytic Workout ($16, Princeton Review) and ARCO's GRE LSAT Logic Workbook ($10.95) may help make test taking a lot easier.
"For Dummies" books written by Suzee Vlk are available for
the GRE and the GMAT ($16.99 each).
Practice your LSAT-taking skills with Official LSAT Prep Tests: 10 Actual (LSAT series), published by the Law School Admission Council ($29). If that's not enough practice, you can buy previously administered LSATs from LSAC for $8 apiece.
Rochelle Rothstein's MCAT Comprehensive Review 2000 ($65, Kaplan) has a CD-ROM and 960 pages of science, practice tests, test strategies, and more science.
- Web sites. Samples and strategies can be found on the official GRE, GMAT, and LSAT Web sites. Find helpful MCAT information from the Association of American Medical Colleges.
Take a free crack at the MCAT or take free demos of the other three tests on the Princeton Review Web site.
Shooting for 800s on your GRE or GMAT? 800score.com sells downloadable prep materials.
- Software. You'll be taking the GRE and GMAT on a computer, so it might be a good idea to practice on one. Educational Testing Service, the company that authors the
tests, has Powerprep software for both the GRE and the GMAT that includes tutorials, two timed tests, and test-taking advice ($45, GRE; $59.95, GMAT).
- Classes. If passing these tests are worth about $1,000 to you, consider taking courses at testing centers such as the Princeton Review and Kaplan.
- Flashcards. Flashcards made learning your multiplication tables fun. Flashcards for the GRE, GMAT, and MCAT are available from Ace's Study Cards ($10.95). MCAT test takers can also prepare with MCAT: The Answer Key in Plain English by Nilanjan Sen, a review book with perforated flashcards you can tear out.
