Collegiettes across campuses everywhere are consumed by the GRE, LSAT and MCAT. No these acronyms don’t stand for diseases, not even “a really bad rash you get on your…“ Legally Blonde reference anyone? These are the exams that upper classmen are taking to prepare themselves for graduate school, law school and medical school. But what do these tests measure? And when should you start worrying about them? HC Illinois is breaking it all down for you.
Graduate Record Examinations (GRE)
What is it?
The GRE is a standardized test required for admission to many graduate schools. It measures your verbal reasoning, quantitative reasoning, analytical writing and critical thinking- basically all the skills that you’ve picked up throughout your academic career (thanks U of I!) that aren’t related to a specific field of study. The tests are mostly given on a computer now, but there are some areas where a paper test is administered.
The Specifics
As of August 1st, the format of the GRE is changing. Here is what is different according to the Educational Testing Service’s web site:
In the revised verbal reasoning section, you don’t have to recognize vocab words out of context anymore and new types of questions have been added. These changes are supposed to make the verbal section easier to navigate through. Alli Picken, a senior interested in veterinary medicine after graduation took the older version of the general GRE test July 22nd. She admitted that there was no good way to study for the vocab on the old version, so this is a great change.
In the quantitative reasoning section, there is now more focus on interpreting data and solving real life scenarios. There will also be an onscreen calculator available.
In the analytical writing section, there will now be only one essay topic to write about rather than a few options.
Preparing for the Test
Getting ready for the GRE isn’t quite as strenuous as preparing for the LSAT and MCAT. Catherine Toupin, a senior English major hoping to get into a teaching program after graduation used her vacation time to get ready. “I started preparing for the GRE at the beginning of summer, so about one and a half months before I took the exam,” she says. “In terms of studying, I’d say find your weakest area and start studying that. If you’re a math major, you probably won’t need to spend much time brushing up on how to find the area of a triangle, but you may not be the best at tackling reading comprehension questions. If you spend more time with the section you are least comfortable with, hopefully by test day you’ll feel like, if nothing else, you’re the most prepared you could possibly be.”
Toupin used Kaplan’s main test book as well as specific books both for the verbal and math sections. She also took practice exams sponsored by the Princeton Review online. Picken choose to go with a book written by ETS, the company that actually writes the GRE test. Both agree that practice tests are a big help when it comes to the time management aspect of the exam.
The Experts Say:
Register soon! According to the ETS web site, if you take the revised GRE general test between August 1 and September 30th, you will save 50 percent of your test fee! GRE general test scores are valid for 5 years, so juniors, get ahead of the curve and save some $$ that you could use toward something more enjoyable, like a spring break trip!
Don’t Overlook:
The day of the exam – it can be pretty nerve wracking, so it’s key to prepare yourself and stay calm.
“The day of the exam I arrived at the test center, and had to go through a pretty intense process to get into the actual testing area,” remembers Picken. “You had to put all of your belongings in a locker, submit to a security wand scanner, and have your photo taken (as well as sign various papers). You sit at your own cubicle with noise canceling headphones, and have to have your pencils and ID on the desk at all times and they are watching you via video surveillance.”
Also make sure to give yourself plenty of time to get to the testing site on the day of the exam. Karrah Castillo, a senior at U of I planned to take the GRE in Chicago, “I left my house at 2:30 in the afternoon. The exam was at 4:30 p.m. and the check-in was at 4:00 p.m. Normally it takes me an hour to get to Chicago from my house, but traffic made it so I was still on the interstate at 4:30.” Castillo plans on rescheduling the test.
Law School Admission Test (LSAT)
What is it?
The LSAT measures your reading comprehension, and logical and analytical skills – aka what law schools think you need to succeed. All American Bar Association law schools require incoming students to take this test.
The Specifics
The exam is made up of five 35-minute multiple-choice sections: two logical reasoning sections (analyzing arguments) a reading comprehension section (self explanatory), an analytical reasoning section (understanding relationships) and an unscored experimental section. There is no way of telling which section is the experimental section, so you can’t slack off on any of them. There is also a writing section that is not graded but schools can still refer to it to make final decisions so it too should get your best effort.
Preparing for the Test
“The most important part about studying for this test is repetition,” says Michelle Arvans, recent U of I grad and future law student at Loyola University in Chicago. “Unlike the GRE or MCAT, the LSAT isn’t content based, so you technically do not need any previous knowledge to complete the test, just a certain set of skills.” To hone these skills, Arvans says that you just have to do problem sets over and over until you’re familiar with what to look for in a problem.
Arvans took the test twice, (you are only allowed to take it three times in a two-year period) once as a junior and once as a senior due to her study abroad schedule. To study, Arvans took a three-month Kaplan class in the fall of her junior year that included helpful practice material. If the classes are too pricey or don’t work into your busy college schedule, bookstores like Barnes and Noble or the IUB offer fairly cheap books to help you prepare on your own, but that puts the pressure on you and you alone to stay disciplined!
The Experts Say:
The Law School Admission Council (LSAC) suggests that students simulate the real thing by taking timed practice tests so they are aware of the time constraints. LSAC also suggests taking the test as early as you can in either June or September, (it is only offered four times a year) to ensure your best score, or an opportunity to have enough time to take it again.
Don’t Overlook:
The testing site that you choose. “The second time I took the test, Illinois Wesleyan University was having its homecoming, which consisted of a pep assembly on the quad right outside our room and the marching band was playing right outside our window the whole time,” remembers Arvans. “So although it might seem silly, I would suggest going to the web pages of the testing centers you are considering and look into what kind of events they have going on the weekend of the test.”
Medical College Admission Test (MCAT)
What Is It?
The MCAT tests you on your problem solving abilities, critical thinking, writing skills and prior science knowledge that is necessary to study medicine. It’s set up as a multiple-choice exam.
The Specifics
The computer-based exam is broken in to four parts: physical science (my least favorite subjects chemistry and physics are highlighted here), biological science (I probably can’t pronounce 85% of the words you’ll face here), verbal, and an essay section. It takes about five hours, but don’t worry-you get a breaks! It differs for different med school but scores are usually good for two to three years. It’s offered about 25 times during the year, so you have plenty of opportunities to take it.
Preparing for the Test
Collette Williams knew that she had to spend a lot of time getting ready for the MCAT. “I took a Kaplan prep class from August to March,” she says “I didn’t really start studying hardcore until January.” Williams took the test twice, once in April and then once again in June. Technically you are allowed to take the exam as many times as you want, but after three times you have to appeal to the administers of the test to do so. However, not many students actually do this, there is a reason that the old saying isn’t “eighth times a charm.”
Her advice for future MCAT-taking collegiettes? “Develop a schedule and stick to it. Take as many practice tests as you can, but don’t neglect the material.”
The Experts Say:
The Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC – aka the administers of the exam) suggests that pre-med students avoid cramming, which we collegiettes know is sometimes hard to do. Instead, start studying at least three months before the scheduled test. Their web site also suggests studying with friends, that way you can’t point out each other’s strengths and weaknesses.
Some of the MCAT staffers prepared a book, The Official Guide to the MCAT Exam, to share info on everything MCAT, and there are other books available that cover the different subjects on the test.
Don’t Overlook:
Being well rested! Both Williams and the AAMC agreed that the last few days leading up to your scheduled test should be filled with enough rest, food and exercise so that you are mentally and physically prepared for the five hour test. But hey, you are studying to be a doctor, you know all of that already don’t you?
To learn more about the different exams visit their official web sites:
http://www.lsac.org/JD/LSAT/about-the-LSAT.asp
http://www.ets.org/gre/
https://www.aamc.org/
Study on, collegiettes!