Common Grad School Tests and Tips for Success

By Alicia Geigel on February 14, 2021

For those who are thinking about grad school, there are many things to consider and prepare for, one of them being some kind of grad school test, such as the GRE, GMAT, or LSAT. Yes, just when you thought you could escape standardized tests, grad school tests are lurking in the corner waiting for potential grad students.

There are several different kinds of tests required to take before applying to grad school, it just depends on the type of program or degree you are looking to obtain. Like both the SAT and ACT, grad school tests are not something you can prepare for overnight and cram right before the test; unfortunately, that just won’t cut it. Preparing for weeks and even months in advance is essential to getting the score you want and getting into the grad school program of your dreams.

Are you considering applying to grad school but you’re scared to death of another standardized test? Unsure of what test is necessary for the type of program you are applying for? Keep reading for a breakdown of the most common grad school tests and how best to prepare for them!

test, book, school, calculator, student,

Image via Pexels

1. GRE: If you are unfamiliar with the GRE, you might be wondering exactly what it is. The “Graduate Record Exam” or GRE is the most commonly required admission test for grad school, and similar to the SAT and ACT, is a way to test your understanding of specific areas of study like critical thinking, analytical writing, verbal reasoning, and quantitative reasoning skills, Peterson’s notes.

As stated earlier, when you are considering taking the GRE, you want to make sure that you’ll have ample time to study for it, as you definitely do not want to wait until the last second to decide to study. To keep yourself from being overwhelmed but to also make sure you are keeping up with studying each week, The Economist suggests that, “for the best score possible on the GRE, you should be studying a minimum of four hours per week, for an overall study time of around 12 hours.”

2. GMAT: The GMAT, or the Graduate Management Admission Test, is a necessary test to take if you are looking into business school for your graduate program. The test is the standard for admission into graduate business school and is divided into four different sections: quantitative, integrated reasoning, verbal, and analytical writing assessment. Like the GRE, it is important to give yourself plenty of time to study prior to taking the exam. But if you don’t get the score you wanted, you can retake the GMAT (and most people do).

3. LSAT: For those looking to study and become a lawyer, the LSAT is a highly recommended test that most prospective law students take. The Law School Admission Test is designed to test students’ reasoning skills and is categorized into the following sections: reading comprehension, analytical reasoning, two logical reasoning sections, an unscored (experimental) section, and an unscored writing section. Given the fact that the LSAT is such a lengthy and challenging test, it is in your best interest to study long before you take the test, especially as retakes are typically discouraged.

Test Taking Tips:

1. Find your baseline: Before you go crazy filling up planners with multi-colored pen and highlighter doodles, first establish your baseline. You may be thinking, what is a baseline? Just like it sounds, your baseline is considered to be the score you would receive on your desired test if you took it right at this moment. After establishing your baseline, you can figure out the areas you could perform well in and the ones you could show weakness in, and most importantly, how much time you need to bring up your score in those areas.

2. Gauge Your Learning Styles: One of the most important aspects of studying, whether it be for a classroom exam or a standardized test for grad school, is gauging your learning styles and finding which method is most successful for you. Do you learn in small bursts with a short amount of time between each period of rest or do you need to warm up for a while before diving into the heavy part of studying? Determining what works for you will help the process of studying and learning go a lot easier for you!

3. Make Daily Goals: It’s easy to become overwhelmed when it comes to taking tests like the GRE, GMAT, or LSAT. As a way to help you be more organized and less stressed about focusing on a million topics at a time, make a daily schedule of what area you want to focus on each day! For example, you could dedicate your Tuesdays to focusing on statistics and Wednesdays to studying vocabulary. This will help to break up what you’re studying (because let’s be real, who really wants to look at the same kind of material forever) and build your skills piece by piece!

4. Avoid the Subjects You’re Good At: This may sound like some weird advice, but trust me on this one! PrepScholar suggests that while it is never a bad thing to strengthen skills you already have in an area, it’s more important to practice subjects you are not good at. After all, it’s in your best interest to work on the subjects that really give you trouble so you can improve!

book, student, test, study, library, school, woman, reading

Image via Pixabay

Applying for grad school and diving into taking a lengthy standardized test like the ones mentioned above can send your mind into a spiral of anxiety, stress, and even despair. Having the knowledge of what you need to do beforehand, using the proper resources to help you study, and following test-taking tips that cater to you and your learning style are all ways to guarantee your success when it comes time to take the test. Good luck!

Follow Uloop

Apply to Write for Uloop News

Join the Uloop News Team

Discuss This Article

Get Top Stories Delivered Weekly

Back to Top

Log In

Contact Us

Upload An Image

Please select an image to upload
Note: must be in .png, .gif or .jpg format
OR
Provide URL where image can be downloaded
Note: must be in .png, .gif or .jpg format

By clicking this button,
you agree to the terms of use

By clicking "Create Alert" I agree to the Uloop Terms of Use.

Image not available.

Add a Photo

Please select a photo to upload
Note: must be in .png, .gif or .jpg format