Common Standardized Exams for College and Graduate School
The most popular standardized exam is the SAT, or Scholastic Aptitude Test.
The SAT is administered by College Board a non-profit organization that colleges use to maintain academic standards.
Not all colleges require the SAT, some colleges require the ACT, named after the company that developed it American College Testing.
That company has since changed names to ACT Inc.
Since nearly everyone who gets a four year degree has to take either the SAT or ACT, those tests are by far the most popular college entrance exams and as a result there are many tools available to help students who must prepare for them.
Students who go to community college and get two year degrees first may be able to skip the SAT and ACT.
Graduate schools require different exams depending on the program.
Almost all law schools require the LSAT, also called Law School Aptitude Test.
The exam is administered by the Law School Admission Council.
The exam is notoriously difficult, not as difficult as the Bar Exam, but still a challenging exam.
There are many programs available to help applicants prepare for the LSAT.
While I believe that preparation can increase LSAT scores there is a limit to how much you can increase your score because the test focuses, at least in part on a person's reasoning ability which doesn't significantly improve after adulthood.
I can say this from experience, I prepared for the LSAT exam and increased my score from approximately 155 to 172 on the day of the exam.
I attribute the increase to familiarity and improved reading comprehension, not improved reasoning.
MBA programs, or Masters of Business Administration programs vary widely from program to program on which exam is required for admission.
Almost all of them will accept the GMAT or Graduate Management Admission Test from Graduate Management Admission Council.
Some management schools will accept the Graduate Record Examination from ETS.
The GRE is a more generalized exam that covers a broader section of subjects.
The MCAT is required to be admitted to medical school.
The exam is administered by a non-profit organization of the same name, Medical College Admission Test.
The test focuses primarily on a few of the life science fields.
All medical schools in the United States require applicants to take the MCAT and make the results available with their application to medical school.
The dentist version of the MCAT is called the DAT or Dental Admissions Test.
The DAT is administered by the American Dental Association.
The subjects covered by the DAT are a couple of science subjects, visual acuity and reading comprehension.
The field of dentistry is becoming more competitive, if you are interested in dentistry you should begin your preparations early in high school.
With all of the various different professions there are many exams.
Some of the more obscure exams are the Veterinary College Admission Test or VCAT is required for applicants to Veterinary School.
The OAT, which stands for Optometry Admission Test is required for admission into optometry school.
Finally, an exam that may not really fit in this list of exams, the Architect Registration Examination is a seven part examination that must be passed to be registered as an architect.
This exam is more like the Bar Exam for lawyers because it is not an exam that is required for admission to a program, rather it is for admission to practice.
The ARE is an interesting exam due to the diverse subject matter covered, including site planning, construction documents, materials and methods as well as three additional areas.
The SAT is administered by College Board a non-profit organization that colleges use to maintain academic standards.
Not all colleges require the SAT, some colleges require the ACT, named after the company that developed it American College Testing.
That company has since changed names to ACT Inc.
Since nearly everyone who gets a four year degree has to take either the SAT or ACT, those tests are by far the most popular college entrance exams and as a result there are many tools available to help students who must prepare for them.
Students who go to community college and get two year degrees first may be able to skip the SAT and ACT.
Graduate schools require different exams depending on the program.
Almost all law schools require the LSAT, also called Law School Aptitude Test.
The exam is administered by the Law School Admission Council.
The exam is notoriously difficult, not as difficult as the Bar Exam, but still a challenging exam.
There are many programs available to help applicants prepare for the LSAT.
While I believe that preparation can increase LSAT scores there is a limit to how much you can increase your score because the test focuses, at least in part on a person's reasoning ability which doesn't significantly improve after adulthood.
I can say this from experience, I prepared for the LSAT exam and increased my score from approximately 155 to 172 on the day of the exam.
I attribute the increase to familiarity and improved reading comprehension, not improved reasoning.
MBA programs, or Masters of Business Administration programs vary widely from program to program on which exam is required for admission.
Almost all of them will accept the GMAT or Graduate Management Admission Test from Graduate Management Admission Council.
Some management schools will accept the Graduate Record Examination from ETS.
The GRE is a more generalized exam that covers a broader section of subjects.
The MCAT is required to be admitted to medical school.
The exam is administered by a non-profit organization of the same name, Medical College Admission Test.
The test focuses primarily on a few of the life science fields.
All medical schools in the United States require applicants to take the MCAT and make the results available with their application to medical school.
The dentist version of the MCAT is called the DAT or Dental Admissions Test.
The DAT is administered by the American Dental Association.
The subjects covered by the DAT are a couple of science subjects, visual acuity and reading comprehension.
The field of dentistry is becoming more competitive, if you are interested in dentistry you should begin your preparations early in high school.
With all of the various different professions there are many exams.
Some of the more obscure exams are the Veterinary College Admission Test or VCAT is required for applicants to Veterinary School.
The OAT, which stands for Optometry Admission Test is required for admission into optometry school.
Finally, an exam that may not really fit in this list of exams, the Architect Registration Examination is a seven part examination that must be passed to be registered as an architect.
This exam is more like the Bar Exam for lawyers because it is not an exam that is required for admission to a program, rather it is for admission to practice.
The ARE is an interesting exam due to the diverse subject matter covered, including site planning, construction documents, materials and methods as well as three additional areas.
