GRE, CASper, MCAT

GRE

The Graduate Record Exam, commonly known as the GRE, is a test created by the ETS organization. This is the same organization that creates the TOEFL and PRAXIS exams. Currently all AA schools require the GRE (or MCAT), and use it as a gauge of intelligence for entrance into their program. The exam is quite similar to the SAT and ACT commonly required by many undergraduate institutions. There are three sections associated with the GRE which include:

  1. Verbal Reasoning – Tests knowledge of English language, and ability to grasp sentence equivalence, text completion, and reading comprehension.
  2. Quantitative Reasoning – Tests knowledge of math and problem solving skills, which includes problems in algebra, geometry, and statistics.
  3. Analytical Writing – Tests writing skills of applicant, with two writing tasks: the issue and the argument.

While some students may feel comfortable with these subjects, it is best to prepare for this exam with a guide which will give a broader picture of the exam, as well as refresh the test taker’s memory of subjects which may have been taken in the past. This website recommendations the guide created by the ETS organization to study, which can be found here. A used version goes for less than $10. Most schools require the GRE to be taken within 5 years of your application, and some within 3 years.

CASper

The CASper exam (Computer-Based Assessment for Sampling Personal Characteristics) has been required by many medical schools for a number of years, and some AA schools are also starting to require it. The CASper exam is completely different than the GRE. It is a psychological, ethics based exam, in which the user is presented with realistic, hypothetical scenarios, and then asked how they would handle them. Here is an example of a question that could be asked on the CASper exam:

You are in a group of four students working on a project due in one week. A member of your student work group, Sam, is continuously showing up unprepared to your group meetings, and not contributing to your projects. He blames these issues on a difficult class he is taking which requires much of his time, however two other members of your group, Jess and Bill, are also in said class. Jess and Bill begin confronting Sam on his lack of effort, and then look to you to state your opinion. What do you say?

While at first glance it may seem reasonable to join along with the other group members and single out Sam for his lack of participation, other things may be occurring behind the scenes. If you’ve never taken the CASper exam, it is highly recommended you study for it. Many books provide a broader overview of the exam, as well as a better sense of how to answer these difficult, psychological questions. A highly rated guide which has helped many students receive high scores on this exam can be found here. It is published by a company called BeMo and currently sells for less than $10.

MCAT

The Medical College Admissions Test, also known as the MCAT, is an exam very few AA schools require. Most AA schools give you a choice to either submit the GRE or MCAT. Considering the difficulty of the MCAT exam, as well as the many different subjects it covers, it is in an applicants best interest to instead take the GRE and not take the MCAT. If for some reason an applicant still wants to take this exam and submit their score to a school, studying for it is a necessity. An excellent MCAT study guide by the prep firm Kaplan can be found here.