Students required to take grad exams
Lionel Njeukam
Issue date: 10/20/05 Section: News
Graduate schools throughout the United States require students in certain majors to take standardized tests as a part of their admissions process.
These graduate tests include the LSAT (Law School Admission Test), the GRE (Graduate Record Exam) and the MCAT (Medical College Admission Test).
According to Fouad Moughrabi, head of the political science department, these tests are just one of the items graduate schools take into account.
He said admissions officials also regard students' grades, letters of recommendation and extracurricular activities like internships and jobs.
Moughrabi also said: "If the graduate school doesn't know much about the university, they rely heavily on the score of the tests, the GRE or the LSAT. If they know the school very well, they won't give much weight to the GRE or the LSAT."
Graduate school dean Deborah Arfken added, "The more competitive the university, the more reliance they put on the GPA."
Moughrabi said because students take these tests nationwide, it is difficult to have a guideline to prepare for the exam.
He said, "You can review for it, but you can't really study for it."
According to Arfken, there are plenty of sample tests provided online to prepare for these exams, and many students also utilize review books.
Some students take review courses as well, she added.
Margaret Kovach, assistant professor of biological and environmental science, said, "I have books and I let my students use them."
Kovach also said students must be diligent in preparing for the test.
"I tell my students to set a schedule that they are going to follow," Kovach said. "It is an expensive test to take."
Test fees range from $115 for the LSAT and the GRE to $200 for the MCAT.
Elizabeth Wheeler, a Chattanooga senior and English major, said she is preparing by taking free tests online, but she also has an outside book.
She said: "I have to take the GRE to get in an English program, but I need to take the LSAT to get into a law school. For each of them I use my study guide. On the weekend that's pretty much what I do."
The GRE is created by the Educational Testing Service in Princeton, N.J. According to their Web site, the test is organized in order to appraise specific skills, such as verbal reasoning, quantitative reasoning and analytical writing.
Computer-based tests as well as paper-and-pencil tests are available online.
According to Moughrabi and Arfken, students are evaluated in their knowledge, but an emphasis is laid on their ability to think analytically.
In the latest GRE, the average grade for UTC students was 1042 out of 1400 in English and 920 in political science.
Kovach said 10 students were admitted to medical school after the last MCAT.
These graduate tests include the LSAT (Law School Admission Test), the GRE (Graduate Record Exam) and the MCAT (Medical College Admission Test).
According to Fouad Moughrabi, head of the political science department, these tests are just one of the items graduate schools take into account.
He said admissions officials also regard students' grades, letters of recommendation and extracurricular activities like internships and jobs.
Moughrabi also said: "If the graduate school doesn't know much about the university, they rely heavily on the score of the tests, the GRE or the LSAT. If they know the school very well, they won't give much weight to the GRE or the LSAT."
Graduate school dean Deborah Arfken added, "The more competitive the university, the more reliance they put on the GPA."
Moughrabi said because students take these tests nationwide, it is difficult to have a guideline to prepare for the exam.
He said, "You can review for it, but you can't really study for it."
According to Arfken, there are plenty of sample tests provided online to prepare for these exams, and many students also utilize review books.
Some students take review courses as well, she added.
Margaret Kovach, assistant professor of biological and environmental science, said, "I have books and I let my students use them."
Kovach also said students must be diligent in preparing for the test.
"I tell my students to set a schedule that they are going to follow," Kovach said. "It is an expensive test to take."
Test fees range from $115 for the LSAT and the GRE to $200 for the MCAT.
Elizabeth Wheeler, a Chattanooga senior and English major, said she is preparing by taking free tests online, but she also has an outside book.
She said: "I have to take the GRE to get in an English program, but I need to take the LSAT to get into a law school. For each of them I use my study guide. On the weekend that's pretty much what I do."
The GRE is created by the Educational Testing Service in Princeton, N.J. According to their Web site, the test is organized in order to appraise specific skills, such as verbal reasoning, quantitative reasoning and analytical writing.
Computer-based tests as well as paper-and-pencil tests are available online.
According to Moughrabi and Arfken, students are evaluated in their knowledge, but an emphasis is laid on their ability to think analytically.
In the latest GRE, the average grade for UTC students was 1042 out of 1400 in English and 920 in political science.
Kovach said 10 students were admitted to medical school after the last MCAT.
