Most individuals who are interested in entering into a post secondary education program will encounter a series of standardized tests. The first set of tests that high school students take for college admission. When a student then selects their educational goals based on their career path, they may be required to take additional tests in order to admit them to a particular college.
Being prepared for these tests is crucial. Colleges often have a required score that must be reached in order to approve admission to that school. One way to get better prepared for taking a high stakes standardized test is to use a test preparation course that will discuss the test content, types of questions used and the main topics covered in the test that a student will need to study. In this article, we will discuss the pros and cons of these test preparation courses to allow you to weigh your options when you are considering how to prepare for these important exams.
Undergraduate College Admission Tests
As a student in high school, it is important to create educational goals with your school counselors that are attainable for each student. Many students will decide to attend college and most high schools require students to take the pre-admission tests that are required to enter colleges and universities.
If you are one of the students who is seriously interested in attending some type of post secondary education, you will want to be prepared to do well on the exams. When you pass with a high score, then you can be more confident that you will be accepted into the college or university of your choice.
Some of the college admission tests include:
- PSAT
- SAT
- ASVAB
- ACT
- SAT Subject Tests
- AP Exams
Preparing for these tests properly could mean the difference in getting into your first choice college and your last choice college. There are several test preparation books you can purchase to help you familiarize with the types of questions that will be asked on the test. Another way to study for these tests is to enroll in a test preparation course. We will discuss the different ways to attend these courses, the costs and the pros and cons later in this article.
Graduate Admissions Tests
When you have earned a bachelor’s degree, you can go on to obtain employment or choose to attend graduate school. Graduate school often requires the students to pass a particular graduate school admissions examination to be accepted into that school. These tests ensure that the students are going to be a good fit for the program and have a basic knowledge for the content in their program as well.
Graduate admission tests are required for the areas of:
- Pharmacy school (PCAT)
- Graduate school (MAT or GRE)
- Medical school (MCAT)
- Dental school (DAT)
- Optometry school (OAT)
- Business school (GMAT)
- Law school (LSAT)
Since most of these tests are in depth and more difficult that most tests you may have taken before, you will want to strive for your very best performance to ensure you earn the highest score possible. Taking these tests costs you time and money, so you do not want to have to retake the tests if you do not have to. One way to avoid that is to take preparation measures such as studying with a partner with a test preparation book or by attending a test prep course.
Additional Tests for Medical Licensing
Medical careers require individuals to hold a license. In order to be eligible for a license, you must pass the exam for your medical field. You can then become a nurse, doctor, dentist, optometrist, pharmacist or other medical professional after you have completed. Since these tests lead you to future employment, it is vital that you pass it the first time so you can seek a job in your medical field.
Test Preparation Options
As mentioned before, there are several options for test preparation that help you pass the tests with flying colors. Some individuals can study alone with little help, but most people do better if they work with others while they prepare for their examinations for undergraduate college admissions, graduate college admissions or medical licensing.
Test preparation books can be found at a book store as well as online. These books generally have information about the types of material the tests will cover as well as providing a sample test where you can experience what the tests questions will be like and compare your answers with a key.
Another great option for test preparation is to enroll in a test prep course. There are three different choices of how to attend test prep courses. Some of the courses are offered online only that are taught by experienced teachers. Online only courses are great because they generally cost less, they offer flexibility for your schedule and you can choose how much or how little help you desire. Other courses are taken on site at a convenient location that can help students prepare with a teacher as well as alongside other students who can study with. Most test prep courses offer practice tests as well so you can get used to what it will be like when you take the real exams.
No matter what method you choose for test preparation, just be sure you have done adequate studying so you can pass the test with confidence and ensure you will not have to take it multiple times.
Leave a Reply