A reasonable portion of the global population chooses to advance their academic study after completion of their undergraduate program. There are a good number of grad schools present in the world today, and getting accepted to study in any of these schools can be a thrilling experience.
However, before students are accepted for a postgraduate degree program abroad, they may be required to undergo an entrance exam depending on their course of study. Most institutions in Countries like the USA, UK, Canada, etc. usually require advanced tests to evaluate applicants
This publication will guide postgraduate applicants on the type of tests that match their selected course of study and country. During the process of preparing to apply, applicants should do little research about their choice of University to gain insights into the admission requirements.
Graduate Entry Exams For Masters Degrees & Postgraduate Study Programs
1. Graduate Management Admissions Test (GMAT)
This entrance exam is designed for business and management students to evaluate their mathematical knowledge as well as their creative mindset. A high GMAT test score is often a standard set by most international Universities.
The test is scheduled for 4 hours, and it is subdivided into 4 sections, namely;
Essay Writing:
This section is scheduled to hold for 30 minutes, where students will analytically write about a particular subject matter. In most cases, students are expected to describe a topic of discussion and cite notable examples to back up their points.
Integrated reasoning:
This section entails mathematical and creative thinking. Students will be presented with various graphs, texts, and numbers, and they should be able to interpret the question through the process of organizing data before providing a solution.
Quantitative:
This section of the GMAT entrance exam has proven to be more challenging since it involves mathematical equations. However, practicing your mathematical skills before the exam will pose a greater advantage.
Verbal:
In this section, students will be presented with a variety of questions in order to test their level of reasoning as well as their ability to read and write the English language.
2. Graduate Medical School Admissions Test (GAMSAT)
This exam is designed for students who wish to study medicine, pharmacy, veterinary medicine, botany/chemistry, or related courses. The test is accepted in countries like Australia, and it’s used as a basis for selecting students aside from their bachelor’s degree obtained from their respective Universities.
The purpose of this test is to examine how students can provide solutions to critical medical problems. Students who have completed their BSC degree or are in their penultimate year can take their chances with the GAMSAT exam.
Meeting the GAMSAT cut-off score is one criterion top universities look out for before students are accepted to advance their studies. However, students who fail to meet up with the cut-off score have a chance at retaking the exam within 6 months.
3. Graduate Record Examination (GRE)
The GRE test is not designed for a specific academic field of study; it all depends on your chosen institution’s requirements for selecting students. The test is only available in the English language across all countries and is scheduled to hold for approximately 5 hours.
The test is subdivided into three parts which are verbal reasoning, quantitative reasoning, analytical writing, and research section. All of these subdivisions are present to test the student’s knowledge as well as their level of reasoning.
4. International English Language Testing System (IELTS)
The IELTS test evaluates a student’s general knowledge of the English language and may also be a prerequisite for obtaining a visa to English-speaking countries. The test consists of 6 sections that are scheduled to hold for 3 hours. Its subsections include;
Listening:
Students will be required to listen to several audio recordings and provide answers to questions drawn out from social and academic contexts. Students are expected to convince the examiners about their listening skills for understanding.
Writing:
Students ought to be cautious when providing answers to the oral-based test in order to avoid being penalized for grammatical errors such as wrong spellings.
Diagram Labeling:
Students will be presented with a diagram and will need to identify each part of the diagram. Students may be required to label parts of objects such as a building and types of equipment.
Form, table, summary completion:
This section consists of a series of questions where IELTS test takers will be required to listen attentively to an audio recording and to fill in the gap with the appropriate words. Students may also be required to complete the missing word or number in a table, chart, etc.
Sentence completion:
This involves the ability to complete a sentence by using the appropriate words. Students must listen attentively and pay attention to each word before completing the test sentence.
When completing the missing words in the test, ensure you don’t write over the word limit by adding more words outside of the audio recording context. For example, if you’re told to only provide a two word answer, you will face a penalty if you write above the 2 words.
Short-answer questions
This is similar to the test completion section except for the fact that students will be providing more than two words answers after listening to the audio recording. However, a word limit is provided in every question; students who don’t adhere to instructions are most likely to be penalized.
5. Graduate Pharmacy Aptitude Test (GPAT)
It’s no news that India has one of the best pharmaceutical facilities in the world attracting international students from all over the world.
Students who want to pursue an advanced degree in pharmacy must go through GPAT tests. This test has been in existence since 2019, and is used as a basis for admitting new students to study Pharmacy in any government-approved Grad school in India.
6. Medical College Admission Test (MCAT)
This is a computer-based test for medical students in advanced countries such as the USA and Canada. The purpose of this exam is to test the student’s knowledge of science as well as their ability to solve complex problems.
The test comprises 4 sections, and the difficulty of each section is not subject to change, unlike other grad tests. Students must be able to demonstrate their profound knowledge of chemistry, biological and biochemical systems, etc.
7. Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL)
This test is often required by English-speaking countries like the USA, UK, and it entails testing students’ general knowledge of the English language. This test may sometimes be required by immigrant officers before approving the Visa of countries where the English language is not widely accepted or integrated.
This test comprises 4 parts that involve testing the student’s reading, listening, oral, and writing skills. The time allocated to each section is 30 minutes, and students are graded according to their performance in each section.
Conclusion
Students who wish to advance their course of degree in a world-class university must undergo at least one graduate test depending on their course of study, the institution and their selected country.
Graduate entry tests are part of the prerequisite for selecting national and international students to expand their knowledge in their academic field of study.
Before setting out to undertake any of these tests, you can get familiar with the past questions and helpful tips provided on their official website.
