Admission Exams and Assessments
Check the official websites of programs you plan to apply to and see what exams/assessments they require. You may want to look for their average matriculant data or if they have any minimum requirements.
Updated 10/23/2023
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Situational Judgement Tests
Situational Judgement Tests (SJTs) assess you on the areas that your GPA and traditional test scores can't: communication, motivation, resilience, self-awareness, problem solving, empathy, professionalism, equity, ethics, collaboration. Some schools require it to obtain a more reliable and meaningful assessment of applicants’ personal competencies and to promote the diversity of entering medical students.
These tests may not be required by all schools, but may still be encouraged. AAMC has a list of all allopathic medical schools and what SJT they may require/recommend. Please be sure to check each school's requirements and keep a tab of any needed SJTs!
Casper and Duet
Required by some PA, medical, optometry, veterinary or dental schools
Students applying to medical school (MD/DO), dentistry school, optometry school, veterinary school, or PA schools may find they are required to take either the Casper or Duet tests for certain schools. These SJTs can all be found under Acuity Insight's website.
Resources:
Before taking either exam, it is important that you know what these tests are composed of. This video is a sample scenario of Casper.
AAMC PREview (formerly the AAMC Situational Judgment Test)
You can find the registration link, schools (required, recommended and for research purposes only) and official policy/procedure guide here - AAMC PREview Participating Medical Schools.
The Philadelphia Inquirer published an article with a sample question; you can read the article here!
Kira Talent
There are two different types of assessments in Kira - 1) an asynchronous assessment or 2) a live interview. Please check your email invitation and/or your Check In page if you're unclear about the type of assessment you've been invited to. For more information, visit the Kira Talent Applicant Help Center.
Required for dental school
Resources our students have used to prepare:
DAT Resources & Study Habits: This webinar is intended to provide pre-dental students with information and reviews on available DAT study materials. Various resources will be compared based on different types of study habits. The webinar will also include DAT tips, commonly asked questions and advice on how to prepare a study schedule.
GRE
Required by veterinary medical schools and some PA schools
Here's free resources to help you prepare for the Graduate Record Examinations (GRE):
Free GRE General Test Preparation Materials from the test-makers themselves: including PowerPrep to get a feel for the computer-delivered GRE), practice book for paper-delivered GRE, math review, and math conventions
Khan Academy: Free Preparation for the GRE Quantitative Reasoning Measure: For each topic in the Math Review, find links to the relevant sections on the Khan Academy website that contain instructional videos on the topic. Note that some videos in the referenced sections may contain content that does not appear on the GRE Quantitative Reasoning measure.
Magoosh's GRE Vocabulary Flashcards covers 1000+ of the most important GRE vocab words. You can either download the app or use the desktop version.
Free GRE Practice: GRE question of the day, Practice and Review, Bootcamp, preview a Live Online class, Grad School Guide, 20-minute workout, pop quiz, GRE Insider blog
The Crush the GRE Guidebook from GoGrad answers FAQ and provides test-day tips, study advice, and more
MCAT
Required for Medical (MD/DO) & Podiatry (DPM) School
How I Prepared for the MCAT Exam Testimonials: Students who performed well on the MCAT share their study schedules, strategies, personal challenges, dos/don'ts
Free MCAT Prep Materials
The following materials are all FREE from these organizations and test prep companies:
Khan Academy MCAT Collection covers all of the content tested on the new MCAT exam, and includes 1,100 videos and 3,000 review questions to help you study.
MCAT Sessions scroll down to Practice Tests, Strategy Sessions, and Webinars tabs
TIP: Check to see in November if they're running any Black Friday deals!
MCAT Study Guide for 1-6 months out from your test date
Check if you are eligible for Tuition Assistance
On-demand recording explaining their resources
UWorld offers a 7-day trial (no credit card required) to 100 questions.
Optometry Admission Test (OAT)
Required for optometry school
Optometry Admission Test (OAT) 2023 Candidate Guide
Materials our students have used to prepare for the OAT:
Kaplan OAT Prep Plus ("Lesson Book") | Kaplan OAT Review Notes (comes with online course and not sold separately unless you buy secondhand)
Chad's Prep Website (including free OAT Practice exams)
Physician Assistant College Admissions Test (PA-CAT)
The Physician Assistant College Admissions Test (PA-CAT) is required by a small proportion of PA programs (some may even use it to replace the GRE as their standard admission exam). This exam is a 240-item science-based assessment covering the major prerequisite subjects required for admissions to most PA schools. It was developed in collaboration with PA administrators to help them better-determine if an applicant is academically prepared for PA school in the core prerequisite subjects. Here is a resource from the testing administrator.
Check if PA programs you plan to apply to will be requiring the PA-CAT. See registration & schedule site and note there is a fee to register for the exam + a test center fee.
ATI Test of Essential Skills
Does a nursing school you're applying to require the ATI Test of Essential Academic Skills (TEAS)? Here's some tips to prepare for this exam.