Admission Requirements

Each field has different requirements and schools offering the same type of degree may have different requirements. You will want to find out what criteria are used by the school to evaluate and select students.

Most will require the following items:

  • Application form and fees (find out about application deadlines - some schools have rolling admissions)

  • Essay and goal statement (also called a personal statement)

  • Transcripts and graduate admissions tests

  • Letters of recommendation

  • Admissions interview

Graduate School Admissions Tests

These are the main four graduate school admission tests:

  • Graduate Record Examination (GRE)

  • Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT)

  • Law School Admission Test (LSAT)

  • Medical College Admission Test (MCAT)

Many of the organizations that administer graduate admissions tests maintain online sites that offer a variety of information and help to aspiring students. in addition, the Ohio Means Jobs website provides access to the practice tests. To access these resources, simply visit the Ohio Means Jobs website and create a free account. 

(GRE) - Graduate Record Examination includes:

  • Seven part "general test" that tests you on verbal, quantitative, and analytical abilities as they measure your potential success on a graduate level

  • Fourteen part "subject test" that is designed to measure your knowledge of subject matter related to a specific field

  • A writing assessment designed to measure your thinking and writing skills.

  • For more information on the GRE, go to http://www.gre.org/.

(GMAT) - Graduate Management Admission Test assesses:

  • The qualifications of applicants to predict your academic performance in the first year of graduate management school.

  • There are 9 timed sections and two 3 minute essays to write.

  • Information on GMAT

(LSAT) - Law School Admission Test measures:

  • Reading and verbal reasoning skills

  • Many law schools require that the LSAT be taken by December, nine months before law school begins.

  • The Law School Admissions Council recommends taking the test earlier - 15 months to a year before law school begins.

  • Information on the LSAT

(MCAT) - Medical College Admission Test tests:

  • A wide range of skills, including problem solving, critic thinking, and writing.

  • The aspiring student's knowledge of science concepts and principles that are prerequisites to the study of medicine.

  • Scores are given in verbal reasoning, physical sciences, a writing sample, and biological sciences.

  • Almost all U.S. medical schools require an MCAT before admission.

  • Information on the MCAT