V. Entrance Exams

Will I have to take an entrance exam?
What will the exams test?
How can I prepare?
When and where will I take it?
Which formats are available?

Most graduate schools and programs require applicants to take a standardized entrance exam and to report the scores as part of their application. The most commonly required exams are

Contact both the graduate school and the graduate program; you may need to take a general test to apply to the graduate school, as well as a field-specific test to apply to the program.

UHM does not require an entrance exam for the campus-level application, but many individual programs at UHM require a specific entrance exam. Be sure to check program requirements carefully. All foreign students are required to take the TOEFL, unless their Bachelor degree was from an institution where an approved form of English was the official language of instruction.

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Almost all exams test the same general areas:

• Verbal skills
• Quantitative skills
• Writing skills

Some tests require field-specific questions. The GRE, for example, offers “Subject Areas” such as Biochemistry, Biology, Chemistry, Computer Science, English Literature, Mathematics, Physics, and Psychology.

Think twice before taking any optional exams or optional portions of exams. If it is optional, not taking it cannot be held against you, but if you do take it, a poor score can weaken your application. In general, take whatever exams you need, but only what you need. The exceptions to that guideline are if you are an exceptional test-taker or if you think the score might strengthen your application.

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For-profit companies will gladly charge you hundreds, even thousands of dollars to help you prepare for your exam. Before signing up to pay all that money, be aware that taking a commercial preparation class does not guarantee better scores and is not usually necessary. Before enrolling in a commercial prep course, take full advantage of the following:

• Study for long-term retention. Your undergraduate courses are designed to prepare you for graduate entrance exams. Read your assignments thoroughly and carefully, take courses that require extensive writing, use your quantitative skills daily (instead of relying on calculators and computers), and study your field to build a strong foundation. For many students, this step alone is enough to do well on entrance exams.
  
  
• Take the free practice and diagnostic exams on the official websites. Remember that the exams’ websites are the original source; their information is the most up-to-date and official. Best of all – they’re free! Some of the websites will allow you to purchase older versions of the exam, the same versions used in commercial prep courses. Some websites also offer for sale test preparation information and sample tests in CD-ROM format.
  
  
• Purchase exam guidebooks. These are available at most bookstores and are often well less than $100 each. Read the “Tips” sections carefully and take the practice tests, some slowly so that you understand each problem and answer, others within the allotted time. As you near the actual exam, practice taking the entire exam 2-3 times, exactly as it will be given, using a stopwatch and adhering to exact break times.
  
  
• Study 100- and 200-level textbooks. Graduate entrance exams are testing basic liberal arts skills, not the skills you will acquire as a graduate student. For example, if your math skills are weak, work through a basic textbook (the websites and guidebooks can tell you what level math you will need).
  
  
• Enroll in a commercial test preparation course. The primary benefit of these courses is the discipline provided by paying the high tuition. If you are the kind of person who plans to study every Saturday morning, wakes up to a beautiful day, and then postpones studying in order to catch a few waves first, you should probably sign up for a commercial course. Paying several hundred dollars will ensure you show up to study. If, however, you plan to study and do so faithfully every Saturday morning, you can probably save your money.

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When you should take the exam depends on when you need the scores. How quickly scores become available varies from exam to exam, so start by checking the official websites. Choose a date so that your scores will be available well in advance of your application deadlines – one month at the very least; three to four months to be safe.

Scores are not usually valid forever. Graduate schools often have guidelines on how recent scores must be; check those guidelines before scheduling your exam.

Finally, it is usually less expensive if you know where you want the scores sent before you take the exam. If you want the scores reported to you first, i.e., before you decide whether to send them to schools, you may have to pay an extra reporting fee.

If you have a choice of dates, it is usually better to take the exam sooner rather than later. Use only practice tests to “see how it goes”; when it comes to the real exam, prepare well, and take it once.

Where you take the exam depends on the exam and your geographic location. For information about a specific exam, contact:

UHM Testing Office
QLCSS 307
956-3454

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PBT stands for “paper based test,” the old pencil-and-paper format, usually proctored in large rooms. CBT stands for “computer based test,” usually offered in computer labs. Most exams are now available only as CBT, except for the GRE, which is still PBT but plans to convert to CBT only by 2008.

For most students, the biggest difference between PBT and CBT is the writing section: students who can touch-type have a distinct advantage in CBT tests. In multiple choice sections, the main advantage seems to be familiarity and individual preference, although students who “mouse” with their off hand (right-handers who “mouse” left, or left-handers who “mouse” right) have a small advantage because they can take notes or work problems with one hand while clicking or scrolling with the other.

Some CBT exams are sequential – you must answer all questions in order; others are open – you can skip around, answering questions in any order. Also, some CBT exams are adjusted – when you answer a question incorrectly, the exam skips similar, more difficult questions and sends you to a different track of questions; others are set – everyone answers the same set of questions. Most students are more comfortable with open, set exams, but students cannot choose their own format. Be sure your practice exams use the same format as the exam you will be taking.

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