Verbal reasoning 85 minutes, 60 questions
Physical sciences 100 minutes (physics and general chemistry), 77 questions
Two essays 60 minutes
Biological sciences 100 minutes (biology, organic/biochemistry), 77 questions
Most admissions tests are given several times a year, in spring and summer. While schools will have a record of all your admissions test results, usually they will count only the highest score. However, it is best to prepare well and take the test only one time.
For the biology, chemistry, physics, or other content tests, plan your program so that you have completed the appropriate courses (or nearly so) before the test will be taken. For the majority of students this will be in the spring of the junior year. As you go through the first three years of college, remember too that some sections of admissions tests are outside the traditional physical and biological science courses.
Good writing skills may prove to be the critical deciding factor in admission to professional programs, all other things being equal. Similarly, the ability to read quickly and with good recall is a skill you should develop all through your college career. Good long-term recall is not associated with "cramming."
Practice tests and review courses (such as the Kaplan review courses) are commercially available to provide test taking experience. They are a bit pricey, but since nearly all students will take a commercial review before they take the test, you may be at some disadvantage if you do not. For students with mediocre test-taking skills, the cost may be well worth the improvement in test taking strategies. All students should be able to benefit from the concentrated review of subject matter. Students with good time management skills and self-discipline can successfully review without taking a formal review course. We strongly recommended that each student take as many practice tests as possible during the course of this review.
Whatever method you choose to review for the admissions test, you should begin as early as possible. We recommend that you begin your intensive review by the Christmas break of your junior year at the latest, and continue into the spring of your junior year. Plan to spend your spring break reviewing as well, since this may be the last large block of time available to you. During your spring semester a specific amount of time (several hours daily) should be blocked out for test review, and this schedule should be followed faithfully. You must study on a regular daily basis. You can't learn enough by cramming in short bursts of activity. Emphasis should be placed on reviewing concepts and facts learned previously, not on learning new material. Your old class notes and texts should be great for this. In fact, you should consider re-writing class notes into a format well-suited for future review. Questions on the admissions tests often stress the application of general principles rather than the regurgitation of facts. You must know many facts, of course, but you must also be able to apply them to solve problems. While strategies are important, none of them can substitute for knowledge of the subject, particularly in the science sections. We recommend that you take a lighter than normal course load in the spring semester of the junior year to allow for adequate review time.
As mentioned previously, you should plan to take the exam once and score well. However, if you take the admissions test and are unhappy with your results, it can be retaken. The MCAT, for example, is always offered in April and August...so an exam taken in April can be retaken in August. Students often have more time to prepare over the summer with fewer distractions. Remember, however, that this strategy is somewhat harmed by the rolling admissions policies of many graduate programs. You should discuss this with your advisor.
Students can register for most admissions exams online. Some programs (such as the Texas system) do not use the central application service. You are responsible to determine the appropriate method of application for the schools you are interested in attending.