If you are planning to take a graduate school entrance exam, take the time to prepare for it. Before registering for an exam, confirm with the graduate school program which test is required, if any. Some graduate schools don’t require entrance exams and others may waive the requirement. All exam registrations require a non: refundable fee.

Graduate School Entrance Exams

• Graduate Record Examination (GRE): This exam is used by the majority of graduate school programs. There are two types: the General and the Subject.
• Miller Analogies Test (MAT): This exam is also accepted by a variety of programs. While in general there is no comparison between the GRE and the MAT, if you happen to have the option of submitting either test score to your institution of choice, it will be worth considering which test will be more to your advantage.
• Graduate Management Admissions Test (GMAT): The exam used for admissions to business graduate schools. Some business graduate schools will accept either the GRE or GMAT. Review the program's requirements before deciding which exam to take.
• Law School Admission Test (LSAT): This exam is administered by the Law School Admission Council (LSAC) and happens 4 times per year. Most law schools also use the LSAC as the centralized application system.
• Medical College Admission Test (MCAT): This exam is administered by the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC). On average, the MCAT is given 15 times per year between the months of January and September.
• Dental Admission Test (DAT): This exam is given to determine entry into dental schools, and can be taken at almost any time of the year.

Prep Courses, Packages and Software

Remember, there are many exam preparation courses, packages, and software out there. Always consider your free options before choosing those with a cost.

• PowerPrep II: Helps you prepare for the computer: delivered GRE General Test.
• Manhattan Prep Free GRE Practice Test: Offers a full: length GRE practice exam for free or purchase a full set of GRE practice exams.
• Kaplan Test Prep: Provides practice exams and test prep resources for most professional and graduate school entrance exams.
• Princeton Review: Offers a free GRE prep trial and practice test.
• McGraw Hill Free GRE Practice Test: You can watch synchronous or asynchronous videos of a GRE Coach use step: by: step strategies and tips to solve different types of GRE problems and take a practice test.

Some additional free options are memorizing Comprehension – GRE Test Prep & Practice and GRE Daily Vocabulary.

Santa Clara University's Center for Professional Development is committed to providing our students with an exceptional level of support, and we understand that passing certification exams is a crucial step in the path to becoming a teacher. That’s why we’re pleased to partner with Teachers Test Prep, the nationwide leader in credentialing exam preparation, to provide our eligible students with Core Plus Online Prep for the Praxis, CSET, CBEST, RICA, and CPACE, at a 40% discount off of the regular test prep materials price.

To get started, please contact cpd@scu.edu to request that an account be created on your behalf, so that you may utilize free practice exams and diagnostics to determine if you are in need of prep. Once you complete your free practice test, you will receive an instant diagnostic breakdown. If your likelihood of passing is borderline or below, we will purchase the corresponding online prep program for you at a discounted price.

PLEASE NOTE: If you do not contact us and instead purchase prep directly on your own, we are unable to reimburse for costs.

To learn more about the prep resources available and to see general info about the exams, visit the Praxis, CSET, CBEST, RICA, and CPACE test info pages on the Teachers Test Prep website.

If you have questions or are interested in purchasing a test prep package, please contact cpd@scu.edu.

Timothy Porter is an Army veteran of 10 years. He achieved the rank of Sergeant First Class within 7 years. After being involved in a bomb explosion, Porter was medically retired and began pursuing his passion: technology. In 2009, after teaching himself how to develop mobile apps, Appddiction Studio was formed. In 2011, Appddiction Studio was nationally recognized by the USA Network Channel. Porter was one of their USA Character Unite Award winners for developing an award-winning anti-bullying App for schools. Appddiction Studio has developed well over 200 commercial mobile apps and has become a leader in Enterprise transformations focusing on Agile and the SAFe Framework.

Porter has multiple degrees in Management Information Systems and holds an MBA. He is an SPC and RTE and has performed roles for Appddiction Studio as Scaled program Consultant, Enterprise Coach & Trainer, Agile Coach, Release Train Engineer to Scrum Master. Appddiction Studio has been performing for programs supporting Gunter AFB as a Prime Contractor in: Agile Coaching, EODIMS JST & EODIMS Backlog Burndown and now as a subcontractor on ACES FoS.

Porter has taught over 50 public/private SAFe classes and has submitted his packet for consideration to become SPCT Gold Partner. He is certified at all levels of SAFe Framework and teaches Leading SAFe, SAFe Scrum Master, Advanced Scrum Master, Lean Portfolio Management, Product Owner/Product Management, SAFe DevOps, SAFe Architect in addition to Agile courses like ICAgile Agile Fundamentals, ICAgile Agile Team Facilitation, ICAgile Agile Programming & ICAgile DevOps Foundations.

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Wherever you are in the world, Kaplan Schweser is the gold standard of CAIA exam prep. From OnDemand classes to mock exams, every step of this course is top-notch.

Kaplan Schweser is one of most well-recognized providers of CAIA exam prep worldwide. In fact, the company and its distributors make up a quarter of the CAIA Association’s list of recommended preparation providers. Through this network of partnerships, Kaplan Schweser is able to offer courses in seven different regions across North and South America, Europe, and Asia helping it take the overall best spot. 

Kaplan Schweser’s CAIA prep program is divided into three packages. One of these is a self-directed course, providing access to a library of study materials with the option to add a review workshop and online mock exams. The other two feature live weekly classes and access to instructors, who can answer questions at any time.

If there’s a drawback to the Kaplan Schweser CAIA exam prep course, it’s the price tag. Self-study packages start at $499 per level; for access to live classes, review workshops, and mock exams, you’ll have to pay $699-999. On the bright side, 0% APR financing is offered to all United States residents except people living in Iowa, West Virginia, and Puerto Rico with flexible payment terms of three, six, or 12 months. If you fail your exam on the first try, Kaplan Schweser will provide free access to the same course you originally purchased on your second attempt.

Adam Johnson is the lead instructor for test preparation workshops at UTSA. Adam has over 20 years of experience teaching standardized test preparation classes.

After teaching for several years for a leading test-preparation company, Adam taught English and test-preparation in Valencia, Spain. He has consistently scored in the 99th percentile on standardized tests including perfect scores on the GRE and LSAT.

He's not only an expert on the tests that he teaches, but also a devoted and energetic instructor who can communicate strategies to help others Improve their scores.