Phi Kappa Phi, in collaboration with Princeton Review, will be hosting a free review session for all students who will be taking the GRE, MCAT, LSAT and GMAT.

This session will be held March 20 in the TEC Lecture Hall. Its aim is to inform students about the content, scores, preparation and strategies regarding the test.

During this review, test changes will also be discussed. 

“The MCAT, for example, is rolling out a new version of the test in April 2015.  The test is longer, divided into different sections and focusing more on critical analysis and reasoning skills than past exams.  The review sessions will help raise student awareness on these kinds of changes,” said Dr. Claire Procopio,  associate professor of language and communication. According to the Kaplan test prep website, the MCAT will now have three additional semesters’ worth of material, be doubled in length, follow a new scoring scale, relate to new questions and skills and contain a more medical approach.

The ultimate goal is to prepare students wishing to attend professional school for the rigorous tests.

“Students should prepare themselves for any grad exams including the LSAT, GRE, MCAT and GMAT by getting a great undergraduate education.  They need to go to class and pursue their studies aggressively,” said Procopio. “To gear up for the exams themselves, they need to find out what tests are required to pursue graduate studies.”

For example, students wishing to attend medical school must take the MCAT. Also, prospective law students should take the LSAT.

Applying for professional school is very competitive therefore all graduates must prepare themselves in order to ensure the highest score possible. Preparing for the exam may include attending review sessions, taking practice tests online or participating in critical thinking activities.

The LSAT consists of five 35 minute sections that containing multiple choice questions pertaining to reading comprehension and analytical and logical reasoning.

“My friends who did best on the LSAT loved logic puzzles,” said Procopio. “Students interested in either should look for opportunities to hone their critical thinking skills as emphasis on that has grown on these exams in the last 20 years.”

Senior psychology major, Heather Crabtree, hopes to continue her education in law school to become a lawyer. Crabtree gives her advice on how she prepared herself before she took the LSAT in November.

“Begin preparing months ahead of the test date and study only a small amount each time. Practicing time management is key in being successful. As you study, recognize the type of questions that are most difficult so you can skip them [during the test] and come back to them,” said Crabtree.

For more information, visit Phi Kappa Phi’s page at the university website.