Graduate Online Degrees - Taking the Dreaded Admission Test

Going back to college to obtain a Master's degree takes commitment and preparation. Graduate degrees usually take 2 - 5 years, part-time, and working professionals have the added stress of work commitments and family (family does not have to mean husband/wife/2 kids/dog). Another time commitment is the admission test, sometimes required by the graduate school or department.
The two most common admission tests are: Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) and the Graduate Record Exam (GRE).
GMAT is designed for business and business-related degrees, such as the MBA. The GRE is designed for non-business degrees, such as engineering, math, physics, biology, psychology, etc.
Two other admission tests are: Miller Analogies Test (MAT), required by some graduate schools in place of the GMAT or GRE, and the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL).

The TOEFL may be an additional requirement to the GMAT or GRE if the undergraduate degree was from a non-US and/or non-English program. The official websites of each of these testing options do a good job outlining the following information: o Total amount of time the test takes to complete o Cost to take the test o Test scoring o Type of format: internet or print-based o Test measurements o Test prep books or software recommended Education Testing Service (ETS) has started a new component of the GRE, called ETS Personal Potential Index (ETS PPI).

This index evaluates applicants on 6 attributes: o Planning and Organization o Resilience o Communication Skills o Teamwork o Knowledge and Creativity o Ethics and Integrity Applicants choose evaluators to fill out the ETS PPI and this information is sent to the admissions team to add results to applicants' admission file.

Evaluators only have to fill out information on the PPI one time, even if the applicant has applied to several graduate schools. The Dreaded Graduate Admission Tests are easier to handle if applicant takes some time to study the official websites of the tests and takes some Test Preparation-course, software program, self-study book or free advice from the testing website.