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GRE- Graduate Record Examinations
The GRE is more like a standardized aptitude test if you plan to get admission for graduate degrees or post-graduate degrees like any Masters or Doctorate degrees in the United States or Canada. Opting for this test makes it possible to get admission to various universities in the region for countless different fields. Moreover, if you’re naturally good at logical reasoning and mathematical concepts, it will not give you a hard time at all.
MCAT- Medical College Admission Test
If you happen to be a candidate interested in getting admitted into any medical school in the U.S.A or Canada, you have to take this test. It’s basically a full assessment of your knowledge surrounding biochemistry, psychology, biology, sociology, and anatomy. You have to look at your pre-learned knowledge quite critically. If you’re an aspiring future medical student, the MCAT measures how well you are prepared to get into a medical school and become a member of the medical staff.
Differences Between The GRE and The MCAT
A detailed chart with all the facts and figures will make the differences between the GRE and MCAT tests a lot clearer.
GRE | MCAT | |
Cost | $205 | $310 |
Duration | 3 hours and 45 minutes, (having 10 minutes break in between). | 7 hours and 30 minutes. |
Test Dates | The test takes place thrice a year, during the months of October, November, and February | The test is held about 25 times around the year from September to January. |
Assessment styles | GRE is designed to assess a candidate's competence in logical reasoning and analytical skills rather than a specifically narrowed-down past knowledge. | MCAT is more focused on your past knowledge regarding biological sciences. |
Sections | Analytical Writing | First section (95 minutes): |
Verbal Reasoning | Second section (95 minutes): | |
Quantitative Reasoning | Third section (90 minutes): | |
Logical Reasoning Assessment- through verbal questions | Fourth section (95 minutes): | |
Scores | Maximum score is 340. Which means 170 for each section. | 118 to 132 for each of the 4 sections that makes a total score of 472 to 528. |
Verbal and Quantitative portions of the GRE (130–170), | ||
The Analytical Writing section scores 0 and 6 in half-point increments, |
A Summary of The GRE and MCAT
It can be quite a dilemma when you have to choose between the two tests, but if you’re inclined towards the medical field, you should opt for the MCAT, and if you’re looking to study other bachelor degrees or further Masters or doctoral degrees, you should go for GRE right away.
- The GRE, unlike the MCAT, costs less and makes you eligible for many fields to get admission in as it is more focused on testing your general aptitude.
- The GRE is slightly harder than the MCAT as it tests your critical reasoning abilities.
Why is The GRE Harder than The MCAT?
- Requires deep knowledge of mathematical concepts.
- Has very complicated wordings.
- Very limited timeframe to complete the test.
- Challenging vocabulary, with many students reporting that they had a tough time understanding the question paper.
- The writing section gives the students a hard time mainly because many students find it hard to be analytically creative under pressurizing conditions.
Preparation Strategies – GRE vs MCAT
To nail the GRE exam, you have to work on your writing skills along with logical reasoning and mathematical concepts. It takes a lot of practice to do well on the analytical and reasoning sections of the test.
Meanwhile, for the MCAT, you have to thoroughly study biology, biochemistry, psychology, sociology, and anatomy. It’s going to take many hours of focused study and memorization of all the important information, as the test assesses your preliminary knowledge about these topics.
GRE vs MCAT: Statistics for Top Schools 2021
For Top-notch Schools, The average score for the Verbal section was 156.7, while for the Quantitative analysis section, it was about 166. The Analytical Writing section of the GRE is graded in half-point increments from 0 to 6, with the average being around 3.5.
In 2021, the average MCAT score for top-notch allopathic medical school applicants in the United States was 520.3.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Is the GRE test hard?
Compared to other entry tests, the GRE can be considered a rather hard test involving the more critical evaluation of mathematical and logical concepts.
Do Medical schools accept the GRE?
Medical schools do not accept the GRE, nor do they require you to go through this test. The GRE is only useful for Medical school admissions.
Can the MCAT substitute for the GRE?
Aside from a few exceptions, if you need to get admission to a medical school, a GRE test cannot substitute for the MCAT.
Conclusion
This article was an account of all the facts about the GRE and the MCAT. Which of these tests you should take, depends completely on what your resources are, what you’re planning to do with your future, and what kind of an aptitude you possess. Making the right choice may possibly be crucial to a successful future. You can easily choose the best option by analyzing all the above-mentioned facts and figures.
Christina Lyon is the author of this educational blog and she is involved with student’s life and education. She has a passion for writing articles related to education including Degrees, Diplomas, exams, students’ experience, and her prime objective is to support worldwide students by answering all their FAQs through this blog.
