Getting into graduate school can be stressful. It’s even more stressful, however, when a pandemic has cast uncertainty on whether you’ll even have the chance to take the admission test to get in. Fortunately, the makers of these tests are taking this into consideration.

Many testing sites have been closed and dates to take the tests have been canceled.

The makers of the GRE, a required test for many grad schools, have made an exact replica of the test center exam and made it accessible through a home computer. The test is monitored by a human proctor and must be taken on a PC or laptop with Windows® operating system. 

The GMAT, a required test for most business schools, has also gotten an online version that is similar to the one taken in-person. Much of the test will be the same; however, there will be no Analytical Writing Assessment portion of the test. 

The Law School Admission Council, makers of the LSAT, have made a remotely-proctored version of the test, called LSAT-Flex, which will be administered in May only to students who were registered to take the test in April. If more LSAT test dates must be canceled in the future, then the Council may offer more remotely-proctored opportunities.

The Medical College Admissions Test, or MCAT, has yet to get any online equivalents. Test dates have been canceled through May 21, however, and more test dates are being scheduled for the months following May. 

When asked if colleges would view these scores differently than traditional scores, Jeff Thomas of Kaplan Test Prep had this to say. 

“We haven’t heard that any graduate school, business school, or law school will view applicants who take the at-home versions of the GRE, GMAT, and LSAT, respectively, any differently in the admissions process,” said Thomas. “The test makers created these at-home versions with this issue in mind. They wanted to create something that their clients, which are these graduate-level programs, would feel fully confident in.”

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