Students take many important, long tests throughout college, but some of the most stressful are not for classes. As testing dates for the Law School Admission Test and Medical College Admission Test approach, students are preparing to take these and other entrance exams necessary for continuing their academic careers.

Students prepare for the test in different ways depending on which test they are taking and their learning style. Rachel Keaty, a senior in middle childhood education, plans to take the Graduate Record Examination in September and has recently started studying.

Keaty said she will be studying from a book about taking the GRE and is confident the book and practice tests will prepare her for the test.

“I plan on teaching middle school math, so I’m not worried about the math section; I could take it today and do well,” Keaty said. “The only part I need to review is the vocabulary.”

To help herself study, Keaty has made color-coded flash cards of words frequently used according to the book from which she is studying. She will also review acronyms she finds in the practice tests. Keaty has been studying the last couple of weeks and will continue to study everyday until she takes the test.

Jim Kilburg, an Ohio State academic adviser, said students can also make math flash cards to help them remember formulas.

He said the GRE is less extensive than other tests such as the MCAT and LSAT, but students should still prepare two or three months before taking the test.

Prep courses are offered for the GRE, but students like Keaty do not think the courses would help, and advisers think students can prepare on their own.

“Most students have had no problem preparing on their own,” Kilburg said.

Some students, depending on the test they will be taking, do chose to take prep courses offered by companies such as Kaplan and the Princeton Review.

“The prep courses are advantageous for some, and others find it unnecessary,” Kilburg said.

The people who find the classes most helpful are ones who like having a classroom setting to learn and need help setting aside time to study.

Dan Craig, a senior in English, has completed a 10-week Kaplan course before he took the LSAT for the first time last September.

“The class gives you an opportunity to take practice tests and to learn what your weaknesses are,” Craig said.

Craig said he will take the LSAT a second time Sept. 29 because he feels he can achieve a higher score. To study for the upcoming LSAT he will use the materials and notes from the prep course to study.

“I should have already been studying, but I just want to make sure I have six good weeks of studying so I can brush-up on the material,” he said.

Kelsy Steele, a senior in psychology, plans to attend optometry school and has been preparing for the Optometry Admission Test throughout the past six months. She has also taken Kaplan prep courses.

“The course not only made me study but provided me with study materials such as books, practice tests and online resources,” Steele said.

Students taking pre-health admissions tests should ideally start looking through material the summer following their second year of college, said Tom Veregge, a pre-health adviser.

There are certain courses advisers suggest students take. However, completing specific courses is most important for students taking the pre-health admissions tests because of the amount of science covered.

“I was planning to take the OAT this summer, but I’m now waiting until winter break because I still need to take organic chemistry and bio-chem, which will be on it,” Steele said.

Students taking any of the tests should prepare the same way the week and day before the test. The week before the test students should know all of the materials.

If students do want to study, they should review any weaknesses but not overload themselves, Kilburg said.

The day before the test, advisers and students who have taken a test before said students should relax and put away their study materials.

“My sister told me to just hang out and relax the night before the GRE,” Keaty said. “So I’m just going to eat chips and salsa and go to bed early the night before I take the test.”

Katie Swanson can be reached at [email protected].