If you are thinking about pursuing graduate level education in nursing, you may wonder if there are entrance exams required for a Master’s in Nursing program. Each program will have its own unique requirements; therefore, it is best verify required entrance exams with each program. If you are still researching programs, you will find that there are two exams that you might be required to take in order to gain admittance into a Master’s in Nursing program: the GRE or MAT.
GRE
The GRE (Graduate Record Examination) is a test administered to students who are preparing to pursue graduate level work. There are two basic types of the GRE, the general test and the subject tests. The general test measures verbal skills, quantitative reasoning skills, and analytical writing abilities. There are a wide variety of resources that students interested in taking the GRE can access, such as websites like majortests.com, which features GRE practice tests. There area also many review books and study guides available to help you prepare to take the GRE. They provide helpful hints, sample questions and practice software. Finally, there are a plethora of GRE-prep courses that aspiring Master’s students can take in order to ensure that they perform well on the exam. In some cases, universities will offer free GRE prep courses as a courtesy to students.
MAT
The Miller Analogies Test (MAT) is a mental ability test that requires the student to provide the correct solutions to problems stated in analogy format. The MAT is designed to assess the student’s capabilities with respect to analytical thinking. The analogies found on the exam will cover content from a variety of academic subjects. For this reason, MAT scores enable graduate school representatives to gauge the student’s academic capabilities in a manner that transcends mere knowledge of his or her ability to memorize and repeat information.
Other Considerations
If you are interested in learning about entrance exams for a Master’s in Nursing program, you are probably motivated to be a highly competitive candidate. While good scores on entrance exams will help, it is important that you maintain an excellent GPA at the undergraduate level. Additionally, it would be best to gather related work experience. This could be through an internship, volunteer work, or full or part time employment. Doing so provides the hands-on knowledge and experience that will make you a more marketable program candidate.
It is important to plan ahead if you are interested in pursuing a Master’s in Nursing. Along with any entrance exams required, you may have to meet other prerequisite coursework requirements. Allowing yourself plenty of time to research schools and review requirements will set you up to be a better candidate for a Master’s of Science in Nursing program.
Related Resource: How Can I Tell if an Online MSN is Right for Me?