Which is harder: LSAT, MCAT, GMAT, GRE, other?

[SackUp]

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prohornblower,

thats not a standardized test, is it?

thats like comparing the BAR to the LSAT

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It's applied knowledge and reasoning and whatnot. So I wouldn't call it standardized. If you are a genius you could go in cold and deduce a lot, but you still need to have a large applied knowledge base going in.

A typical question would be something like:

A client wants to build a 2-storey home in Phoenix, AZ
the best option would be
A) Orient the home to capture natural breezes
B) Face all windows to the North
C) Plant tall trees around the Southern and Western facade
D) Implement a roof pond

Thats what sucks about it, they will give you several "good" options, but you have to deduce which one is the "best".

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clearly a roof pond - though a roof river is preferred.

[wacki]

I threw up TWICE during my computerized GRE and still aced it. I might of had 2 hours of sleep the night before.

-drunk wacki

[7ontheline]

I've taken the MCAT, and a number of friends have taken LSAT/GRE/GMAT. Paging through their test review books makes it very obvious that the MCAT is hardest by a mile. It's been said in this thread many times already, but if you're good at taking tests you can do well on LSAT/GRE/GMAT. You need to study hard to do well on MCAT.

[Redmen62]

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The MCAT is also curved, so you are in competition against all the other people taking the test at the time.

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This area is what got me thinking about the topic- I have two acquaintances who scored 99th percentile plus on the MCAT, which would seem like a monumental achievement given the talent pool. In person, however, they really don't seem like ubergeniuses, to say the least.

I scored 99th percentile plus on the LSAT, and while I agree the talent pool is far more impressive for MCAT near the median, I think things at the top may not be so clear.

[Shajen]

Other:

CCIE exam

(I'm taking the written test today, have two years, assuming I pass it, to take the lab. It's the toughest IT certification exam by far)

[NobodysFreak]

All,

Anyone else hear that the MCAT is about to get a whole lot easier? My buddy recently took the test and told me that it's changing from an 8 hour written exam (meaning pen and paper) to a four hour computerized exam.

His reasoning was that basically the MCAT has just become one large artificial barrier to entry that really has no bearing on how well one will perform in medical school and that there's a global shortage of doctors because of it.

[jalexand42]

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Other:

CCIE exam

(I'm taking the written test today, have two years, assuming I pass it, to take the lab. It's the toughest IT certification exam by far)

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Yeah, this thing is a bitch too, also very full of practical knowledge. CCIE and CISSP are the two hardest IT related certifications.

[jalexand42]

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All,

Anyone else hear that the MCAT is about to get a whole lot easier? My buddy recently took the test and told me that it's changing from an 8 hour written exam (meaning pen and paper) to a four hour computerized exam.

His reasoning was that basically the MCAT has just become one large artificial barrier to entry that really has no bearing on how well one will perform in medical school and that there's a global shortage of doctors because of it.

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The barrier to medical school isn't the MCAT really - that is a barrier to prove your ability to learn & apply knowledge in a practical way - becuase the questions aren't simply what is x+y, they are application questions. No different than all the other components a medical school wants to see from a candidate - grades, activities, references, etc.

The barrier to medical school is the fact that it takes 7-8 years of your life, you're a boatload in debt, and then you get out to work in a field completely regulated and limited by insurance companies.

When I was pre-med and shadowing docs, every single one encouraged me to look at other career paths - granted, they were pretty jaded because they had to live through all the changes as insurance control came about.

It's a very rewarding career - but alot of the smartest candidates just don't want to be in a career that is limited and totally controlled by paper pushers. That is ultimately what is leading to what will turn into a shortage of docs.

[prrthd]

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Other:

CCIE exam

(I'm taking the written test today, have two years, assuming I pass it, to take the lab. It's the toughest IT certification exam by far)

[/ QUOTE ]

Yeah, this thing is a bitch too, also very full of practical knowledge. CCIE and CISSP are the two hardest IT related certifications.

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I'm studying for my CISSP right now and I can tell you it was way harder getting my RHCE than it will be getting the CISSP. The RHCE is 2/3 practical and is an 6-7 hour test.

I took the MCAT when I was pre-med in college, I personally can not picture a test harder than that one. I studied for almost 6 months for it, it was mentally draining. Also kind of sucked that the exam fell on my 21st birthday.

[EMc]

Ive been told by a few people that the NYS CPA exam is considered the one of, if not the hardest test.

However, these were all accountants, so there may be some major bias.