Entrance exams for school, college and grad school
An admissions test is set by an exam body, not by the school you want to get into, and the school then decides how much the score matters. That's why the same test is used by hundreds of colleges at once. Which one you take depends on the level you're applying for and the subject, so the place to start is the admissions page of the course itself.
United States
Canada
United Kingdom
Australia
New ZealandUnited States
Admissions in the United States
United Kingdom
Admissions in the United Kingdom
Australia
Admissions in Australia
From age 10 to graduate school
The youngest test-takers sit entrance tests for selective schools. In England, each grammar school or area sets its own 11-plus, and in NSW most students sit the Selective High School Placement Test in Year 6. US private and specialised high schools use tests like the ISEE, SSAT and SHSAT.
For an undergraduate place in the US, the SAT from the College Board and the ACT are the big two. Once you're at college, a placement test such as ACCUPLACER decides which maths and English classes you start in. Medicine is its own world: the UCAT in the UK, the UCAT ANZ in Australia and New Zealand, and the MCAT in North America. Law has the LNAT in the UK and the LSAT in the US and Canada, and business schools mostly ask for the GMAT or GRE.
How these exams are alike
Nearly all of them are on a computer now. The SAT runs on the College Board's Bluebook app, the UCAT is sat at Pearson centres, and from the August 2026 LSAT almost everyone is moving to in-person test centres. Most are timed multiple choice, and several add writing: the LNAT ends with one essay chosen from three, the LSAT has an argumentative writing task, and the GAMSAT has two essays.
There's usually no pass mark. You get a score, and each university or school sets its own cut-off or weighs it against your grades and an interview. Test windows are fixed and can close months ahead, so for the 2026 UCAT ANZ, bookings closed on 5 June for a test in July and August.
Questions people ask
FAQ
What is a placement exam?
It's a test your college gives after you're admitted, to see which level of course suits you. In the US, the College Board's ACCUPLACER is a set of these course placement tests. It doesn't decide whether you get in, only where you start, so the best preparation is an honest one.
Which entrance exam do I need for law school?
In the US and Canada, it's the LSAT from the Law School Admission Council: four multiple-choice sections and a writing task. Many UK universities use the LNAT, which takes 2 hours 15 minutes. Each university says on its course page which test, if any, it wants.
Is there one admission test for medical school?
Not across countries. US and Canadian medical schools use the MCAT. In the UK, the universities in the UCAT Consortium ask medicine and dentistry applicants for the UCAT, and in Australia and New Zealand, undergraduate courses use the UCAT ANZ while graduate-entry medicine uses ACER's GAMSAT.
Do you pass or fail an entrance exam?
Usually neither. You get a score, and each school sets the score it wants. Selective school tests work the same way, since places go to the top scorers rather than to everyone over a line.
Which test do I need for a business grad school?
The GMAT is the test built for business schools, and the GRE is a general graduate test that many programmes also take. Which ones a school accepts is its own choice, so read its admissions page before you register for either.
Sources: College Board, ACT, LSAC and 8 more. Checked October 2026.
- College Board: The SAT ↗
- ACT: The ACT test ↗
- College Board: ACCUPLACER for students ↗
- LSAC: The LSAT ↗
- GOV.UK: Grammar schools ↗
- UCAT ↗
- LNAT: Test format ↗
- UCAT ANZ: Test format ↗
- UCAT ANZ: Test cycle ↗
- ACER: About GAMSAT ↗
- NSW Department of Education: Selective high schools ↗
Rules and fees can change, so check the official site before your test.