Loyola University Chicago

Pre-Health Professions

Career Services

Admissions Tests

PA schools will typically require either the Physician Assistant College Admission Test (PA-CAT) or the Graduate Record Examination (GRE), but some schools used to require the MCAT instead. It is incredibly important to plan your desired school list ahead of time to properly prepare yourself for your school's examination preference well in advance of the application period.

The GRE evaluates an applicants' abilities to perform at the graduate level of education by assessing their analytical writing, quantitative reasoning, and verbal reasoning skills. To check if your desired schools require the GRE, visit the links below. 

The PA-CAT assesses an applicant's understanding of basic science subjects and statistics in relation to the content that will be covered in the PA program itself. Subjects included on the PA-CAT are:

  • Anatomy
  • Physiology
  • General Biology
  • Biochemistry
  • General and Organic Chemistry
  • Microbiology
  • Behavioral Sciences
  • Genetics
  • Statistics

 

What is the GRE?

What is the PA- CAT?