LSAT, MCAT, GRE; the list goes on for grad-school exams. These tests put UW-Madison students through hell as they try to balance studying for the grad-school test of their choice, schoolwork, work, Badger football and a little fun during their senior year of college.

For many graduate programs, particularly med and law school, these tests mean everything. A great score can make up for four years of slightly lower-than-desired grades. A bad score … just don’t get a bad score. Even the most impressive grades usually cannot compensate for a low score.

Why is so much weight put on one test? I do not know. But the truth is that the test is of utmost importance to one’s future. A student’s exam score will dictate his or her grad school, which will likely dictate whether that first job is on Wall Street or in Billings, Mont.

However, these tests only judge so much. They do not judge success in grad school, and plenty of successful people have gone to graduate schools that U.S. News and World Report may not judge as “Tier one” schools. At the same time, plenty of people have gone to Ivy League schools and dropped out. These tests are an indicator of certain skills. These tests do not judge character, determination or the drive and will to succeed.

Whether you can figure out most of the 25 logical-reasoning questions in 35 minutes on the LSAT or know every word the GRE can think of, testing will not determine the happiness that comes with your life.

I do understand the need for these tests. Every school has a different curriculum and grading standards are not universal within a university, let alone across different universities. These exams are the only way for grad schools to try and judge people in a fair and equal manner (though this equality is taken away by schools that use race-based admission standards).

No score, however high or low, will be the complete determinate of your future success and happiness. Indeed, even the definition of success is different for everyone. Some people want the simple things in life: a decent house, a good family and a stable job. Others will only feel successful if they live a life of luxury, and for others, helping people, making contributions in science, law or literature, will be their measure of success.

Regardless of how you measure success, a high score on one of the grad-school exams only means plenty of hard work is ahead. At the same time, a low score means the same thing — plenty of hard work in the future. It is making the most of opportunities that separates people.

If you are given a valuable opportunity you can take it and move on, or you can take that opportunity, run with it and create new opportunities. This is life’s true test: making the most of what you have to work with.

For those of you taking any of these exams in the next couple of months or years, put the time into studying, because, like it or not, they are crucial to your graduate admissions. But don’t forget that the test does not mean everything. Life is far too short to worry. Success is determined not by a test score or the grad school you go to but by your character, hard work and determination.

As you move forward in life, remember what the author Ben Sweetland said: “Success is a journey, not a destination.”

Matt Modell ([email protected]) is a senior majoring in journalism and political science.