First, "受ける" in Japanese usually mean "accept something given to you", which is probably almost the same as "receive" in English. "受ける" in Japanese is not so active or aggressive as "take" in English./Second, "試験 (exam)", "授業 (class)", "講義 (lecture)", and some other words related to education in Japan all mean something given by professors, teachers, etc. and passively received by students. It might be different from many other countries where so-called active-learning is thought to be essential. /That's why you usually don't say "試験を取る", "授業を取る", or "講義を取る" here in this context. You say "試験を受ける", "授業を受ける", or "講義を受ける" instead.