The "Should I retake? What do my scores mean? Are my scores any good?" Thread

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Originally Posted by n2d

just completed the exam.
Verbal: ss 427 pr 87
biology: ss 447 pr 97
reading: ss 369 pr 8
quant: 423 pr 85
chem 485 pr 99
composite 94
I'm so disappointed with the reading. could not believe my eyes. my practice test is from 60 to 80. Must retake. .

yes, retake it. You don't have a prayer with those scores

Originally Posted by MacFarlane

Hi person above, I am stressed too!

Verbal 439/94
Bio 425/84
R Comp 450/99
Quant 407/61
Chem 415/72

Composite 427/92

WIll the lower Quant and Chem scores hurt? Should I retake it? (Ugh, what a horrible thought!)

Thanks so much in advance for analyzing, guys.

This is a definate retake. You don't have a chance with those scores especially since you feel the need to show off to get into a pharm school..... which, btw, is VERY easy.

Originally Posted by Nelcovp

This is a definate retake. You don't have a chance with those scores especially since you feel the need to show off to get into a pharm school..... which, btw, is VERY easy.

^ he might be over exaggerating a bit here and there but I think your scores are reasonably high enough to be competitive into the pharmacy program. Only if your GPA and other EC's are up to date

VA: 419/78
BIO: 401/44
RC: 400/51
QA: 413/72
CH: 430/88
Composite 413/74

Cum. GPA 3.49
Science GPA 3.2
---------------------------------------------------

Retook in Sept. and made a 90 composite!

I took the PCAT for the first time and got a 79 percentile cumulative, with Bio and Reading being my two worst scores at 45th %ile and 41st %ile respectively. Do you think that low bio score will hurt me? I have yet to take any anatomy or my second semester of general biology, so do you think a school would see that and recognize that as an attributing factor to my low score?
I'm applying at SIUE and UofI at Chicago. Unless I bomb this upcoming semester and my interview, I'm not too worried about getting into SIUE as that's the school I currently go to, and I know they don't weigh PCAT extremely high. But I feel like UIC would be a better choice as it's more research based, which is what I'm hoping to do, but I haven't been able to find anywhere that lists their average PCAT score.

Originally Posted by trev8748

I took the PCAT for the first time and got a 79 percentile cumulative, with Bio and Reading being my two worst scores at 45th %ile and 41st %ile respectively. Do you think that low bio score will hurt me? I have yet to take any anatomy or my second semester of general biology, so do you think a school would see that and recognize that as an attributing factor to my low score?
I'm applying at SIUE and UofI at Chicago. Unless I bomb this upcoming semester and my interview, I'm not too worried about getting into SIUE as that's the school I currently go to, and I know they don't weigh PCAT extremely high. But I feel like UIC would be a better choice as it's more research based, which is what I'm hoping to do, but I haven't been able to find anywhere that lists their average PCAT score.

hi,after finishing my bpharmacy in india, how many years study in usa?what is the cost?please tell me, i need info

I took the PCAT this morning having studied sparingly over the past two months. I fared pretty well on Verbal ability, Reading Comprehension, and Biology, however, Chemistry and Quantitative ability destroyed my score. I ended up with a 41 composite (unofficial) which I realize is atrocious. I knew going in I was probably not going to score as high as I could potentially score, but wanted to get the experience of the test to know what to expect next time. My main issue was completing the chemistry and math sections in time. I knew how to do most of the problems, however I was doing them far too slowly. I took practice tests and did pretty well on chemistry and math so this came as kind of a surprise. Do you have any suggestions of resources or tips to boost math and chemistry specifically?

Originally Posted by Tetris10

I took the PCAT this morning having studied sparingly over the past two months. I fared pretty well on Verbal ability, Reading Comprehension, and Biology, however, Chemistry and Quantitative ability destroyed my score. I ended up with a 41 composite (unofficial) which I realize is atrocious. I knew going in I was probably not going to score as high as I could potentially score, but wanted to get the experience of the test to know what to expect next time. My main issue was completing the chemistry and math sections in time. I knew how to do most of the problems, however I was doing them far too slowly. I took practice tests and did pretty well on chemistry and math so this came as kind of a surprise. Do you have any suggestions of resources or tips to boost math and chemistry specifically?

Hi, I kind of did the same thing you did today, except in July. I took the PCAT with no studying and got a 47. However, I actually want to get accepted soo I studied my ass off for two months (not everyday) and got a 75 today. I got a 90 on Bio but a 21 on QA; needless to say math is not my strong suit so I can't help you there, but I do recommend dishing out the extra bucks for a Review Course (I took a Kaplan one). It's worth the money. However, if you don't want too (perfectly understandable) then try to take as many practice tests as possible to get used to sitting in front of the computer screen for that long and time yourself.
Bonus with Kaplan is the free practice tests that are almost identical to test day.
Good Luck

Originally Posted by Nelcovp

This is a definate retake. You don't have a chance with those scores especially since you feel the need to show off to get into a pharm school..... which, btw, is VERY easy.

I wish I could like comments on this forum.

This was my first time taking the exam.

Verbal 58
Biology 67
Reading 91
QA 39
Chemistry 91
Composite 78

CUM GPA 3.24. Science 3.62. Math 3.0
14 years experience as a CPhT
Interested in Belmont, UF and Nova (Manchester too, but they don't require the PCAT)

Verbal 423/82
Bio 434/91
RC 414/76
Quant 434/93
Chem 415/72
Composite 424/90

I took the PCAT for the second time today. First time was back in July. Here are my scores for both tests:

PCAT #1
VA-54
Bio-69
RC-86
Quant-72
Chem-76
Composite:76

PCAT #2
VA- 87
Bio-13
RC-75
Quant-88
Chem-85
Composite:78

Completely bombed the Bio section today--it's a weakness of mine, but I didn't think it was that bad. My question is, how bad do you think this will reflect on me? Two of the schools I'm applying to don't require the PCAT (Pacific & UCSD), but the others are U of Arizona, U of Colorado, U of New Mexico, and Midwestern U.

Some background information:
GPA: 3.64, Last 45: 3.73
Gen Bio: A both semesters, A&P: B both semesters, Micro: B
Chemistry B.S. & Microbiology B.S. Northern Arizona U '11
Volunteer in 2 pharmacies & work for pharmaceutical company in chem lab, lots of ECs in college

Is it possible that some schools look collectively at both PCATs? I've heard that some will take the highest from each subtest to compile a "new" score.

Thank you in advance for your feedback!

verbal: 58
biology: 91
reading: 54
quantitative: 67
chemistry: 81
composite: 78

just took the test today. im applying to schools in california: ucsf, u of the pacific, northstate and schools in chicago: rosalind, uic, midwestern, roosevelt

gpa: 3.3

should i retake the pcat? what are my chances?

thanks for your help

.

I had a concern about my next pcat exam i plan to take in january. I took my pcat exam today and ended geting a composite of 50. My bio score was 89 chem 67 quant: Pretty terrible. For this exam i did not have time and a half because i applied to late. For my exam in january i am considering utilizing the extra time because I have a learning disability. I called pearson and they said this its ok to ask for it on the next test eventhough I did not ask for time and a half on this one. I guess what my main issue is, will adCOMS frown upon me utilizing the time and a half and consider my score as a "false one."

.

Is it possible to get my actual PCAT test to use for study purposes? I did very poorly even though I studied alot & have excellent grades. I would like to see what SPECIFICALLY I got wrong.

We have to show ID and prove who we are when we take the test, why do we have to take the results given by Pearson as gospel. We are paying alot of money to take this test, I believe we should be able to see specifics on how we did.

My personal opinion is that Pearson makes alot more money by charging for the practice tests and for the test retakes. They have a monopoly and I haven't seen anyone questioning this.

Am I the only person this has occurred to?

I'll give this a shot, with the caveat that I am not that familiar with many of these schools.

Originally Posted by florange

This was my first time taking the exam.

Verbal 58
Biology 67
Reading 91
QA 39
Chemistry 91
Composite 78

CUM GPA 3.24. Science 3.62. Math 3.0
14 years experience as a CPhT
Interested in Belmont, UF and Nova (Manchester too, but they don't require the PCAT)

I think this score is fine. I probably wouldn't retake. A 78 composite is respectable. I'd check with the individual schools to see if they have issue with low scores on specific sections - I don't recall a 39 being an issue.

Originally Posted by Beneamata

Verbal 423/82
Bio 434/91
RC 414/76
Quant 434/93
Chem 415/72
Composite 424/90

Not sure if serious. Do not not not retake a 90 composite with your lowest score in the 70s.

Originally Posted by ndooda

I took the PCAT for the second time today. First time was back in July. Here are my scores for both tests:

PCAT #1
VA-54
Bio-69
RC-86
Quant-72
Chem-76
Composite:76

PCAT #2
VA- 87
Bio-13
RC-75
Quant-88
Chem-85
Composite:78

Completely bombed the Bio section today--it's a weakness of mine, but I didn't think it was that bad. My question is, how bad do you think this will reflect on me? Two of the schools I'm applying to don't require the PCAT (Pacific & UCSD), but the others are U of Arizona, U of Colorado, U of New Mexico, and Midwestern U.

Some background information:
GPA: 3.64, Last 45: 3.73
Gen Bio: A both semesters, A&P: B both semesters, Micro: B
Chemistry B.S. & Microbiology B.S. Northern Arizona U '11
Volunteer in 2 pharmacies & work for pharmaceutical company in chem lab, lots of ECs in college

Is it possible that some schools look collectively at both PCATs? I've heard that some will take the highest from each subtest to compile a "new" score.

Thank you in advance for your feedback!

Some schools do look collectively at the PCATs, it depends on their policy. Some schools even spell that out on their website. Either PCAT score (composite in the 70s) is probably fine. You may want to give the school a call & see how they react to that 13 Bio - but you did fine the first time around (69). You've got at least one school on there notorious for high requirements (U of A), but I think you'll get into at least one of your schools with this score. I'm honestly not sure why you retook in the first place.

Originally Posted by rebekahjhlee

verbal: 58
biology: 91
reading: 54
quantitative: 67
chemistry: 81
composite: 78

just took the test today. im applying to schools in california: ucsf, u of the pacific, northstate and schools in chicago: rosalind, uic, midwestern, roosevelt

gpa: 3.3

should i retake the pcat? what are my chances?

thanks for your help

I wouldn't retake the PCAT with a composite of 78 & lowest score in the 50s as a first plan of attack. Check out the schools' stats for their incoming class - you're about in the middle of the pack for most schools I've looked at both for GPA and PCAT, but you should make any initial numeric cutoffs, I think.

Originally Posted by ijneb41399

I had a concern about my next pcat exam i plan to take in january. I took my pcat exam today and ended geting a composite of 50. My bio score was 89 chem 67 quant: Pretty terrible. For this exam i did not have time and a half because i applied to late. For my exam in january i am considering utilizing the extra time because I have a learning disability. I called pearson and they said this its ok to ask for it on the next test eventhough I did not ask for time and a half on this one. I guess what my main issue is, will adCOMS frown upon me utilizing the time and a half and consider my score as a "false one."

Maybe the best bet is to call the school and ask without offering your name. I'm pretty sure if Pearson approves the accommodation due to your medical documentation, they can't discriminate based on that information - if it is even reported from Pearson to the school.

I took the PCAT for the first time on September 24. On balance I did great except for one section:

Verbal 451/98
Bio 455/99
Reading 426/91
Quant 402/51
Chem 434/91
Composite 434/96

I didn't believe it at first. Math has never been my strongest suit, but that's just ridiculous! Should I retake?

Overall GPA: 3.1. I was trying to bolster my app with doing well on the PCAT but that math score makes things...interesting to say the least.

I took the PCAT for the first time on November 2, 2012.
My scores:
VA 416 74
Biology 429 88
RC 423 88
QA 390 27
Chemistry 415 72
Composite 415 78

Should I retake the PCAT because of my low math score?

Just took it today, here are my scores:

Verbal 49%
Biology 79%
Reading 47%
Quantitative 39%
Chemistry 72%
Composite = 59%
*the writing part has not been graded yet, I just took it today.

Applying to 11 schools. Overall GPA = 3.8, I have a BA, I'm a certified tech and have worked as a hospital tech for one summer, and doing significant volunteering for American Cancer Society.

My scores:
VA 409 63
Biology 418 74
RC 413 75
QA 423 85
Chemistry 443 95
Composite 421 87

In first year I got around a 3.3 GPA but I'm in second year now and have significantly been pulling up my marks to mid 80s-90s. I don't have many EC which I totally regret, but every summer I volunteer at a children's hospital and plan to do more ECs next term. I am applying to the University of Toronto and University of Waterloo. What are my chances?

Originally Posted by MBar

Just took it today, here are my scores:

Verbal 49%
Biology 79%
Reading 47%
Quantitative 39%
Chemistry 72%
Composite = 59%
*the writing part has not been graded yet, I just took it today.

Applying to 11 schools. Overall GPA = 3.8, I have a BA, I'm a certified tech and have worked as a hospital tech for one summer, and doing significant volunteering for American Cancer Society.

if this was in july, i would retake. but seeing its already november and your gpa is pretty high, might as well give it a whirl. january pcat is an option but would you be willing to keep your application on hold for even longer, considering that many schools have rolling admissions.

I just took my 2nd PCAT today.
Should I retake??

#1 PCAT in Sept.
Verbal Ability 376/12
Biology 425/84
Reading 385/25
Quantitative Ability 434/93
Chemistry 426/85
Composite 409/66

#2 PCAT today
Verbal Ability 404/54
Biology 434/91
Reading 388/29
Quantitative Ability 420/82
Chemistry 439/93
Composite 417/81
My cum.GPA is 3.08 and my science GPA is lower.
- volunteer experiences at a medical center, a free medical clinic & med.volunteering abroad
I have been working 20hours a week at an oriental medicine clinic where they make herbal medicine
I have an internship experience at a pharmaceutical company.

Do you guys think I am competitive enough to go to any state schools?
Should I retake the PCAT??

Originally Posted by loveholics2

I just took my 2nd PCAT today.
Should I retake??

#1 PCAT in Sept.
Verbal Ability 376/12
Biology 425/84
Reading 385/25
Quantitative Ability 434/93
Chemistry 426/85
Composite 409/66

#2 PCAT today
Verbal Ability 404/54
Biology 434/91
Reading 388/29
Quantitative Ability 420/82
Chemistry 439/93
Composite 417/81
My cum.GPA is 3.08 and my science GPA is lower.
- volunteer experiences at a medical center, a free medical clinic & med.volunteering abroad
I have been working 20hours a week at an oriental medicine clinic where they make herbal medicine
I have an internship experience at a pharmaceutical company.

Do you guys think I am competitive enough to go to any state schools?
Should I retake the PCAT??

no.

Verbal Ability 423 / 82%
Biology 425 / 84%
Reading Comprehension 385 / 25% I was getting 80%-99 on official practice tests
Quantitative Ability 417 / 78%
Chemistry 430 / 88%
Composite 416 / 79%

Originally Posted by tommyVoltage

Verbal Ability 423 / 82%
Biology 425 / 84%
Reading Comprehension 385 / 25% I was getting 80%-99 on official practice tests
Quantitative Ability 417 / 78%
Chemistry 430 / 88%
Composite 416 / 79%

pearson practice tests were way too easy. but these scores are good. 79% is respectable.

Did most of you guys start studying for the PCAT while taking classes. I will be taking mine in the summer June/July and will have spring classes. Im taking OrgoI, A&PII, and Stats. I will be starting in January and then classes end on May, so I will have almost a month with no classes to focus fully on the PCAT. Is this doable or would is be smarter to take less credits? I also work part-time in a pharmacy between 24-30 hours a week.

Originally Posted by FelixRx

Did most of you guys start studying for the PCAT while taking classes. I will be taking mine in the summer June/July and will have spring classes. Im taking OrgoI, A&PII, and Stats. I will be starting in January and then classes end on May, so I will have almost a month with no classes to focus fully on the PCAT. Is this doable or would is be smarter to take less credits? I also work part-time in a pharmacy between 24-30 hours a week.

seems perfectly fine! Majority of the ochem on the pcat is from ochem 1, a&p II will cover all the systems perfectly, and stats wont be much help unless you dont already know what mean, median, and mode are.

aside from that looks like you will be killing two birds with one stone! best of luck to you.

Originally Posted by jerbearox

seems perfectly fine! Majority of the ochem on the pcat is from ochem 1, a&p II will cover all the systems perfectly, and stats wont be much help unless you dont already know what mean, median, and mode are.

aside from that looks like you will be killing two birds with one stone! best of luck to you.

Great, thank you!

My Pcat scores are:

verbal: 58
biology: 91
reading comprehension: 51
math: 27
chemistry: 51
composite:59

I am extremely unhappy with my scores being that I studied so much, but just did not have enough time during the exam. I have a 3.97 GPA, and a Bachelor's Degree in Biology. I am currently preparing to re-take it again in January, but I am afraid of the same thing happening again, and doing worse. What are my chances of getting in to Florida Pharmacy school with these stats? Thank you so much in advance for the advice.

Originally Posted by FuturePharm0

My Pcat scores are:

verbal: 58
biology: 91
reading comprehension: 51
math: 27
chemistry: 51
composite:59

I am extremely unhappy with my scores being that I studied so much, but just did not have enough time during the exam. I have a 3.97 GPA, and a Bachelor's Degree in Biology. I am currently preparing to re-take it again in January, but I am afraid of the same thing happening again, and doing worse. What are my chances of getting in to Florida Pharmacy school with these stats? Thank you so much in advance for the advice.

LECOM does not require a PCAT score if you have a Bach.

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Hi guys!
My scores from today are as follows (1st pcat)
Verbal: 412/ 68
Biology: 421/ 79
Reading Comp: 413/ 75
Quantitative: 430/91
Chem: 405/ 56
Composite: 416/79

I realize I have to take the PCAT again because my chem and verbal were low. I am aiming for UMD Baltimore. However, I don't know how to study further for the 2nd time in July. For today's PCAT, I bought the Kaplan book and went through the whole thing and thought I got everything. But I need more help with chemistry, especially orgo. I've taken all the science prereqs and was wondering where else I can get PCAT help (other than Kaplan). What do you think?

Thanks!!

Took the PCAT today for the first time! I feel okay about my scores, I'm really just worried about biology.

VA: 451/98
Bio 396/35
RC: 431/94
QA: 410/67
Chem: 421/76

Composite: 421/87

What do you guys think? Should I bother retaking it? (3.4 GPA, 5 years experience as a CPhT, undergrad TA for the chemistry dept. on campus, etc.).

Originally Posted by jtylerjones

Took the PCAT today for the first time! I feel okay about my scores, I'm really just worried about biology.

VA: 451/98
Bio 396/35
RC: 431/94
QA: 410/67
Chem: 421/76

Composite: 421/87

What do you guys think? Should I bother retaking it? (3.4 GPA, 5 years experience as a CPhT, undergrad TA for the chemistry dept. on campus, etc.).

Unless the school you're looking at has a minimum required sub-score on Biology, don't retake! Your experience more than makes up for any shortcomings. Your PCAT will land you an interview and the ball is in your court at that point. Good luck!

Originally Posted by Pharmacygal

Hi guys!
My scores from today are as follows (1st pcat)
Verbal: 412/ 68
Biology: 421/ 79
Reading Comp: 413/ 75
Quantitative: 430/91
Chem: 405/ 56
Composite: 416/79

I realize I have to take the PCAT again because my chem and verbal were low. I am aiming for UMD Baltimore. However, I don't know how to study further for the 2nd time in July. For today's PCAT, I bought the Kaplan book and went through the whole thing and thought I got everything. But I need more help with chemistry, especially orgo. I've taken all the science prereqs and was wondering where else I can get PCAT help (other than Kaplan). What do you think?

Thanks!!

Kaplan's NOT the best tool out there. Aa I've already mentioned on a different thread on this site, I compared the 2004 edition page by page with the 2012/2013 edition and there were no differences except the date. I used Princeton Review, McGraw Hill, and the practice tests. Took the PCAT today and scored a composite 94th percentile. If you must re-take, I'd suggest these tools. Good luck.

Hey folks, just took my PCAT for the first time and wanted to know how these numbers looked and what were my chances to get into pharmacy schools.

Verbal 82
Biology 74
Reading Comp 54
Quantitative 77
Chemistry 45
Composite 72

My current cumulative GPA is around a 2.9, and my major Bio GPA is a 3.03. I know my chem is terrible, no idea how I did that bad and I was hoping to have done much better in the Reading Comp section. I wanted to apply to pharmacy schools for fall 2013 but it's looking like I may want to wait until October to retake the PCAT. I was planning on applying to the Albany College of Pharmacy and wanted to know what you guys think my chances to getting into there would be? I have a bunch of working experience and some volunteer experience to help beef up my resume but I'm not sure if that'll be good enough. Thanks for the help and time guys.

I figured I would try to get some input from you guys to see if I have a chance for pharmacy school this time around... I would appreciate any feedback or suggestions.

My science GPA is only a 3.05, which I recognize is very low. However, I have made upward trends, and even earned an A for Organic last semester.

I just finished the second round of the PCAT earlier today and scored a 91 composite. (I got a 70 the first time.)
My subscores:
Composite-91
Bio-99
Chem-81
Quant-85
Verbal-68
RC-54

Do I have a chance?

Originally Posted by kss1025

I figured I would try to get some input from you guys to see if I have a chance for pharmacy school this time around... I would appreciate any feedback or suggestions.

My science GPA is only a 3.05, which I recognize is very low. However, I have made upward trends, and even earned an A for Organic last semester.

I just finished the second round of the PCAT earlier today and scored a 91 composite. (I got a 70 the first time.)
My subscores:
Composite-91
Bio-99
Chem-81
Quant-85
Verbal-68
RC-54

Do I have a chance?

If you nail the interview, I think you'll have a good shot for acceptance at several schools.

VA 12
BIO 97
RC 20
QA 93
CH 81

Composite 72

My English isn't good and the only areas I can see immediate improvements for the next round is chemistry. English doesn't come easy for people like me!
I'm trying my best to read daily! Should I retake?

I took the PCAT today. Felt discouraged by the end of it.

Verbal Ability 82
Biology 84
Reading Com 29
Quantitative 78
Chemistry 91
Composite 81

I did alot better on Quantitative considering I had to guess on like 15 of them. I feel as if I retake the PCAT to score higher on reading comp I will surely diminish my Quantitative score. Should I retake it?

Probably not, unless if you're positive that you can up your chemistry, QA or biology scores.

Other than that, an 81 composite hardly warrants a retake unless if your GPA is low. Any 80+ score IMO is great.

Originally Posted by MiniRitz21

I took the PCAT today. Felt discouraged by the end of it.

Verbal Ability 82
Biology 84
Reading Com 29
Quantitative 78
Chemistry 91
Composite 81

I did alot better on Quantitative considering I had to guess on like 15 of them. I feel as if I retake the PCAT to score higher on reading comp I will surely diminish my Quantitative score. Should I retake it?

Merging to relevant thread.

I already paid and scheduled it for July 18th but something has come up and have to leave town for two weeks. Will they allow me to reschedule my test date for September or have I dropped the ball? Im going to call them tomorrow when they are open to see what I can do.

Originally Posted by FelixRx

I already paid and scheduled it for July 18th but something has come up and have to leave town for two weeks. Will they allow me to reschedule my test date for September or have I dropped the ball? Im going to call them tomorrow when they are open to see what I can do.

My guess is yes as this is pretty far out.. if it was next week the story may be a bit different. I think they are flexible as long as you aren't trying to cancel.

Originally Posted by Skrumpy

My guess is yes as this is pretty far out.. if it was next week the story may be a bit different. I think they are flexible as long as you aren't trying to cancel.

I called and spoke to one of the representatives and they changed it. It was no hassle at all

does PCAT scores REALLY matter for Pharmacy Schools?

which Pharm school weighs the PCAT scores heavily?