How long do people study for the PCAT

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iceman132

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I looked through a few threads and there doesn't seem to be a general consensus. How long did the people who did well (or not so well) study for the PCAT? (What helped you the most on the exam also)

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For me, it was taking the practice exams. I bought two to take on the computer and then I took two from the study books that someone let me borrow. Even though it is a little bit more money, having the timed test on the computer is totally worth it!
 
For me, it was taking the practice exams. I bought two to take on the computer and then I took two from the study books that someone let me borrow. Even though it is a little bit more money, having the timed test on the computer is totally worth it!

You're talking about the 3 that cost 80 bucks right? Do you get them indefinitely or is there a time limit? (My test is in July)

Edit: I see, you get it until Jan 31st 2013.
 
It really depends on the person. I personally have good test-taking skills so I studied for only 2-3 weeks and got 93% composite. I went over some major concepts from classes I had taken 3-4 years ago, but the main thing I did was purchase those 3 practice tests. They help out a lot. Before I started studying I took one of them to see what I had forgotten and what I had to review. After reviewing those and some extra material I took the second, then 1 more week of review and the third one.
Also, I'd recommend going to Kaplans web site; they usually offer free pcat practice tests at times. I took one of those too; some are not full length, but they go over it in real time (not all but for some) and you get to ask questions.
If you have trouble with time management, the more tests you take the better.
I used examkrackers to study and just did most of the questions for most of the chapters there. I thought studying from there was plenty. Oh and for the concepts I'd forgotten and need a simple not overly complicated explanation for: khanacademy
 
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I studied for 2 months straight about 4-8 hours per day to get my 92 composite. I had to do a lot of studying to make up for all the knowledge that I missed out on in college. I only had a 2.9 GPA at a community college, AFTER scoring nearly a 4.0 GPA for a year and a half. That was mostly due to never studying or even reviewing my notes in my younger days, lol...God, I was a stupid kid.
 
I studied specifically the PCAT for about 2 weeks, but I did not need to study the knowledge required for the most of the PCAT because I learned that in school.

By studying specifically for the PCAT, i mean the common types of questions show up on the PCAT.

But to be honest, you should study much longer than that for a score in the 90's. I got an 83 because I focused on sciences and completely got destroyed in English. My reading comprehension score was laughable.
 
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I watched Khan Academy videos off and on for about a month. I started studying using textbooks and doing practice questions about a week before the test. 97 composite.
 
I suck at standardized tests so I studied for like 3 months. I used the Dr. Collins packet, McGraw Hill PCAT, Kaplan PCAT book, and I bought the 3 practice tests. I also bought the PCAT destroyer, I strongly advise against it, it was a waste of money and the questions were a lot harder than questions on the actual pcat and the focus was really too broad to actually be helpful, but I did like the math portion of the book. The McGraw HIll book has good sections for bio and chem and I think Kaplan is a little too in depth, but I used it as a reference and more to skim over the concepts. Dr. Collins was the most helpful, it had questions that were very much like the actual pcat.
 
I suck at standardized tests so I studied for like 3 months. I used the Dr. Collins packet, McGraw Hill PCAT, Kaplan PCAT book, and I bought the 3 practice tests. I also bought the PCAT destroyer, I strongly advise against it, it was a waste of money and the questions were a lot harder than questions on the actual pcat and the focus was really too broad to actually be helpful, but I did like the math portion of the book. The McGraw HIll book has good sections for bio and chem and I think Kaplan is a little too in depth, but I used it as a reference and more to skim over the concepts. Dr. Collins was the most helpful, it had questions that were very much like the actual pcat.

The Mcgraw hill book seems.... old... Only ones on amazon are from 2008 (Though fairly cheap used)
 
Its old, but its condensed in a good format. The PCAT for bio is broken into 3 sections, which is exactly what this book does. Its a really good source and i found it more useful than kaplan because kaplan has no format, in fact the kaplan book is pretty much a replica of the mcat prep book so its full of a lot of stuff that will not be on the pcat.
 
Its old, but its condensed in a good format. The PCAT for bio is broken into 3 sections, which is exactly what this book does. Its a really good source and i found it more useful than kaplan because kaplan has no format, in fact the kaplan book is pretty much a replica of the mcat prep book so its full of a lot of stuff that will not be on the pcat.

Hmm, you're convincing me to get a used copy.

So you only use the bio/chem section of McGraw?
 
Hmm, you're convincing me to get a used copy.

So you only use the bio/chem section of McGraw?

Yeah I mainly used it for bio and chem and it simplified the organic chem by listing only the simple equations that u need to know. However this wasnt my only source, I also got the kaplan book just to get more background info for bio. You have to get the Dr. Collins packet above all, that is the best source for the PCAT. It has several practice tests for each subsection and thoroughly prepares you by giving u practice and u can figure out where ur strengths and weaknesses are -- then u can brush up on the topics using McGraw Hill and Kaplan. So in short I recommend all three of those sources, and the 3 pearson practice tests also help.
 
Decide when you wish to take the PCAT and allow adequate time to study beforehand. Ensure there is time for the test results to reach the institutions you are applying to before the application deadlines. Keep in mind that scores generally take six weeks to be delivered.

Thanks a lot.
Steve

I was wondering more along the lines of how long individuals on this forum studied for the PCAT. It seems like some people study for a week and do great.... Others study for 5 months and do terribly. Just wondering what each person's stories were.
 
two months out, maybe 3-5 hours a week, i used free pcat books from the library.
the thing that really helped me was my psychology--relax, take it easy, enjoy the competition, take in the auditorium, enjoy the heat/air conditioning.

i could see so many worried and stressed faces it wasn't funny-- i would hate to be stressed and make any silly errors.
 
I studied from about mid-July to the end of August and reviewed/took the pearson practice tests the last few weeks until my test mid-Sept. I was also working about 30-40 hours/week in a lab. I studied about 2-3 chapters a day from the Kaplan and Dr. Collins books and didn't study on the weekends =)

The three practice tests were definitely the biggest help. I was scoring pretty well on those so it boosted my confidence on the real thing. I don't know if anyone else was thrown by this, but I had no idea the two essays were split on the test (i.e. one essay at the beginning, second essay after the break). For some reason, that second essay really drained me and screwed me up for the reading comp section lol
 
I studied from about mid-July to the end of August and reviewed/took the pearson practice tests the last few weeks until my test mid-Sept. I was also working about 30-40 hours/week in a lab. I studied about 2-3 chapters a day from the Kaplan and Dr. Collins books and didn't study on the weekends =)

The three practice tests were definitely the biggest help. I was scoring pretty well on those so it boosted my confidence on the real thing. I don't know if anyone else was thrown by this, but I had no idea the two essays were split on the test (i.e. one essay at the beginning, second essay after the break). For some reason, that second essay really drained me and screwed me up for the reading comp section lol
Hey Tiggerr, I've read so many posts and people complain about the reading. How would you analyse it, is it full of technical vocabulary or sentences that needs interpretation. Do you have to read in between the lines to answer the questions asked. I'm very curious about the setting of the essays.
appreciate response
thanks
 
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