MCAT vs. PCAT

[ethyl]

Has anyone taken both exams? Was the MCAT significantly harder? Harder to study for, harder material, etc...? A bunch of my classmates are taking the MCAT in April and from their stories it sounds like a nightmare.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[evilolive]

Has anyone taken both exams? Was the MCAT significantly harder? Harder to study for, harder material, etc...? A bunch of my classmates are taking the MCAT in April and from their stories it sounds like a nightmare.

The MCAT is like 21439827534 times harder. Totally different exams. For the MCATs you have to memorize every formula you've ever learned and apply them in ways you've never done in your classes. The details are very focused and recalling it in four core sciences is hell. It's also 8 hours long. Competition is also much more fierce so that distribution means that it's very difficult to get a good score (above a 30 at least). The MCATs have what, 80,000+ test takers per exam?

 

[Nikki2002]

i took the mcat last august and it wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be. you don't really have to memorize all the equations--just the important ones b/c they give you a lot of them in the exam. There is a lot of detail, but I feel that more emphasis is placed on general concepts and being able to see the big picture. Last year a total of 66,433 people took it.

i know absolutely nothing about the PCAT.

 

[bananaface]

The MCAT is being scaled down to 4 hours soon, isn't it?

 

[DrBowtie]

The MCAT is being scaled down to 4 hours soon, isn't it?

5 hours for next year. Mainly b/c it is going to the computer and the slow old lady won't have to collect and count each test booklet and answer sheet. The breaks will be optional as well.

Another major Pain in the butt is that it is only offered twice per year. This changes as well for next year.

 

[Plowi]

Practice MCAT gave me more trouble than the PCAT, but they both required one to work fast. The MCAT seems to have too much reading on it for my taste.

 

[BiOGoly]

PCAT and MCAT are apples and oranges, the formats are completely different. However, I would be interested to see a comparision between DAT scores and PCAT scores. With the exception of the perceptional ability test, the format of the two tests are very similar. Some questions on the DAT look to be more difficult, but they are reasonably close to each other.

 

[lync20]

I took both the DAT and PCAT because at the time I didn't know which field I wanted to go into. Both exams had varying levels of difficulty depending on the portion examined. The fact that the DAT is a computerized exam made the reading comprehension part more difficult, especially having to scroll back and forth between passages and questions. However, I thought the biology and chemistry questions on the PCAT required more in depth knowledge of the sciences than those on the DAT. The math portion on the DAT was much easier than on the PCAT since calculus and precalculus are not tested in DAT--only basic algebra, geometry, etc. Overall, from my experience, I'd have to say the PCAT is harder.

 

[fightingspirit]

this is a no-brainer. off course the MCAT is harder than DAT and off course the DAT is harder than PCAT. think of it this way: the difficulty of a standarized admissions test is directly related to the number of applicants/seats available at professional schools (i:e, counter to popular beleif: the difficulty is not related to the rigors of the profession itself). the more desirable a profession is, the more people apply, the more people apply, the more you need to weed out, the more you need to weed out, the more difficult the test would be. simple as that.

 

[calrx]

this is a no-brainer. off course the MCAT is harder than DAT and off course the DAT is harder than PCAT. think of it this way: the difficulty of a standarized admissions test is directly related to the number of applicants/seats available at professional schools (i:e, counter to popular beleif: the difficulty is not related to the rigors of the profession itself). the more desirable a profession is, the more people apply, the more people apply, the more you need to weed out, the more you need to weed out, the more difficult the test would be. simple as that.

You clearly have no brain. Once again, like most questions posted on this forum, the answer is going to be a matter of opinion based on individual perceptions. An exam that one person deems easy another may find extremely difficult. The whole "which test is harder" argument is dumb and pointless.

Trying to compare physicians, pharmacists, and dentists is the same as trying to compare firefighters, carpenters, and teachers. The 3 professions are completely different and so are the 3 tests.

 

[fightingspirit]

You clearly have no brain. Once again, like most questions posted on this forum, the answer is going to be a matter of opinion based on individual perceptions. An exam that one person deems easy another may find extremely difficult. The whole "which test is harder" argument is dumb and pointless.

Trying to compare physicians, pharmacists, and dentists is the same as trying to compare firefighters, carpenters, and teachers. The 3 professions are completely different and so are the 3 tests.

lol....calm down big girl....i did not say the professions are the same and i did not say that the tests are same. you have very poor reasoning and reading skills. i suggest that you stay away from the MCAT and the DAT. actually, it's a shame that you're in pharma. just stick around to lipstick andstuff. may be you need to be a make up artist or somethin....you're also too angry go get a cold shower or get laid or somethin....

thanks for addin nothin significant to this debate. you're a bore!!!

 

[docmd2010]

lol....calm down big girl....i did not say the professions are the same and i did not say that the tests are same. you have very poor reasoning and reading skills. i suggest that you stay away from the MCAT and the DAT. actually, it's a shame that you're in pharma. just stick around to lipstick andstuff. may be you need to be a make up artist or somethin....you're also too angry go get a cold shower or get laid or somethin....

thanks for addin nothin significant to this debate. you're a bore!!!

 

[janeno]

Wow I cannot believe that future dentists are so immature!!!

 

[Plowi]

lol....calm down big girl....i did not say the professions are the same and i did not say that the tests are same. you have very poor reasoning and reading skills. i suggest that you stay away from the MCAT and the DAT. actually, it's a shame that you're in pharma. just stick around to lipstick andstuff. may be you need to be a make up artist or somethin....you're also too angry go get a cold shower or get laid or somethin....

thanks for addin nothin significant to this debate. you're a bore!!!

You might need the one who needs to calm down "big guy". Just relax dude... she has clearly gotten to you. You seem a little bit hot under the collar on these forums. Inhale and exhale slowly into a brown paper bag and try to get your pulse down to normal levels again.

 

[calrx]

lol....calm down big girl....i did not say the professions are the same and i did not say that the tests are same. you have very poor reasoning and reading skills. i suggest that you stay away from the MCAT and the DAT. actually, it's a shame that you're in pharma. just stick around to lipstick andstuff. may be you need to be a make up artist or somethin....you're also too angry go get a cold shower or get laid or somethin....

thanks for addin nothin significant to this debate. you're a bore!!!

Yes, and it is such a shame that you've made it to dental school without grasping the proper use of basic English. Your posts tell me that you are arrogant and ignorant and your written communication skills confirm that you do indeed have a lot to learn.

 

[BiOGoly]

this is a no-brainer. off course the MCAT is harder than DAT and off course the DAT is harder than PCAT. think of it this way: the difficulty of a standarized (sic) admissions test is directly related to the number of applicants/seats available at professional schools (i:e, counter to popular beleif (sic) : the difficulty is not related to the rigors of the profession itself). the more desirable a profession is, the more people apply, the more people apply, the more you need to weed out, the more you need to weed out, the more difficult the test would be. simple as that.

So, using your logic dentistry is (by far) the least desirable of the three professions? Total applications for dental schools last year totaled about 9400 vs. approximately 72000 for pharmacy programs. The seats for pharmacy school are far more competitive than for dentistry, where the ratio of applicant to accepted student is merely 2:1. Also, if the DAT is more challenging (i'm not saying it isn't) in what way is it based on your personal experience? Do you have anything halfway competent to contribute or just shallow opinions? (yeah, it's a rhetorical question, I know).

 

[J ROD]

I have taken both the DAT and the PCAT and I have to say that the DAT is much harder. I studied two months for the DAT the first time I took it and was very surprised at how hard the real test was compared to the practice tests that are available. I then took the PCAT and did not study for it at all and I still got 80% up. If I had even prepared a week, I think I could have cracked the 90% range, but I had a tough semester and focused more on my classes. I recently took the DAT again and although I did score well in the academic portion this time around, the perceptual ability still will keep me out. The DAT science portion requires much more detailed info than the PCAT. The PCAT is simply recalling basic info from classes where the DAT has several questions that require you apply your knowledge. The math sections are similar but different as well. The PCAT has calculus but the test I took only had maybe 3-4 cal questions and they were very basic and easy. The DAT has hard trig, word promblems, and tougher geometry questions. Also, on the DAT, you can barely miss anything in the sciences if you want a good score. Finally, I got accepted to Pharmacy and not to Dental but take that with a grain of salt because I have the AA for Dental school just not the PAT. I guess now all that is left for me to try is the MCAT!

 

[calrx]

I have taken both the DAT and the PCAT and I have to say that the DAT is much harder. I studied two months for the DAT the first time I took it and was very surprised at how hard the real test was compared to the practice tests that are available. I then took the PCAT and did not study for it at all and I still got 80% up. If I had even prepared a week, I think I could have cracked the 90% range, but I had a tough semester and focused more on my classes. I recently took the DAT again and although I did score well in the academic portion this time around, the perceptual ability still will keep me out. The DAT science portion requires much more detailed info than the PCAT. The PCAT is simply recalling basic info from classes where the DAT has several questions that require you apply your knowledge. The math sections are similar but different as well. The PCAT has calculus but the test I took only had maybe 3-4 cal questions and they were very basic and easy. The DAT has hard trig, word promblems, and tougher geometry questions. Also, on the DAT, you can barely miss anything in the sciences if you want a good score. Finally, I got accepted to Pharmacy and not to Dental but take that with a grain of salt because I have the AA for Dental school just not the PAT. I guess now all that is left for me to try is the MCAT!

Would it be reasonable for me to claim that your two months of studying for the DAT also helped you prepare for certain areas of the PCAT, such as the science and math sections? The way I see it, you were still reviewing subjects that appear on both tests. Even though your intentions were to prepare for the DAT, it seems logical that the two months of studying also helped you do well on the PCAT, especially considering that it is the perceptual ability section that is keeping you from getting into dental school and there is no preceptual ability section on the PCAT. I have never taken the DAT and am aware that there are major differences between the two tests, but do you understand where I’m coming from or am I way off?

 

[J ROD]

Would it be reasonable for me to claim that your two months of studying for the DAT also helped you prepare for certain areas of the PCAT, such as the science and math sections? The way I see it, you were still reviewing subjects that appear on both tests. Even though your intentions were to prepare for the DAT, it seems logical that the two months of studying also helped you do well on the PCAT, especially considering that it is the perceptual ability section that is keeping you from getting into dental school and there is no preceptual ability section on the PCAT. I have never taken the DAT and am aware that there are major differences between the two tests, but do you understand where I’m coming from or am I way off?

Yes, I would have to agree that there was some residual effects from the DAT. But, I took the DAT in June and the PCAT in October. Therefore, I had some prep that was not year(s) ago. But to me, the question were just simplier on the PCAT. Very basic stuff I know off the top of my head. My main problem was time on the PCAT. The DAT was simple for the most part but more detailed in the sciences and the math was different. There are enough hard questions on the DAT in the sciences to keep you from scoring well. The word problems are tough. Also, the trig, algebra, and geometry are harder (more advanced) on the math section. I still believe I would have gotten very close to my PCAT score without the DAT prep. The questions were just very basic and easy. Time was more of a factor for me. If I had finished the sections and been able to have some review time, I believe I could have gotten 95% plus in the sciences. To conclude, if you prep for the PCAT it can be defeated easily as long as you know the basics from class. The key with the DAT is getting all the basics right and a few of the hard ones that make you think your way through the problem. Just my opinion though. Good luck to everyone.

 

[fightingspirit]

Wow I cannot believe that future dentists are so immature!!!

he's a medical student !!!

 

[fightingspirit]

Yes, and it is such a shame that you've made it to dental school without grasping the proper use of basic English. Your posts tell me that you are arrogant and ignorant and your written communication skills confirm that you do indeed have a lot to learn.

lol...you're copying me now....you're pathetic and you feel inadequate about yourself. what's regrettable is that you're on the defensive cus you feel inadequate about your profession, which is a shame cus pharma is great!!!

 

[fightingspirit]

So, using your logic dentistry is (by far) the least desirable of the three professions? Total applications for dental schools last year totaled about 9400 vs. approximately 72000 for pharmacy programs. The seats for pharmacy school are far more competitive than for dentistry, where the ratio of applicant to accepted student is merely 2:1. Also, if the DAT is more challenging (i'm not saying it isn't) in what way is it based on your personal experience? Do you have anything halfway competent to contribute or just shallow opinions? (yeah, it's a rhetorical question, I know).

wow...i made a contribution to your thread and now i get bashed by an overtly sensitive and defensive mob. my bad, i wont contribute again; you're a group of bitter people! you are more than welcome to present a rebuttal to my comment; after all, that's what debate is for. however, "Do you have anything halfway competent to contribute or just shallow opinions? " is not a way to debate. it's bickering and veiled jealousy. learn how to debate and present your opinions without attacking the other person's character.

i am out so you can continue feeling inadequate about yourselves....o hope you feel better...

 

[calrx]

lol...you're copying me now....you're pathetic and you feel inadequate about yourself. what's regrettable is that you're on the defensive cus you feel inadequate about your profession, which is a shame cus pharma is great!!!

Umm, what?!?! You've managed to completely lose me with this one...
Pharmacy is the ideal career for me for numerous reasons; hence why I'm pursuing it. My posts have contained nothing to indicate feelings of inadequacy.