PCAT Scores

vafcarrot · May 23, 2004

Hi. I was just wondering if anyone knows how the new PCAT scoring goes? From what I've found out, the old scoring was based on a total score 0f 300 or something... I can't seem to find any hard facts on it. All the schools I've looked out only give a minimum percentage score for requirements, and not a PERCENTILE score. And I seem to be the only one in the world that knows that these are two different things. I got a composite score of 419 on my test, which doesn't make sense with what I thought the max score was. I was in the 83 percentile. Anyways, does anyone know the total amount of points that can be obtained from the current pcat test going around? Also, wound anyone mind posting their scores on here? I've asked around my undergraduate school, and everyone's reply has been "oh, I did really well" Ok, what does that mean!?!?! Well meaning you didn't completely bomb the test or well being you've got an automatic spot in any pharmacy school you apply to? It's been really frustrating and my advisor hasn't been much help. Hopefully someone can help me out. thanks for any answers you may have 🙂

28657 · May 23, 2004

I checked out the PCAT Candidate Information booklet for 2003-2004 and it says scaled scores range from 100 to 300. When did you take the test? I haven't heard anything about changing the scoring ranges. You can always call the 800 number and ask them about it though.
I got a composite of 248 with a 99 percentile. I don't quite understand how that works though since a scaled score of 200 supposedly equates to 50th percentile.
Your score is really good. As long has you can score in the 80s or above I wouldn't worry about retaking the PCAT. 🙂

Roxicet · May 23, 2004

There's no way you could have got a composite score of 419. The max score IS 300. The composite scaled score is the total of the 5 sections divided by 5. Your score report should have had a column with a scaled score, and a column with a percentile score. My composite score was 228, 91st percentile. Here's what the psychological corp. says:

"How to Interpret Your Score Report
When you receive your score report, your scores will be reported as scaled scores and percentiles for each section of the test and for the test as a whole. Different forms of any test may vary somewhat in difﬁculty. Because of the differences in difﬁculty between different forms of a test, the same raw scores on different forms are not necessarily equivalent. Using the statistical process of equating, it is possible to express scores in comparable
terms across different forms of a test. Scaled scores are used for this purpose. The scale used for the PCAT ranges from approximately 100 to 300, with a median of 200 (i.e., a scaled score of 200 corresponds to the 50th percentile).

The percentile score indicates the percentage of applicants to colleges of pharmacy throughout the United States whose scores were lower than yours. For example, an examinee who earns a percentile score of 70 scored higher than 70 percent of other examinees. An example of a personal score report with annotations appears in Appendix D?Annotated
Sample Personal Score Report, page 36.

There is no passing or failing score set by The Psychological Corporation for this test. The extent to which test results are used in deciding whether or not a person will be admitted to a college of pharmacy varies from one school to another. Please consult the schools to which you are applying for information about their use of test scores. In general, test results are combined with other information, such as high school and undergraduate records, references, and the results of personal interviews."

I think that the colleges that you looked into must have meant "minimum percentile."

vafcarrot · May 23, 2004

I took it march 2004... through harcourt assessment, inc. Maybe they sent me the wrong format or something. The top of the score report says pharmacy college admission test and there's a column for scaled score and percentile scores. All of my scaled scores are in the 400's except for one that's 394. I guess I'll be giving them a call. This is really strange. No wonder no one has any idea what I'm talking about. I hope I don't have to take it over because of this.

jdpharmd? · May 23, 2004

I'm interested to hear how this turns out. I can't find my old score, but I would assume that everyone else here is correct. It doesn't really make sense to me that they would change the scoring on a standardized exam, but they did "re-center" the SAT grades several years ago. Let us know what happened.

goheel · May 23, 2004

They gonna change the format of the SAT this upcoming year too 😛 . I heard the score is gonna be out of 2400 instead of 1600 like it is now.

vafcarrot · May 23, 2004

I'll keep you updated. The more I think about it, the more I'm getting freaked out. I was planning on applying early admission and if I have to take the test over again, I won't be able to. I sent harcourt an email and I'm going to call in the morning. They sure as heck better give me a free test if they messed up my scores.

I'm glad I posted on this site... if I hadn't, I would have taken my score as is and who knows what would have happened when my application was reviewed.

nguyenkd · May 23, 2004

my boyfriend took the march pcat also and he was asking for my scores (i took it in january). when i was reading out scores in the 200s, he started freaking out cause his were in the 300s and 400s even though the max was supposed to be 300. he called them and they said they had changed the score scale, but i dont know what the scale is.

vafcarrot · May 24, 2004

Here's the reply I got from the email. I'm just wondering why they didn't post this on the website or inform any of the prepharm people of this change BEFORE they gave back the test results.

The personal Score Reports sent to examinees and the Official School
Transcripts Reports sent to pharmacy schools after March 2004 will
reflect
new scaled scores and percentiles ranks. The new scaled scores range
from
200 to 600 the median is 400.

The personal Score Reports lists the scaled scores and the percentile
rank
equivalents for each of the five subtest and for the total (composite)
score. The five subtest scores and percentile ranks are based on the
number
of test items answered correctly in relation to the performance of the
norm
group. The composite scaled scores is a unweighted average of the five
subtest scaled scores. The composite percentile rank is calculated
independently of the five subtest scores and is based upon the norm
group
composite.

If you have any questions regarding your scores please call us.

Thank you,

Customer Relations
(800) 622-3231

Roxicet · May 24, 2004

I'm glad you got it figured out. I was pissed at them for taking everyone's money and potentially screwing with their futures (someone else had posted before that they forgot to send their score reports to one of the schools they requested). That's really strange that they changed the scoring mid-year instead of next year; I took my test this past October.

off2skl · May 24, 2004

I got upset with them for taking almost 2 months to send my scores to Pharmcas. ALthough I think Pharmcas was partially to blame. They both got an earful from me; something along the lines of , "You charge enough money, the least you could do is .... And between the two of you we are certainly between a rock and a hard place..." Needless to say, my PCAT scores were sent by a manager who called me personally two days later! 🙂

rxRyan · May 26, 2004

Yeah, thanks for the update. I was kind of confused too - 99th percentile but only 248 point or whatever - I never knew the scale, obviously this was out of 300.
My question is this: Does this correspond to the number of questions on the exam at all? I don't remember how long it was.

Glycerin · May 26, 2004

Roxicet said:
I'm glad you got it figured out. I was pissed at them for taking everyone's money and potentially screwing with their futures (someone else had posted before that they forgot to send their score reports to one of the schools they requested).

That "someone" would be me. 😛 They never corrected my SSN# (which I corrected for them on the indicated space on the actual test), and since they "didn't have a valid SSN on file for the test" they didn't send the scores. Ugh... 🙄

bananaface · May 27, 2004

There are 5 sections on the PCAT, so I don't see why it makes sense to up the scale from 300 to 600. Maybe schools are wanting more precise scores now that the number of applications per school is up. But, a 500 pt scale would make more sense. But, making sense would just not be fun!

On the subject of Pharmcas...
I don't like these companies which are supposed to make the process easier. They just add in one more step where errors can be made and the processing of application materials can get slowed down. One of my friends is applying to law school and the group that sends out all the app materials has been sending the wrong letters of reference to the wrong schools for many candiadates. They won't even do anything to mitigate for their mistakes. Ugh.

ultracet · May 27, 2004

Can I just say I am SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO glad I escaped the pcat!!!!

bananaface · May 27, 2004

Oh, don't sweat it bbmuffin. The PCAT is cake. The only difference between it and the SAT is that most of the exam is way easier and asks a few questions specific to prerequisite collegiate courses that high school students would not know. I swear some of the sections are just there to test whether or not you can operate a #2 pencil.

npp71681 · May 27, 2004

Hi!
bananaface,

I am a Pre-Pharmacy student. Above you mention that PCAT is cake. How did you do on it? Here I'm preety worried about taking PCAT. Help me!!!

What books did you use beside pre-requisites courses. How did you prepared for PCAT?

Thanks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

ultracet · May 27, 2004

bananaface said:
Oh, don't sweat it bbmuffin. The PCAT is cake. The only difference between it and the SAT is that most of the exam is way easier and asks a few questions specific to prerequisite collegiate courses that high school students would not know. I swear some of the sections are just there to test whether or not you can operate a #2 pencil.

I'm entering my P3 year this aug. And for the next set of applicants we are requiring the Pcat.

I didn't apply anywhere that required it and thus never took it.
🙂

i was just celebrating that i never had to. :luck:

bananaface · May 29, 2004

bbmuffin- Ok. I'll do "the happy dance" for you. That always embarasses my husband for some reason.....

npp71681-
I got 99th percentile overall in Oct of 2001. My cumulative score was 257. I did not study for it. My knowledge of the basics from my prerequisite courses was all I needed. One of my co-workers was studying at work the day before the exam and it turned out that some of the questions in our test bank were the same as those in the book put out by the company who runs the exams. That would probably be the only book worth looking at. If you already completed your prerequisites and still remember the basic content then you should know most everything on the exam. If you learned English as your second language, you might need to review your grammar rules. If you sucked at O-Chem or Gen Chem, you need to review the basics. I think you can view a sample test on their website, if you are worried about seeking out any deficiencies. I can hunt for it after I get home from work if you don't find it in the meantime. Off to work! eek!

vafcarrot · Jun 2, 2004

The quantitative section of the PCAT kicked my butt. I knew how to get all the answers because it's pretty easy math, but I totally screwed up my timing. The ladies running the exam took my watch after the first section because it beeped on the hour. When they called the five minute warning, I realized that I still had 20 problems left to answer... I randomly filled in answers. I was so mad because I KNEW I knew the answers. When I got my scores back, I was in the 50th percentile in that section but in a way higher percentile in every other section. I decided not to retake the test, because my composite score is really close to the average score of people accepted to the school I'm applying to. Hopefully I won't be kicking myself in the butt later for not retaking it.

kata · Jun 3, 2004

I took the PCAT in March and lets just say my scores were not very good at all. I was really sick that day but decided to take it anyways...I know stupid move. Now I am really scared that no school will take me at all. Does anyone out there have any advice for me.

vafcarrot · Jun 3, 2004

Try to apply to a school for early admission and try for a school within your state of residence. Worse comes to worse is that you don't get in and have to wait a year to reapply. You can get a job and study up on the sections of the PCAT that you did bad on. If you do have to take off a year before reapplying, you should look into seeing if you can take one or two classes that can apply to pharmacy school.... I don't know if you can do this or not. I know of someone who didn't make it into dental the first time they applied and while they waited a year, they took some classes that all the first year dental students were taking, worked up their volunteer hours and even raised their GPA. When they got into medical school the next year, they weren't as far behind and they sort of already had their foot in the door. I don't know if you can do this with a pharmacy school class scedule, but you can always look into it.

Good luck and don't worry too much. It's not the end of the world if we don't get into pharmacy school on this first try. I have to tell myself that on a daily basis it seems 🙂

Hirlemad · Jun 3, 2004

vafcarrot said:
. The five subtest scores and percentile ranks are based on the
number
of test items answered correctly in relation to the performance of the
norm
group. The composite scaled scores is a unweighted average of the five
subtest scaled scores. The composite percentile rank is calculated
independently of the five subtest scores and is based upon the norm
group
composite.

I also scored in the 99th percentile composite, alond with many people posting. One thing I never found out was whether the "norm group" was made up of people taking the test the same day as you(as it should be), or if it was made up of people who took a prior year. Also I think the norm group may be made up of a "population" of random people( not necessarily those going to pharmacy school) they had take the test in order to set the percentiles.

Basically my point is that the percentile scores seem extremely inflated because I have met so many people with scores in the 90s and 99s in particular(although there could be some fibbing going on). But I'm still bitter because my first choice turned me down with a 3.55 overall, 3.5 science, BS degree and 99 percentile, although I had no experience.

What is everybodies' thoughts on what the "Norm group" is?

gustavo32 · Jun 3, 2004

I know people with a very low quantitative PCAT but good GPA that has been accepted .Besides they know about the timing on that section the same happened to me.

vafcarrot · Jun 4, 2004

I don't think the norm group is made up of a random population. I just think the people who do make the low scores are embarrassed to post. I was embarassed to post that I only made it in the 83 percentile and I have to hold my fingers to keep from frantically typing to justify the reasoning for my low score to anyone who cares to read. I come from a really competitive college, and sometimes its hard to admit to people you aren't the best of the best. I actually had to swallow my pride on posting my composite score, even though in reality it's not all that low.

I've talked to several people about getting experience in a pharmacy before applying. And from what I've gotten from the conversations, I've concluded that pharmacy schools really want to make sure a person knows that they are getting into before they commit the rest of their lives to something. If you look at some of the discussions on this forum, you'll see that pharmacy isn't the cake job of sitting on your butt all day and counting pills and I think pharmacy schools want to make sure their incoming students know this.

Glycerin · Jun 14, 2004

Speaking of PCAT, here are the dates for this coming year:

PCAT TEST DATES
October 23, 2004 (Deadline: September 10, 2004)
November 20, 2004 (Deadline: October 8, 2004)
January 22, 2005 (Deadline: December 2, 2004)

So the difference is they've added one in between October and January. Also, I read on PharmCAS' website that there will be one in June 2005, but the date isn't set yet. So, I guess this means that there will be 4 PCATs offered per year now.

imperial frog · Jun 15, 2004

From what I understand the norm population includes all previous test takers, not just the ones taking test currently.

nguyenkd · Jun 17, 2004

Just a head ups...the PCAT fees have increased. $85 when you sign up online and $99 when you do it by paper. 😱

They also had this in their booklet for those who were wondering what the norm group was made of:

"The percentile score shown on your Score Report indicates the % of PCAT examinees that made up the norm group (all first time examinees who took the test between Oct. 98 and March 03) with scaled scores equal to or lower than yours."

They have also decreased/increased the amount of questions, depending on the section. They've also added critical thinking questions that are distributed throughout the test and in a seperate essay section, but there is no seperate score for it "at this time." This is in addition to the experimental section which they say can be in the form of a seperate section or embedded within the five sections. Apparently, you won't be able to identify the experimental section. I always thought the experimental section was the one in the big blue box. 😛

It seems like they are changing a lot of things on the test and I just wanted to let you guys know. I hope I didn't confuse anyone; I'm just glad I don't have to take it again.

Shprot · Jun 21, 2004

First of all I'd like to congratulate all of you who did excellent on PCAT, good job guys!

My side of story is pretty funny and pretty sad at the same time.. +pissed+

I got 96 in math and 92 in chem, but 20 in verbal hahahahhahaha :wow:

so i got 82 on average.

So... laugh at me or with me :clap:

I wonder what would commity would think if i submit this score on my application lol.

P.S.: if any of you had something similar and found a quick and nice way to improve verbal score, plz let me know i'm dire need of help here!!!

emogrrrrl · Jun 21, 2004

Shprot said:
First of all I'd like to congratulate all of you who did excellent on PCAT, good job guys!

My side of story is pretty funny and pretty sad at the same time..
I got 96 in math and 92 in chem, but 20 in verbal hahahahhahaha so i got 82 on average.

So... laugh at me or with me I wonder what would commity would think if i submit this score on my application lol.

P.S.: if any of you had something similar and found a quick and nice way to improve verbal score, plz let me know i'm dire need of help here!!!

To be perfectly honest if verbal was the only section you did terrible on you could just take a shot with that score. Let me tell you a story: I have a friend who was applying with me this past year and she applied to 2 of the same schools I did. She scored a 25 in verbal and had a 79% composite score (she also had a gpa of about a 3.0 and did not have a degree). Not only did she get interviews at those schools but she got accepted to both.
She really wants to become a pharmacist and I know she will make a great pharmacist one day, but it does make you think about what the adcoms are looking for. (YES, we all know PCAT and gpa are not everything) I know a handful of people who were not accepted to these schools who did much better than she did in those 2 areas in addition to having great academic backgrounds, work experience and had very good oral and written communication skills. My friend admitted to me that she has the worst written skills and can't write a paper to save her life. I've come to the conclusion that in the end, it's a crapshoot.
My motto: Hell give it your best shot b/c in the end no matter how hard you try and think that you did everything right, it doesn't mean crap. It's a matter of whether or not it's your lucky day. And if you want it badly enough, you will get it one way or another.

vafcarrot · Jun 21, 2004

I was wondering if anyone had their scores posted on Pharmcas underneath status yet. I sent my transcripts last week and they have already posted that they have them, but they don't have anything up about PCAT scores. Just wondering if anyone else is in the same boat or should I get ahold of pharmcas and ask them what's up?

Glycerin · Jun 21, 2004

vafcarrot said:
I was wondering if anyone had their scores posted on Pharmcas underneath status yet. I sent my transcripts last week and they have already posted that they have them, but they don't have anything up about PCAT scores. Just wondering if anyone else is in the same boat or should I get ahold of pharmcas and ask them what's up?

I just ordered my PCAT scores last night online. It said that it could take up to two weeks for processing. I wouldn't fret yet. PharmCAS won't send your application to any schools until after August 1. I'd give it a week or two and then call.

vafcarrot · Jun 21, 2004

I ordered mine May 15 to be sent to Pharmcas.... 😕

Glycerin · Jun 21, 2004

vafcarrot said:
I ordered mine May 15 to be sent to Pharmcas.... 😕

Did you check the PCAT website to be sure they were sent? And also, that was a month prior to PharmCAS opening, so they wouldn't have had an ID to put with your materials. Perhaps, if they have the scores, they are still trying to match materials with applicants. Give them both a call in the morning.

vafcarrot · Jun 21, 2004

I checked the PCAT site and it said it was sent. I'll call them both anyway in the morning 🙂

dgroulx · Jun 22, 2004

Shprot said:
My side of story is pretty funny and pretty sad at the same time..
I got 96 in math and 92 in chem, but 20 in verbal hahahahhahaha so i got 82 on average.

You still have a good chance of getting in. But, I would work on your verbal skills before starting school. The text books are difficult to read even if you have a great vocabulary.

Glycerin · Jul 23, 2004

Bump... For all of you wondering about calculus on the PCAT, this is taken from http://harcourtassessment.com/hai/Images/dotCom/pcatweb.info/pcat04_cib.pdf:

There are five content areas measured by the PCAT in five separate subtests:
? The Verbal Ability section measures general, non-scientific word knowledge and usage using analogies and sentence completion. There are approximately 58 questions in this section.
? The Biology section measures knowledge of the principles and concepts of basic biology, including general biology, microbiology, and human anatomy and physiology. There are approximately 58 questions in this section.
? The Reading Comprehension section measures ability to comprehend, analyze, and evaluate reading passages on science-related topics. There are approximately 48 questions in this section.
? The Quantitative Ability section measures skills in mathematical processes and the ability to reason through and understand quantitative concepts and relationships, including applications of algebra, geometry, probability and statistics, pre-calculus, and calculus. There are approximately 58 questions in this section.
? The Chemistry section measures knowledge of principles and concepts of inorganic and elementary organic chemistry. There are approximately 58 questions in this section.

Critical Thinking skills are also measured in items throughout the test and in a separate essay section. There is no separate score reported for Critical Thinking at this time.

So, not only has the content been altered but also the number of questions for each section. When I took it, the number of questions per section was 50/50/not sure about the Reading section, but there were several questions per passage and roughly 5 passages/65/45, in order of the sections listed above.

Also, it says "elementary organic chemistry." I'm not sure how they're defining "elementary," but there were a few OChem questions on my PCAT in January that were very basic and simple, such as determining if a given formula was an alcohol, carboxylic acid, etc.

no-see-um · Nov 20, 2004

vafcarrot said:
Hi. I was just wondering if anyone knows how the new PCAT scoring goes? From what I've found out, the old scoring was based on a total score 0f 300 or something... I can't seem to find any hard facts on it. All the schools I've looked out only give a minimum percentage score for requirements, and not a PERCENTILE score. And I seem to be the only one in the world that knows that these are two different things. I got a composite score of 419 on my test, which doesn't make sense with what I thought the max score was. I was in the 83 percentile. Anyways, does anyone know the total amount of points that can be obtained from the current pcat test going around? Also, wound anyone mind posting their scores on here? I've asked around my undergraduate school, and everyone's reply has been "oh, I did really well" Ok, what does that mean!?!?! Well meaning you didn't completely bomb the test or well being you've got an automatic spot in any pharmacy school you apply to? It's been really frustrating and my advisor hasn't been much help. Hopefully someone can help me out. thanks for any answers you may have 🙂

Thanks for starting this thread. You're one heroic person. I took the exam today, and I had no idea how the sections would be timed, how the test would be scored, etc. I agree with you on the quantitative section as well. It was rough in terms of the timing.

Reading through your posts, you echo pretty much all of my concerns about this exam. And I can't believe they would take your watch away for a single beep on the hour. My proctors did not do that, as many examinee's watches went off on the hour. Sounds very severe...

It looks like you put up a valiant effort and rose to the occasion. I'm glad that your scores are consistent with the schools you wish to apply to, because I think you'd make a great pharmacist. Post back if you get any news. 👍

vafcarrot · Nov 20, 2004

Don't worry.... I will. Thanks for the encouragement. Good luck to you too!

TACSTS · Nov 21, 2004

I can't remember my scaled score, but my composite percentile was 98th. I was stoked! First shot too! 😀

I wish I knew some advice to give, but really I'm clueless. If I knew I would be helping my girlfriend get her scores up. I think basically there are two kinds of people in this world, those who can take multiple choice tests well and those that can't. It's a skill some have, some don't. So many people second guess themselves or get too wound up and make mistakes they normally wouldn't make if they were calm. I guess that's the best advice I could offer, just try to stay cool when you stumble on a question, don't let one question cause you to miss the next 25.

s13 · Nov 21, 2004

lol, wish i had ur "multiple choice" genes

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