Any suggetions would help!

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ApplicantPharmD

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im taking the PCAT in june...i cannot decide how and from where to start studying....:confused:could u guys give me any suggestions..im having trouble deciding wht to start first...

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im taking the PCAT in june...i cannot decide how and from where to start studying....:confused:could u guys give me any suggestions..im having trouble deciding wht to start first...


APD,
Go to a good library and search the pharmacy section for what they have available. Check out several and start studying each one a little and see which one you are most comfortable with and concentrate most of your time studying that guide with occasional study of the others. If you have trouble finding stuff at the library go a Barnes & Noble and sit down in one of their comfy chairs for a while and decide what might be your best purchase. It may cost you $45 + but this is a great investment. You could also make your book decision at B & N, but then make the purchase on Amozon.com or ebay / half.com if you can wait a few days to recieve it. The Kaplan guide scared me to death but if you can handle it and learn it well you will seriously stomp on the PCAT. I was more comfortable with Arco's guide to the PCAT and I felt it was much more comparable to the actual test I took in October 2006 even though the ARCO I found in my library was 1990's copyright. I got a composite 95 %ile and I feel a big help was the ARCO even though I didn't even make it all the way through it. It had also been a long time since I had taken organic chemistry so I sat in on the first 8-9 weeks of the O Chem I lecture up until the day that I took the PCAT.

Hope I was helpful,
Over
 
I bought the 06-07 Kaplan book and just went through and took notes from it and then did the quizzes after each section. Then once I had studied, I took the actual full length tests. While Kaplan was good to freshen up on Bio and Chem, I thought the actual PCAT math was harder than Kaplan's. I know they've changed the PCAT slightly since Oct. so this might change too. I also bought a GRE vocab study guide... but I don't really know if that helped at all. I'd also suggest if you haven't taken microbio (I hadn't when I took the PCAT) to borrow someone's textbook or buy a cheap review book since the PCAT had a decent amt of microbio on it. Basically, I think the best way to go about it is to buy a PCAT study guide... whether it be Kaplan or some other company.
 
I agree with the posts above. If you go to a bookstore or a good public library, you will find pcat exams. If you attempt a diagnostic exam and bomb it or hate the format, seek a professional opinion because this test will challenge you and maybe pharmacy is not what you want to do.

If you decide to continue, start early, work all types of questions for biology, work chem problems, skim through micro and physiology, review your math equations, go through some reading comprehension passages, and time yourself accordingly.
 
I'm getting a Calc tutor. :) I took Kaplan's practice a few months ago and it was by far my lowest score-I took Calc about 1 year 1/2 ago and barely got a B. :(
 
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