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I really liked the ARCO guide to the PCAT. It's about a third of the size of the Kaplan. It has sample test questions that equate to about 2 full length assessments. The explanations for why answers are right and wrong in the back of the book are clear and brief. I also thought their time guidelines were very usefull. Even though I used an edition that was almost a decade old I felt that the format and difficulty of the questions closely matched the actual test that I took in October 2006. I bombed the reading comp (slow reader) but I got a 95 percentile overall.
Over
P.S. Think is probably right about most people preferring the Kaplan guide. Kaplan was too big and scary for me considering that I had procrastinated studying for the PCAT. If you have the time and dedication to really sink your teeth into the Kaplan guide you will probably get a 98 or 99 percentile overall. The Kaplan guide scared me to death so I'm glad I found the ARCO. Kaplan teaches you much more than you need to know for the PCAT.
Over
P.S. Think is probably right about most people preferring the Kaplan guide. Kaplan was too big and scary for me considering that I had procrastinated studying for the PCAT. If you have the time and dedication to really sink your teeth into the Kaplan guide you will probably get a 98 or 99 percentile overall. The Kaplan guide scared me to death so I'm glad I found the ARCO. Kaplan teaches you much more than you need to know for the PCAT.
I have used Kaplan and Barrons most of my study time. Barrons PCAT is a bunch of practice tests, I would rate their exams as medium in difficulty. Slightly higher than Barrons (IMHO) is Cliff's 5 PCAT exams book. I feel like this book is the closest approximation of the PCAT for difficulty. I've also used ARCO which I really like for quick review (especially for verbal). My biggest problem with them is that there are only 100 questions per PCAT section and if I want more than a 100 questions I'm SOL.
If I want an intense "problem-based" review, I'll use the EK books which are MCAT based. I'm assuming those are the hardest I will encounter on the PCAT. I also like using Schuam's for more practice.
As for preparation for the writing requirement, I've found no resource to actually improve my writing abilities.
Choosing the right study material is a chore. Pick something you're comfortable with and go with it. If you have been out of school for awhile like me, you'll want to spend more time studying. Use your time efficiently. Find time for yourself after studying and you will do great.
I picked up the kaplan book about 3 weeks ago, and it is pretty intimidating but I have gotten through a small portion and feel like it is pretty good and feel like i can handle, I looked at Barron's but went with kaplan based on what ive heard on these forums, I still might pick up Barron's later for more practice tests
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