Dr. Collins PCAT Self-Study Guide Thoughts

[sg25]

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[samurai361]

Ok, so if I do have the money, do you recommending getting the 3 Pearson Tests or Dr. Collins? Also, do the Pearson tests have solutions/explanations?

I'd recommend getting the Pearson tests. It's the closest thing to the actual PCAT bc it's from the test makers themselves and actually, it has areas you need to know that I sometimes found lacking in Dr. Collins plus all the areas Dr. Collins covers...And yeah the Pearson tests come with solutions and explanations for every problem.

 

[thecoolpharmboi]

I'd recommend getting the Pearson tests. It's the closest thing to the actual PCAT bc it's from the test makers themselves and actually, it has areas you need to know that I sometimes found lacking in Dr. Collins plus all the areas Dr. Collins covers...And yeah the Pearson tests come with solutions and explanations for every problem.

Ok, thanks a lot!!

 

[flip05]

so have u taken the pcat yet? did mcgraw hill review material helped you alot?

 

[flip05]

aww I'm sorry about that! I hope you did very well To tell you the truth, I just did OChem I and II in the past 6 months so I prefer o-chem questions any day. I think they're easier to answer since you should just be able to look at it and know the answer. I'm using McGraw Hill to review Chemistry; I just use Collins for the practice questions. MG-H has about 20 pages of reactions, from basic alkene reactions to amides to amines to benzene reactions, etc.

Everyone said that was overkill and so I was just going to skimp over it, but now I'll definitely make sure to memorize all of them. This was a great heads up, thank you, I really appreciate it! And I realized I misspelled your username and I went back and fixed it, lol I'm sorry about that. Thanks again!

so have u taken the pcat yet? did mcgraw hill review material helped you alot?

 

[pharm 5765]

Does anyone know if dr collines verbal helps at all?

 

[hash2pat]

I just took June PCAT solely studying Dr. Collins. I didnt quite find it that helpful as other have mentioned in this forum.

Verbal: There were about 3-4 same questions.

Reading: Not helpful at all.

Chemistry: I found Dr. Collin study guide to most helpful for Chemistry among all the others. There were several similar questions. At least 17-20.

Biology: 3-4 same questions were on the actual pcat. Dr. Collin study guide is preety decent for this portion.

Quantitative Ability: Not that much helpful. Dr. Collin study guide and the practice test for this is preety simple compare to the actual PCAT.

I havent recieved my score but I am guesstimating to be around 60's.

 

[pch]

I just took June PCAT solely studying Dr. Collins. I didnt quite find it that helpful as other have mentioned in this forum.

Verbal: There were about 3-4 same questions.

Reading: Not helpful at all.

Chemistry: I found Dr. Collin study guide to most helpful for Chemistry among all the others. There were several similar questions. At least 17-20.

Biology: 3-4 same questions were on the actual pcat. Dr. Collin study guide is preety decent for this portion.

Quantitative Ability: Not that much helpful. Dr. Collin study guide and the practice test for this is preety simple compare to the actual PCAT.

I havent recieved my score but I am guesstimating to be around 60's.

thanks for the feedback! im also using Dr collins right now but i'm also using kaplan. i find Dr collins a lot easier than kaplan. i aven't done the science exam part yet for Dr collins but based on the verbal, reading and math, they're much easier than kaplan. for those who used Dr collins and kaplan before, do you think i should focus more on Dr collins material or Kaplan? whats the PCAT more like??

 

[levothroxin]

I just took June PCAT solely studying Dr. Collins. I didnt quite find it that helpful as other have mentioned in this forum.

Verbal: There were about 3-4 same questions.

Reading: Not helpful at all.

Chemistry: I found Dr. Collin study guide to most helpful for Chemistry among all the others. There were several similar questions. At least 17-20.

Biology: 3-4 same questions were on the actual pcat. Dr. Collin study guide is preety decent for this portion.

Quantitative Ability: Not that much helpful. Dr. Collin study guide and the practice test for this is preety simple compare to the actual PCAT.

I havent recieved my score but I am guesstimating to be around 60's.

Has2pat,

I took the June PCAT as well and i found alot of the Verbal section to be identical like at least 12-15 as well as bio, chem had some similars but alot of the same concepts were presented with a bit more ochem than usual, the reading was alright, and the math i felt was along the same lines of chem in problems and concepts...the scores should be coming in soon i would guess right?

 

[pch]

Has2pat,

I took the June PCAT as well and i found alot of the Verbal section to be identical like at least 12-15 as well as bio, chem had some similars but alot of the same concepts were presented with a bit more ochem than usual, the reading was alright, and the math i felt was along the same lines of chem in problems and concepts...the scores should be coming in soon i would guess right?

phew.. thats definately good news. I find Dr. collins' material much easier than kaplan. im using both right now. I get 70s and 80s for Dr. Collins but only 60s for kaplan. im glad the real PCAT is more like Dr collins.

 

[samven582]

Should I just study doctor collins verbal only?

 

[mcara002]

Hey! one question- for those of you who took the most recent pcat- June... how much orgo did u come across? and what do you suggest I should study for Orgo??? what topics?

I have collins tests and review, but I dont see to much review on the Orgo.. Thanks guys!

 

[UFKOIVY]

Collins does not have sufficient organic chemistry in his packet. Based on the June PCAT, orgo was a major part of the section, probably 40-50%. Basically, there was an orgo question for every 3-4 questions. I'd recommend studying your old orgo notes, including some of orgo II stuff.

 

[Jn89]

Would the 2009 material be the same as the 2010 version, besides the updates? What do the updates include? Thanks.

 

[UFKOIVY]

His material packets go back to about two-three years and have really simple stuff, so you'll be fine with the 2009. The updates are just more practice questions, which is pretty much the way if you buy practice tests from Pearson.

People seem to be making the mistake of only studying Collins and finding out that the actual PCAT is a lot harder. You should only use his stuff as a guideline and buffer up with other resources because his stuff are basic.

 

[pch]

for those of you using Dr collins and Kaplan, did you find the math section more like kaplan or Dr collins on the real PCAT? Dr collins' math is so easy but kaplan's is so hard!

 

[NervousForSure]

I took the $1300 Kaplan course and took the PCAT yesterday. I don't feel like it helped me that much and I was wondering if I should buy the Collins material to prepare for the next PCAT in October. I'm just iffy about spending another $325 on study material when I already dished out $1300 on the Kaplan course. I just mainly want to improve on biology, verbal, and quantitative ability. Would it be worth it for me to spend the extra $325 on Collins?

 

[88888888]

yes.. dr. collins for the win.

 

[samven582]

I took the $1300 Kaplan course and took the PCAT yesterday. I don't feel like it helped me that much and I was wondering if I should buy the Collins material to prepare for the next PCAT in October. I'm just iffy about spending another $325 on study material when I already dished out $1300 on the Kaplan course. I just mainly want to improve on biology, verbal, and quantitative ability. Would it be worth it for me to spend the extra $325 on Collins?

yes its worth it

 

[Uzumaki Naruto]

I took the $1300 Kaplan course and took the PCAT yesterday. I don't feel like it helped me that much and I was wondering if I should buy the Collins material to prepare for the next PCAT in October. I'm just iffy about spending another $325 on study material when I already dished out $1300 on the Kaplan course. I just mainly want to improve on biology, verbal, and quantitative ability. Would it be worth it for me to spend the extra $325 on Collins?

Hi, I have read a lot of positive feedbacks on Dr collins so I think you should get it. It won't hurt. I will be buying it. Also try and purchase the practice exams from pearsons that will help tremendously as well I believe. Hope that helps.Goodluck!

 

[pharmdnj718]

I took the $1300 Kaplan course and took the PCAT yesterday. I don't feel like it helped me that much and I was wondering if I should buy the Collins material to prepare for the next PCAT in October. I'm just iffy about spending another $325 on study material when I already dished out $1300 on the Kaplan course. I just mainly want to improve on biology, verbal, and quantitative ability. Would it be worth it for me to spend the extra $325 on Collins?

I bought Dr collin's material and took the pcat saturday. it was awesome. it's the best study guide in my opinion. don't bother with kaplan, it's a waste of time and money and they include a lot of superfluous materials you don't need for pcat. stick with collins, you will do great in october. good luck

 

[Uzumaki Naruto]

I bought Dr collin's material and took the pcat saturday. it was awesome. it's the best study guide in my opinion. don't bother with kaplan, it's a waste of time and money and they include a lot of superfluous materials you don't need for pcat. stick with collins, you will do great in october. good luck

pharmdjn718 how long did you study for the test? Did you use practice tests? Which ones? Any tips for those taking the test in jan? I have to crush this test. Thanks

 

[pharmdnj718]

pharmdjn718 how long did you study for the test? Did you use practice tests? Which ones? Any tips for those taking the test in jan? I have to crush this test. Thanks

i studied for 5-6 months. i only used the practice tests (they were 8-9 practice exams for each subject) from each section provided by collins. i also looked at kaplan, but it didn't help at all. kaplan made simple things harder and had a lot of extra materials you didn't need. but collins gets to the point to exactly what you need to know. just understand all the materials provided by dr collins, you will ace the pcat with high marks. good luck

 

[Uzumaki Naruto]

i studied for 5-6 months. i only used the practice tests (they were 8-9 practice exams for each subject) from each section provided by collins. i also looked at kaplan, but it didn't help at all. kaplan made simple things harder and had a lot of extra materials you didn't need. but collins gets to the point to exactly what you need to know. just understand all the materials provided by dr collins, you will ace the pcat with high marks. good luck

Thank you one more question. How many hours a day did you study for?

 

[pharmdnj718]

Thank you one more question. How many hours a day did you study for?

i was taking 19 credits of science and math courseload in the spring and 19 credits over the summer so i only the weekend to study. i had to keep up my school work during the week

 

[Uzumaki Naruto]

i was taking 19 credits of science and math courseload in the spring and 19 credits over the summer so i only the weekend to study. i had to keep up my school work during the week

Gr8!! I really commend you on working that hard and making it through. Thanks for responding so promptly. Goodluck in all your endeavors!!!

 

[pharmdnj718]

Gr8!! I really commend you on working that hard and making it through. Thanks for responding so promptly. Goodluck in all your endeavors!!!

thank you and good luck in October. trust me, collins is the best

 

[NervousForSure]

Are there new updates after each PCAT? I just took the PCAT in August and I am retaking it in October. I also just bought Dr. Collins study material. I just wanted to know how to get the updates for August. Do they e-mail you about the updates or do you have to e-mail them to see if they have any?

 

[Smiles425]

Are there new updates after each PCAT? I just took the PCAT in August and I am retaking it in October. I also just bought Dr. Collins study material. I just wanted to know how to get the updates for August. Do they e-mail you about the updates or do you have to e-mail them to see if they have any?

You have to email Dr. Collins and request an update form. They check to see if you are an actual student of the self-study program. Then they send you the update form via email. You fill out the update form, include a money order for $20 and send it to Dr Collins down in Florida in the mail. It took less then a week for me to recieve my update after I dropped it in the mail ( i live in Chicago)


But now that I think about it... If you have recently purchased the Dr Collins packet you probably will already have the most current update. Check to see if the update is included before you shell out twenty bucks for something you already have.

 

[NervousForSure]

You have to email Dr. Collins and request an update form. They check to see if you are an actual student of the self-study program. Then they send you the update form via email. You fill out the update form, include a money order for $20 and send it to Dr Collins down in Florida in the mail. It took less then a week for me to recieve my update after I dropped it in the mail ( i live in Chicago)


But now that I think about it... If you have recently purchased the Dr Collins packet you probably will already have the most current update. Check to see if the update is included before you shell out twenty bucks for something you already have.

They did include updates but on the January and June ones. I guess I'll e-mail Dr. Collins asking whether or not they have an August update yet. Thanks for the info though!

 

[Lubeckd]

Hi, is the Dr Collins reading section helpful at all? do they contain similar questions on the reading?

 

[noPARMtech4evr]

Hi everyone! So after reading most of the posts on this thread, I think I have decided to go with the dr collin's program. But I have a question..... Do you guys think it is a good or bad idea to sign up for the october test by this friday, order the materials and study with whatever time i have left between when the materials arrive, going to school 15hrs a week, and working 20hrs a week? I'm willing to just buckle down and litterally not have a life for 6 weeks, but Do y'all think it'd be enough time to get through the dr collins material while working and going to school that much?

 

[Twiggy1]

What are your other options? Not go with Collins? Put off applying for another year? Or do the schools you are applying to accept the January PCAT? Be sure to check that out...a lot of the schools don't accept the January test as the scores don't come back until after the application deadlines.

That should be enough time to get through Collins if you are willing to do the work though.

 

[PharmaBug]

so I bought the Dr. Collins notes from someone on this board, can I still request the updates even though I didn't directly buy the notes from Collins??

I could really use the updates! So any help is appreciated!

 

[chemguy79]

so I bought the Dr. Collins notes from someone on this board, can I still request the updates even though I didn't directly buy the notes from Collins??

I could really use the updates! So any help is appreciated!

Nope, you can't get the updates if you didn't purchase the materials directly from Dr. Collins.

 

[oaksen]

Hi all,
I'm planning to take the PCAT this October and I'm also planning to buy Dr. Collins Study Guide from this other girl for $130 who bought it in November 2009 so that she could prepare for the PCAT in Jan 2010. Is it a better idea to buy the study guide from someone else who has the june 2010 update or would it be fine to just study off from the 2009 Study guide? Thank you in advance if you are generous enough to reply.

 

[WEKS2010]

Anyone interested in Dr. Collins Material, and are in the Milwaukee area, am selling mine. Used it, and score 90%. my email: [email protected] if interested.

Hope it helps. For only $100 plus shipping. If u want it priority, make it $115. Can get it to you ASAP, in this 2 weeks to the October PCAT.

 

[bongos]

Hi all,
I'm planning to take the PCAT this October and I'm also planning to buy Dr. Collins Study Guide from this other girl for $130 who bought it in November 2009 so that she could prepare for the PCAT in Jan 2010. Is it a better idea to buy the study guide from someone else who has the june 2010 update or would it be fine to just study off from the 2009 Study guide? Thank you in advance if you are generous enough to reply.

mine has the june update and will sell it for $170, let me know if interested.

 

[chemguy79]

I purchased a study guide from July of 2009 for the January 2010 PCAT and scored at the 99th percentile. I truly don't think that the most recent updates make much of a difference because it's not the content of the study guides that really helps you as much as learning your weaknesses and getting acclimated to the test format.

BTW, I scanned my copies of Dr. Collins' study guide and I'll sell them to you for $75.

 

[Dave4468]

I truly don't think that the most recent updates make much of a difference because it's not the content of the study guides that really helps you as much as learning your weaknesses and getting acclimated to the test format.

 

[UyenRita]

Anyone here would like to have the August update?
PM me!

 

[s3ntin3l]

Just wondering for those that took the pcat was his reading section adequate to go off of?

 

[kidkay]

Just wondering for those that took the pcat was his reading section adequate to go off of?

the general consensus is no.

 

[chemguy79]

Just wondering for those that took the pcat was his reading section adequate to go off of?

While the consensus is No, the caveat is that there isn't anything that really adequately prepares you for the exam. Therefore, it is better than not preparing for it, but ... I wouldn't expect it to be exceedingly helpful.

 

[SHINING]

What about the math portion? I've been able to answer these questions fairly easily, granted I've only gone through problems up to Test 3 so far. I feel like these questions are a lot easier than what I had on the Aug PCAT.

 

[dannbetts]

Dr. Collins is worth every penny. I got a 37 on my first PCAT ( i did not prepare, and was in the er with my almost 2 year old the night before)
But---- I bought the material 2 weeks before I took my next PCAT and I studied every bit of material- I made a 85. High science, low reading. I owe it to Dr Collins!!!

Are you very sure that Collins materials are helpful?

 

[chemguy79]

Are you very sure that Collins materials are helpful?

If you're not sure if they're helpful after seeing that there is a SEVEN page thread of people talking about how it's helped them study for the PCAT ... I would work on my reading comprehension skills before taking the PCAT.

 

[Notecard]

Are you very sure that Collins materials are helpful?

They are quite helpful. I just took the PCAT for the first time today but I can say for sure that 5-6 of my analogies and i think 1 sentence completion were word for word the same. Same goes for the biology and chem was also a great help.

The only thing the packets didn't help much with was math, but i got the 3 pearson tests and they didn't help with math either. Luckily I had a Nazi teacher for Calc 1 and 2 and sadly only now can I fully appreciate her haha.

I can't say for sure if Collins packets were worth it until i get my scores, but i imagine that i wouldn't feel nearly as confident as I do now if I hadn't used them.

 

[RunnerPHARMER]

I must say this PCAT forum is a godsend! It was how I found out about Dr. Collins study material. I am so glad I decided to study with it for the October PCAT because Verbal, Biology, and Chemistry were a cake walk because of it.

Crossing my fingers that my test results yield how confident I feel.

 

[dblock05]

I didn't find bio/math helpful for when I took it yesterday. I think everyone can agree on math since it was just super hard, but did anyone else find bio from collins to be helpful?

For me, it seems that I don't have enough bio knowledge and the PCAT seemed pretty advance in that regard.

 

[Satoyam]

: ) . Mine was well worth it! Don't need it anymore though.