Dr. Collins Practice Test Scores

This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.
F

frankdahtank

Full Member
10+ Year Member
Joined
Jul 19, 2011
Messages
79
Reaction score
0
Hey guys, I got my Collins in today!! I've been lurking on here for a few weeks now and I decided to make this thread so that you could see where you are at in your preparation for the pcat. My test date is September 19th and my goal is anything above an 80 but would prefer high 80's low 90's.

ITT: Post your practice test set score and time. I'm also posting my thoughts and study habits of the day.

Collins Set 1 Biology 41/48 time 22:46
Thoughts: Relatively easy, though I did miss some stupid and tricky questions. The otter question seems to have the wrong answer and I can't believe I missed the Gram stain question, seeing as I'm a microbiology major and have been in so many labs.
Members don't see this ad.
 
Last edited:
Sort by date Sort by votes
Collins Verbal Test #1 40/50 time: 23:05
Thoughts: There were some tricky questions but most of the missed questions were due to me not knowing the definition of a word (I know it's the verbal section, just stating my thoughts). I need to work on improving my vocabulary a little bit.

Pugilist = MIKE TYSON
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Biology
Test 1: 40/48 16 min
Test 2: 43/48 21 min
Test 3: 35/48 18 min
Test 4: 45/48 14 min
Test 5: 38/48 20 min
Test 6: 38/48 19 min
Test 7: 45/48 17 min
Test 8: 35/42 20 min
Test 9: 32/48 24 min

Got an 80 PR Bio on 27th PCAT. I was going to post my other sections but then I wondered why waste the time, so I'll stop there haha. My advice will be to test on speed. What your mind recalls when rushed is completely different from what it recalls in a controlled environment. Learn to train your mind to recall more while being rushed. Chem/Math tests should take you the full allotted time, Bio, RC, Verbal, especially with Collins, should take you around half the required time or 2/3 of the required time. Good luck!

P.S. Just for reference, I got over a 40/50 on each verbal test each around 15 minutes, lowest time completed was two 14 min and one 13 min. Scored 92 PR in VA on PCAT.
 
Last edited:
Upvote 0 Downvote
Alright I guess it's time to check in. Today I took quantitative and chemistry practice tests, here are the results.

Collins Quantitative Test 1 Time: All 40 mins and had to guess on three 42/52
Thoughts: Overall it wasn't too bad but I need to work on my calculus. It's been a long time since I took calc but after I review it my scores should improve. I also need to learn how to work with roots in all contexts. Time is a killer though, my heart was racing and it isn't even the actual pcat.

Collins Chemistry Test 1 Time: All 30 mins 42/50
Thoughts: Again, I didn't think the test was too bad, especially for not really studying chemistry yet. My ochem skills need to improve and probably some other gen chem stuff :p I haven't really had time to look over what I missed.

I think I'm making nice progress so far, but I can't let that get the best of me. I still need to focus and study hard. I'm not getting perfect scores so clearly there is something I can improve on. I'll give myself a pat on the back today though, good work my boy. I might take a practice bio test before I go to bed, I'm feeling pumped!! :) Verbal and bio test tomorrow or maybe not. I work tomorrow so I won't be able to study all day but I can get some things done.
 
Last edited:
Upvote 0 Downvote
Members don't see this ad :)
Those are really good scores. For the Qaunt section i don't think I am going to go over collins summaries. I'm going to take his exams and study from them, and learn how to do the problems. Im also going to take the 3 pearson exams and learn how to do those as well. Hope that is good enough for the math section
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
thesituation559 said:
Those are really good scores. For the Qaunt section i don't think I am going to go over collins summaries. I'm going to take his exams and study from them, and learn how to do the problems. Im also going to take the 3 pearson exams and learn how to do those as well. Hope that is good enough for the math section
Click to expand...

That should be sufficient, but I've haven't taken the PCAT yet so what do I know? :) I appreciate the compliment, good luck broseph.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
I hope so bro. I hope I didn't screw myself over by not taking the exam in July just to take it and get a feel for it. I want to take it just one time fully prepared.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
First off, today is my birthday! :) Secondly, that doesn't mean I can't study :p

Collins biology set 2: time 16:44: 44/48
Thoughts: RAWR! I don't know why I always miss stupid questions, mostly because I fail to read the question correctly, but it's starting to make me angry. I need to study the human heart because there always seems to be at least one question about it.

I also studied about 20 pages in the chem packet and only have about 10 pages left so I should be able to finish it Monday. As for now, it's time for me to relax, spend time with family and friends, and maybe win it big tonight at the casino.
 
Last edited:
Upvote 0 Downvote
Let the tests begin.

Collin's Chemistry Test 2 Time 25:18 45/50
Thoughts: Eff that. I didn't know the answer to one question, the other four were missed due to me being a complete idiot. I am very pleased with the time though, a huge improvement!! Keep up the good work!

Taking more tests later in the day.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
scripNmyLV said:
Good job, sounds like your on the right track. Keep it up!
Click to expand...

Thank you sir, I really appreciate it.

Collins Quantitative Test 2 46/52 Time: All of it! Guessed on two questions.
Thoughts: I need to work on limits. I have pretty much cleared up all of the issues I had with test 1. Only missed calculus questions so I still need to work on it.

Verbal Test coming later.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Collin's Verbal Test 2 Time: 19:25 (some distractions) Score: 44/50
Thoughts: Overall it wasn't too bad but I feel like I really need to learn some vocab words. I'm doing okay on the verbal tests but I really don't know how confident I should feel for the PCAT.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Members don't see this ad :)
Today I went through the entire biology packet and cleared up a few things that were bothering me including the kidneys/nephrons, the heart, and the nervous system (mainly parasymp, symp). After going over all of the material I figured I'd put my new knowledge to the test.

Collin's Biology Test 3: Time: 17:30: Score 46/48 (WOOT)
Thoughts: Hell yeah! This test seemed to have the particular randomness I was hoping for and expect the actual PCAT to have. All of the previous concepts I was struggling with have been clarified, which pleases me.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
I'm feeling a little bummed since I thought I was doing so well in all subjects but I felt a little disappointed after taking another chemistry test.

Collin's Chemistry Test 3: Time 27:00: Score 44/50
Thoughts: Apparently I don't understand hydrogen bonding so I need to go over that again and maybe the general definitions of molarity, molality etc.

I'm taking another one tomorrow so hopefully I improve a little.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
frankdahtank said:
I'm feeling a little bummed since I thought I was doing so well in all subjects but I felt a little disappointed after taking another chemistry test.

Collin's Chemistry Test 3: Time 27:00: Score 44/50
Thoughts: Apparently I don't understand hydrogen bonding so I need to go over that again and maybe the general definitions of molarity, molality etc.

I'm taking another one tomorrow so hopefully I improve a little.
Click to expand...

Keep us updated.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
I got some nice studying done today but I could have done more, the gf was very distracting, in a good way of course.

Collin's Verbal Test 3: Time 22:42 : Score 42/50
Thoughts: I thought this test was the most difficult so far and I'm fairly pleased with the outcome. I'm getting better at working the analogies when I don't know what the words mean though. This section needs the most work, along with reading comprehension though I hear it is futile.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
I decided to take another biology practice exam, lego.

Collin's Biology Test 4: Time 12:50 : Score 46/48
Thoughts: Stupid menstrual cycle *shakes fist in air* I guess I need to go over it in more detail. We all know there is probably some woman with a power trip writing a few menstrual cycle questions just to screw over all men. ;) No, but seriously, I need to go over it. I think my biology is pretty solid though, I can just look over the material once every couple of days to stay fresh and I should be alright.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
owlegrad said:
I like you to. ;)

Mr. owlegrad is my dad's name. You can call me Dr. owlegrad.
Click to expand...
Alright, Dr. Owlegrad it is. That's good that you like me because you'll be seeing me quite often from now on, especially over the next few months.

Let's get back to business.
Collin's Chemistry test 4: Time ~26:00 (I actually looked over two questions): Score 45/50
Thoughts: The test wasn't too bad but it did test my knowledge pretty well. I missed a few stupid questions that if I ever see again I'll know so I couldn't be happier. I'm getting better which excites me but I still have a way to go if I want a 99 in chem.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
I studied chemistry today, mainly focusing on organic.

Collin's chemistry test 5: Time 26:00: Score: 45/50
Thoughts: Extremely frustrated so I thought I would take another one.

Collin's chemistry test 6: Time 25:30: Score 46/49
Thoughts: Better but I'm still missing questions on every test which is making me angry.

I thought about why I'm angry and it made me realize that I should be thankful that I've seen these stupid questions before, because if they appear in any shape or form on the pcat I'll know exactly how to do them. It also made me realize how competitive I am. I'm scoring around 90% raw score on the practice chem tests and that STILL feels like failing to me. I mean if I perform the same way on the test, which is still over a month away, I'll get around 85-95 percentile which is really good. I guess reading about how some of you guys are scoring 99th percentile really motivated me to go for it. When I started studying at the beginning of June solely using the Kaplan book my idea of a "good" score was anything above an 80. But now that I've joined this forum, seen what some of you have achieved, and studied with the appropriate materials (collin's, old notes, gre verbal book, old books, online material etc.) I feel that I can accomplish anything, which I can. :) I guess I would like to thank you guys and this community for making me strive for more. I don't know my official PCAT score yet but I do know that regardless of what it is, it will undoubtedly be higher due to this forum.
 
Last edited:
Upvote 0 Downvote
I scored a 99th percentile composite, 99th percentile in chemistry and quantitative and I can't guarantee that I got every question correct on the exam. Furthermore, I never aced one of my Dr. Collins exams even on retake. (I made myself retake every exam at least once to ensure that I knew the concepts.)

In addition, I scored an 800 on the Quantitative section on the GRE, but when I worked through questions on Barron's guide to the GRE, I always missed something.

Point being, the time to be neurotic (if there is such a time) is when you take the actual exam. If you're neurotic on practice exams, it's incredibly stupid. Practice exams are for that PRACTICE. You should really change your attitude otherwise you're going to muck up the actual exam.

Take this as helpful advice because some of the frustration that you're venting about your performance is kinda dumb ... it's best to miss something to fuel the fire and continue your studying.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
chemguy79 said:
Point being, the time to be neurotic (if there is such a time) is when you take the actual exam. If you're neurotic on practice exams, it's incredibly stupid. Practice exams are for that PRACTICE. You should really change your attitude otherwise you're going to muck up the actual exam.

Take this as helpful advice because some of the frustration that you're venting about your performance is kinda dumb ... it's best to miss something to fuel the fire and continue your studying.
Click to expand...

I've read a lot of your posts and I have mad respect for you but did you even read what I said? I clearly stated that me being angry is stupid and that I only feel that way because I am really competitive. I also stated that I am thankful for seeing these questions that I find stupid because, as you said, they are for practice and the next time I see a similar question I will know exactly how to do it. I don't know what else to say, thanks I guess. Studying with Collin's will resume tomorrow, expect mass posts! :)
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
chemguy79 said:
I scored a 99th percentile composite, 99th percentile in chemistry and quantitative and I can't guarantee that I got every question correct on the exam. Furthermore, I never aced one of my Dr. Collins exams even on retake. (I made myself retake every exam at least once to ensure that I knew the concepts.)

In addition, I scored an 800 on the Quantitative section on the GRE, but when I worked through questions on Barron's guide to the GRE, I always missed something.

Point being, the time to be neurotic (if there is such a time) is when you take the actual exam. If you're neurotic on practice exams, it's incredibly stupid. Practice exams are for that PRACTICE. You should really change your attitude otherwise you're going to muck up the actual exam.

Take this as helpful advice because some of the frustration that you're venting about your performance is kinda dumb ... it's best to miss something to fuel the fire and continue your studying.
Click to expand...

Maybe that worked for you but my understanding is that psychologically it's best to take practice exams in test-like condtions (i.e., pretend that it is a real exam and try your hardest). That is what I did to get my speed down, but clearly both of our strategies worked:D.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
frankdahtank said:
I've read a lot of your posts and I have mad respect for you but did you even read what I said? I clearly stated that me being angry is stupid and that I only feel that way because I am really competitive. I also stated that I am thankful for seeing these questions that I find stupid because, as you said, they are for practice and the next time I see a similar question I will know exactly how to do it. I don't know what else to say, thanks I guess. Studying with Collin's will resume tomorrow, expect mass posts! :)
Click to expand...

While I read what you said, your posts are monotonous (blogs are for this purpose) and you clearly aren't taking the suggestions that you make after each of your posts. Therefore, an alternate viewpoint may prove to be helpful. It seems as if your posts are almost for egotistical purposes (which is strange for me to write since ANY post on a message board is in that genre to a certain extent, but I digress).

harmonidrum, I always took the exams in simulated conditions. However, I wasn't neurotic about getting a perfect score. I WANTED a perfect score, but I didn't make it my sole goal to achieve said score and nor did I post quasi-rants about it when it didn't happen. :)
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Just got my Collins today as well, hope to put it in good use before my exam in the 26th :)
I love how he has soo many practise tests :)
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
chemguy79 said:
While I read what you said, your posts are monotonous (blogs are for this purpose) and you clearly aren't taking the suggestions that you make after each of your posts. Therefore, an alternate viewpoint may prove to be helpful. It seems as if your posts are almost for egotistical purposes (which is strange for me to write since ANY post on a message board is in that genre to a certain extent, but I digress).

harmonidrum, I always took the exams in simulated conditions. However, I wasn't neurotic about getting a perfect score. I WANTED a perfect score, but I didn't make it my sole goal to achieve said score and nor did I post quasi-rants about it when it didn't happen. :)
Click to expand...

Yeah, I honestly didn't make it my sole goal either, when the test day came around, I felt confident I was going to score high 90s, but I would have never imagined a 99th. I never got perfect scores on the Collins tests either until I retook them. Even then I still missed a couple each time, and those ones I marked and reviewed comprehensively (went over the stuff I'd highlighted and marked at the end of every single test) before the exam. This strategy really paid off for me.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
I just wanted to thank JonPrePharmD, DR. OWLE, Harmonidrum, Chemguy79 and WMV and a lot of other people on this forum for providing enough information on how to study for the pcat which enabled me to achieve a solid score. Thanks again, it was a lot of fun.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

T
  • Question
Dr. Collins Quant Practice Tests
Replies
9
Views
4K
KayN
K
J
  • Locked
  • Question
Free Dr. Collins PDF? Edit: Or comprehensive Collins Quizlet?
Replies
7
Views
6K
tobiasf
T
M
  • Question
PCAT Dr. Collins
Replies
7
Views
4K
BC_89
BC_89
N
  • Question
Dr. Collins PCAT
Replies
2
Views
3K
EyeC92
E
S
  • Question
Dr. Collins for PCAT
Replies
3
Views
2K
takeanother
takeanother
Top