GPA or PCAT socre

[daysinnnc]

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I recently took a PCAT exam and i ended up with composite score of 51.
My GPA is 3.84 but no pharmacy experience..
Should i retake the PCAT or will my GPA get me into UNC or Campbell or Wingate..

Need opinions..

 

[RxWildcat]

retake the PCAT, it will make you much more competitive.

 

[daysinnnc]

What if i end up with even lower score??
I am very nervous and feels like i am never gonna get in

 

[inquirer89]

Most schools will take the best score out of each section. So if you take 3 PCATs, then they would only look at your best score in each of the sections.

I know for a fact that Campbell does that because I asked them.

 

[RxWildcat]

Well, if your score doesn't improve then you should probably strongly consider applying to schools that don't require the PCAT. Did you study much for the PCAT or do you get nervous about tests?

 

[fenixtnlfan]

I agree you should retake. While you might still be able to get in with that score, it is low and definitely isn't helping your app.

 

[Sparda29]

You seem competitive for Cali schools.

 

[cystapharm]

if I apply to schools that don't require PCAT will they still see my score even if they say they don't consider it? like will it just show up on my application anyway?

 

[daysinnnc]

is getting LOR from head of tutor service a good idea??

 

[dijital]

I recently took a PCAT exam and i ended up with composite score of 51.
My GPA is 3.84 but no pharmacy experience..
Should i retake the PCAT or will my GPA get me into UNC or Campbell or Wingate..

Need opinions..

Is this your first time taking the PCAT? I think you should retake the test because know that you are competing with other people who have pharmacy experience, did well on their PCAT, and have a good GPA.

 

[pvaiyapu]

if I apply to schools that don't require PCAT will they still see my score even if they say they don't consider it? like will it just show up on my application anyway?

If they dont require the PCAT then it wont show up on your application and they will look at only your gpa when making admissions decision. I would recommend University of Southern Nevada College of Pharmacy(NO PCAT required until fall 2010 application period) since u have a high gpa. There are other pharmacy schools that go off only your gpa. Apply to those schools.

This list includes all schools in USA and it should help you narrow down the schools u need to apply to:

http://www.filedropper.com/pharmacycolleges2009checklist

Download the file, open the pdf file, and choose the schools u wanna apply to..

 

[lastmagus]

is getting LOR from head of tutor service a good idea??

I work for Kaplan. I would decline writing a letter for someone. Your letters should be from someone with greater credentials.

 

[mustang sally]

is getting LOR from head of tutor service a good idea??

I would definitely focus on retaking the PCAT and try to get pharm experience if time allows. You won't know if you'll get a lower score or not until you try. Just study a lot and try again.

As for getting an LOR from the head of tutor service, I would not recommend it. LORs should be from professors or pharmacists.

 

[Garfield3d]

I would definitely retake the PCAT. In all due honesty, a score in the 50s is not very competitive at all. A score in the 60s is also considered weak. Refer to http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=427578 for ideas on how good your score is.

As people have already mentioned, you might want to consider applying to schools that will not look at your PCAT specifically because it is not a very strong score. While many of these non-PCAT schools are perfectly fine and well-regarded, many of these are also the same schools that emphasize pharmacy experience and extracirricular activities.

I would also agree with Mustang Sally. A letter of recommendation from a tutor service, even the head of a tutor service, is not particularly great. If you want someone to accentuate your academic prowess, get it from a professor. If you want to emphasize your practical nature in the field, get it from a pharmacist. Tutor services go over material, but they also focus on test-taking tactics. A letter from them, to me, seems a little off-topic.

--Garfield