okay, so I am determined to do well on the next PCAT so I am going to study my butt off. I want to refresh my mind with all the topics covered, do you all suggest I study one subject for one week for a couple hours a day or alternate subjects everyday??? please help with any alternate tips as well!!
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Help with study tips please!!!
Started by PharmaCEE
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i tried alternating subjects daily...it was pretty confusing.
my advice is to study one topic per week (or until you cover it all). you'll learn it better, i know i did
my advice is to study one topic per week (or until you cover it all). you'll learn it better, i know i did
I think it's good to refresh everything in your mind, but be honest with yourself about which subjects are your weakest and spend the most time on those. I also agree with the above poster that switching subjects daily gets too confusing.
I focused on one subject at a time rather than jumping around. juz make sure you have enough time to go through all subjects. I focused most on bio and English since they were my weakest...ended up not having enough time for chem and math... but I did ok i think.. got a 92 composite.
I'd suggest studying a topic a week, but take good notes while you study. Write down whatever you don't understand or think you'll forget. Then a couple weeks before test time, go back over that notebook and do whatever you need to do to learn the material you are struggling with. I suggest looking at old textbooks - for example, if you study math and realize you've forgotten how to do stuff with logs, study it when you realize you've forgotten, but also make note of it and look over that chapter in a math textbook in a couple months.
AP review books and Cliff Notes reviews and the like were very helpful to me. I read the books one at a time, noting my weaknesses, and then I knew where to focus my attention right before the test.
AP review books and Cliff Notes reviews and the like were very helpful to me. I read the books one at a time, noting my weaknesses, and then I knew where to focus my attention right before the test.
PCAT is a test over a large amount of material, so you really need to evalute which area you are bad, and make information very accessible (making cheat sheet).
here is a plan that I used..I think it can help you...
1. First make a list of all the catagories of Chem and Bio. (1. Atomic
Structure, 2. Organic Chem, 3. Acid & Bases etc).
2. Do a couple of practice test (I recommend Kaplan and Barron)
For areas you are good with play O, For areas you suck at place X on the
list. For areas you suck at, read the chapter on the textbook and do
some problems
3. Then do chapter problems on PCAT preb book. Not the comprehensive
ones, problems on each chapter!! On a notebook, fold the page into two
On one half, write down how you got to the answer. Mark whatever you
struggle with or took time to figure out. Check the answer, and mark wrong
answers. HERE IS THE KEY POINT. For whatever you got wrong and
struggled, write down the right answer and approach on the other half.
AND ANY OTHER RELEVENT INFORMATION TO THE PROBLEM.
IF YOU MADE A MISTAKE, IT'S WORSE THAN NOT KNOWING!!! SO MARK
WHY YOU MADE A MISTAKE!!! YOU CANNOT AFFORD TO MAKE CARELESS
MISTAKES!!
4. After you complete #3, do another set of practice test in a similar manner
and find out what you get wrong, and study them.
5. Repeat #3 and 4, but this time, do the problems that you struggled
with and got wrong. If you struggle again, mark it again.
This is especially good for chemistry.
What I also did was, took a good AP chem book, and wrote down key concepts and ideas on a sheet of paper or two by chapter. Used colored pens to make topics distinct and easy to spot. This is esp handy the day before the exam. You can go through them very fast. Creat cheat sheet should be a long term goal, so get to it now! By the time I was done (after solving problems and everything), I had about 20 sheets, I could go through them in 30~50 min.
When you study, focus on the details of fundamentals and basic elements. Most PCAT questions aren't really based on calculation. It tests you whether you really know the basics well...For example, can you write down units of Molarity and Molality? Correct unit for R in PV=nRT? Differences between STP and Standard conditions?
here is a plan that I used..I think it can help you...
1. First make a list of all the catagories of Chem and Bio. (1. Atomic
Structure, 2. Organic Chem, 3. Acid & Bases etc).
2. Do a couple of practice test (I recommend Kaplan and Barron)
For areas you are good with play O, For areas you suck at place X on the
list. For areas you suck at, read the chapter on the textbook and do
some problems
3. Then do chapter problems on PCAT preb book. Not the comprehensive
ones, problems on each chapter!! On a notebook, fold the page into two
On one half, write down how you got to the answer. Mark whatever you
struggle with or took time to figure out. Check the answer, and mark wrong
answers. HERE IS THE KEY POINT. For whatever you got wrong and
struggled, write down the right answer and approach on the other half.
AND ANY OTHER RELEVENT INFORMATION TO THE PROBLEM.
IF YOU MADE A MISTAKE, IT'S WORSE THAN NOT KNOWING!!! SO MARK
WHY YOU MADE A MISTAKE!!! YOU CANNOT AFFORD TO MAKE CARELESS
MISTAKES!!
4. After you complete #3, do another set of practice test in a similar manner
and find out what you get wrong, and study them.
5. Repeat #3 and 4, but this time, do the problems that you struggled
with and got wrong. If you struggle again, mark it again.
This is especially good for chemistry.
What I also did was, took a good AP chem book, and wrote down key concepts and ideas on a sheet of paper or two by chapter. Used colored pens to make topics distinct and easy to spot. This is esp handy the day before the exam. You can go through them very fast. Creat cheat sheet should be a long term goal, so get to it now! By the time I was done (after solving problems and everything), I had about 20 sheets, I could go through them in 30~50 min.
When you study, focus on the details of fundamentals and basic elements. Most PCAT questions aren't really based on calculation. It tests you whether you really know the basics well...For example, can you write down units of Molarity and Molality? Correct unit for R in PV=nRT? Differences between STP and Standard conditions?
Whatever you study today, make sure you review them tomorrow.
You need constant reinforcement of whatever you didn't know, and sooner the reinforcement is, the better it is. If you study something very hard now, and look at after a month, you won't remember it. You will be like "oh, that's how it was.."
As far as studying,
So make new information as accessible as possible..
For verbal, I'd recommend Kaplan SAT Verbal ...Their setence completion and readings are pretty good.
For math, SAT II Math is pretty good. Pay extra attention to their misc. section of series, stats etc...
For calculus, I guess you can get a AP calculus and learn how to apply chain rule and intergration by substituion..
For Bio, physiology is pretty good in Kaplan PCAT..I made my own notes of every physiology section., drew every picture again in my own hand (blood flow in heart, pulse flow in heart, urine flow, reproduction etc..) I got every physiology related question right..
Also, do not underestimate the power of practice PCAT on hartcourt website.
It saved me a few problems on PCAT...
You need constant reinforcement of whatever you didn't know, and sooner the reinforcement is, the better it is. If you study something very hard now, and look at after a month, you won't remember it. You will be like "oh, that's how it was.."
As far as studying,
So make new information as accessible as possible..
For verbal, I'd recommend Kaplan SAT Verbal ...Their setence completion and readings are pretty good.
For math, SAT II Math is pretty good. Pay extra attention to their misc. section of series, stats etc...
For calculus, I guess you can get a AP calculus and learn how to apply chain rule and intergration by substituion..
For Bio, physiology is pretty good in Kaplan PCAT..I made my own notes of every physiology section., drew every picture again in my own hand (blood flow in heart, pulse flow in heart, urine flow, reproduction etc..) I got every physiology related question right..
Also, do not underestimate the power of practice PCAT on hartcourt website.
It saved me a few problems on PCAT...
