How are the different PCAT sections weighted?

[PAtoPharm]

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Does anyone know how the different sections on the PCAT are weighted in terms of how heavily each one affects your composite score? I have heard that the bio, chem, and math sections are weighted more heavily than the verbal and RC sections, but I was just wondering if anyone knew anything more specific about this.

The reason I ask is because I've heard about examples in the past of test-takers doing very poorly on the verbal and RC sections, moderately well on the bio section, and then extremely well on the math and chem sections, resulting in an composite score in the ~90th percentile range. So I was just wondering if it was possible to earn a similarly high composite score by doing extremely well on the RC, verbal, and biology sections, despite performing relatively poorly on the chem and math sections. However, if the chem and math sections are weighted substantially more than the RC and verbal sections, this might not be feasible... but if they're only weighted somewhat more heavily than RC and verbal, then a composite score of ~80% might be possible.

 

[kriska83]

interested too!

 

[ldiot]

They are weighted the same in terms of composite score, but schools might put more emphasis on individual sections when looking at an applicant.

I forget what scale the raw scores are but take this example:

Student 1:
Chem: Raw score 600, 70 percentile
Reading: Raw score 600, 70 percentile

Student 2:
Chem: Raw score, 650, 99 percentile
Reading: Raw score 580, 40 percentile

If you add up the raw scores you can see that student 2 has a much higher overall raw score, so his composite would be a lot higher. It may appear that chemistry is weighed more than reading in this example but it's not. The composite score is based on the average of your raw scores, not the average of your percentiles in each section.

To further complicate matters, keep in mind that a 600 raw score in chemistry might not yield the same percentile as a 600 raw score in reading. I think you have to score better in bio/chem than reading/verbal to get the same percentile in that individual section because pharmacy students are generally better in science.

The bottom line though is to do your best in every section.

 

[PAtoPharm]

They are weighted the same in terms of composite score, but schools might put more emphasis on individual sections when looking at an applicant.

I forget what scale the raw scores are but take this example:

Student 1:
Chem: Raw score 600, 70 percentile
Reading: Raw score 600, 70 percentile

Student 2:
Chem: Raw score, 650, 99 percentile
Reading: Raw score 580, 40 percentile

If you add up the raw scores you can see that student 2 has a much higher overall raw score, so his composite would be a lot higher. It may appear that chemistry is weighed more than reading in this example but it's not. The composite score is based on the average of your raw scores, not the average of your percentiles in each section.

To further complicate matters, keep in mind that a 600 raw score in chemistry might not yield the same percentile as a 600 raw score in reading. I think you have to score better in bio/chem than reading/verbal to get the same percentile in that individual section because pharmacy students are generally better in science.

The bottom line though is to do your best in every section.

Thanks for the explanation. The reason I asked is because I decided at the last minute to register for the PCAT when they announced a couple weeks ago that February testing dates were being created (the last testing dates are usually in January), so I've only had a couple of weeks to study for it. The problem is that I'm taking the test on Thursday (I.e., less than a week from now), and I haven't even gotten to studying organic chemistry or math yet, so I'm wondering if it might be a better idea to just focus a majority of my studying on the verbal and RC sections since I tend to naturally score relatively higher on those kinds of exams anyways (I.e., a form of damage control).

 

[ldiot]

Thanks for the explanation. The reason I asked is because I decided at the last minute to register for the PCAT when they announced a couple weeks ago that February testing dates were being created (the last testing dates are usually in January), so I've only had a couple of weeks to study for it. The problem is that I'm taking the test on Thursday (I.e., less than a week from now), and I haven't even gotten to studying organic chemistry or math yet, so I'm wondering if it might be a better idea to just focus a majority of my studying on the verbal and RC sections since I tend to naturally score relatively higher on those kinds of exams anyways (I.e., a form of damage control).

I would recommend studying bio/chem for two reasons. Firstly, most schools probably consider them the most important. Secondly, studying will probably help you more in these sections. Studying verbal for 10 hours isn't really going to improve your score all that much in my opinion, unless you get lucky and happen to study specific words that show up on the test which is probably unlikely. Bio/chem on the other hand... you can easily identify high yield concepts and prepare so your studying is more likely to improve your score by a greater amount... if this makes sense. And just a side note, for the math section I highly suggest answering the questions that are easy/not time consuming first and coming back to the other ones at the end (don't be surprised if it's half the questions). This strategy isn't really needed for the other sections but with the math portion most people run out of time halfway or three quarters through and miss out on 3 or 4 easy questions which could literally be the difference between a 60 and 90 percentile.

I personally spent 50% of my time on chemistry, 30% on biology, and 20% on math. Reading and verbal... either you are good in these sections or you aren't... studying probably won't help you much. Kind of the same thing with math; practice questions will definitely help but for this section time management is the key.

 

[Amicable Angora]

They are weighted the same in terms of composite score, but schools might put more emphasis on individual sections when looking at an applicant.

I forget what scale the raw scores are but take this example:

Student 1:
Chem: Raw score 600, 70 percentile
Reading: Raw score 600, 70 percentile

Student 2:
Chem: Raw score, 650, 99 percentile
Reading: Raw score 580, 40 percentile

If you add up the raw scores you can see that student 2 has a much higher overall raw score, so his composite would be a lot higher. It may appear that chemistry is weighed more than reading in this example but it's not. The composite score is based on the average of your raw scores, not the average of your percentiles in each section.

To further complicate matters, keep in mind that a 600 raw score in chemistry might not yield the same percentile as a 600 raw score in reading. I think you have to score better in bio/chem than reading/verbal to get the same percentile in that individual section because pharmacy students are generally better in science.

The bottom line though is to do your best in every section.

And the sad thing is that somehow most people, despite being native to America, do horribly on the Reading section.

 

[PAtoPharm]

I would recommend studying bio/chem for two reasons. Firstly, most schools probably consider them the most important. Secondly, studying will probably help you more in these sections. Studying verbal for 10 hours isn't really going to improve your score all that much in my opinion, unless you get lucky and happen to study specific words that show up on the test which is probably unlikely. Bio/chem on the other hand... you can easily identify high yield concepts and prepare so your studying is more likely to improve your score by a greater amount... if this makes sense. And just a side note, for the math section I highly suggest answering the questions that are easy/not time consuming first and coming back to the other ones at the end (don't be surprised if it's half the questions). This strategy isn't really needed for the other sections but with the math portion most people run out of time halfway or three quarters through and miss out on 3 or 4 easy questions which could literally be the difference between a 60 and 90 percentile.

I personally spent 50% of my time on chemistry, 30% on biology, and 20% on math. Reading and verbal... either you are good in these sections or you aren't... studying probably won't help you much. Kind of the same thing with math; practice questions will definitely help but for this section time management is the key.

Thanks for the advice. I actually got all the way through the biology section of Dr. Collins (the only study guide I'm using) already, and I only have a few more pages to go in the general chemistry study guide, so maybe I'll still have time to get at least halfway through the organic chemistry section if I finish the general chemistry one tonight. I'm not expecting to do well on the math section, but I'll try to practice what I can.

 

[PAtoPharm]

And the sad thing is that somehow most people, despite being native to America, do horribly on the Reading section.

What's so hard about the reading section on the PCAT? Is it harder than the reading section on the GRE? If it's not, then I shouldn't have anything to worry about....

 

[ldiot]

The reading section is easy. I probably got every question right except for the last passage due to time. Plus since there are so many people who speak other languages taking the test your percentile rank gets a free boost.

 

[PAtoPharm]

The reading section is easy. I probably got every question right except for the last passage due to time. Plus since there are so many people who speak other languages taking the test your percentile rank gets a free boost.

That's good to hear. I just got a little apprehensive about it when I read on here that so many people had trouble with it. I guess it's because so many test takers are ESL.

 

[PAtoPharm]

Well, I figure I might as well post an update. I took the PCAT yesterday, and here are my scores:

Verbal -- 96%
RC -- 99%
Biology -- 89%
Chemistry -- 34% 🙂oops🙂
Quantitative -- 6%...... yes, that was typed correctly -- I made a score that ranks in the SIXTH PERCENTILE on the quantitative section! 😡

My composite score was an 84%. Now, I never really expected to do that well on the chemistry and quantitative sections, especially since it's been 5 years since I took Applied Calculus (I.e., not even "standard hardcore calculus"), but sure I as heck didn't expect to score as poorly as I did. One major issue was that I ran out of time on both the chemistry and quantitative sections; when I had about a minute remaining, I tried to go through the test and select random answers for the questions I hadn't answered yet, but the software was operating so slowly that I still finished each section with at least 5 or 6 questions left totally unanswered.

The average composite scores of applicants accepted to the programs I'm applying to are hover in the 68%-70% range, but even with my competitive overall composite of 84%, do I stand a chance with such low scores on the quant and chem sections? Or does it just depend on whether the average composite scores for the schools I'm applying to are so low because most of the applicants they accept had really high quant and chem scores, but lower scores in all the other sections (I.e., that would be a bad thing for me)?

 

[kriska83]

I think that you should apply without thinking and see, because you never know! I assumed you applied already though... So now it is a wait game. Also you can call Creighton and talk to advisor,they are very nice there 🙂It was actually my second choice for the pharmacy school for 2017because I wont be done with human anatomy by the end of the spring semester in 2016. My other school does not require this subject

 

[PAtoPharm]

I think that you should apply without thinking and see, because you never know! I assumed you applied already though... So now it is a wait game. Also you can call Creighton and talk to advisor,they are very nice there 🙂It was actually my second choice for the pharmacy school for 2017because I wont be done with human anatomy by the end of the spring semester in 2016. My other school does not require this subject

Yeah I already applied, so I'll just wait and see what happens. I have a feeling I'm going to be reapplying next year, though. Did you apply to Creighton's Distance Program?

 

[kriska83]

Yeah I already applied, so I'll just wait and see what happens. I have a feeling I'm going to be reapplying next year, though. Did you apply to Creighton's Distance Program?

I thought to apply next year so I can finish human bio and take pcat. But since we had an opportunity to take pcat yesterday, Im applying local. College of my choice doesnt require specifically human anatomy, just 12 bio credits

 

[PAtoPharm]

I thought to apply next year so I can finish human bio and take pcat. But since we had an opportunity to take pcat yesterday, Im applying local. College of my choice doesnt require specifically human anatomy, just 12 bio credits

Good luck. I hope Creighton doesn't have a minimum score requirement on each individual section of the PCAT, because if they do, then there's no chance I'll get accepted. But if they only look at the composite score, then maybe I'll have a chance....

 

[ldiot]

I think your scores are competitive, it just depends on how closely schools look at the individual sections. I warned you about quant!!! Haha. But overall I'd be happy with that score and probably wouldn't retake it unless you are positive that you can score high in reading/verbal/bio again.

I scored a 90 composite but my lowest score was a 78 and highest was 93 so even though our composite scores are similar schools might look at a 6% in quant and really question that. Hard to say for sure though and considering that tons of people with 60 composites I wouldn't worry too much about it.

 

[PAtoPharm]

I think your scores are competitive, it just depends on how closely schools look at the individual sections. I warned you about quant!!! Haha. But overall I'd be happy with that score and probably wouldn't retake it unless you are positive that you can score high in reading/verbal/bio again.

I scored a 90 composite but my lowest score was a 78 and highest was 93 so even though our composite scores are similar schools might look at a 6% in quant and really question that. Hard to say for sure though and considering that tons of people with 60 composites I wouldn't worry too much about it.

Well, at this point, even if I wanted/needed to re-take the PCAT, I wouldn't be able to do so until this summer; originally, I thought it wouldn't be feasible for me to take the PCAT at all during the current admissions cycle, considering that the last testing dates are usually offered in January. I actually signed-up at the last minute when the AACP announced that they were going to create a few additional testing dates in February. So in other words, I'll just have to wait and see what happens since I literally took the test on the final day it was offered for the current cycle.

But yeah... quant was ridiculously hard, especially since the most recent math class I took was Applied Calculus 5-6 years ago, and that course didn't cover ANY of the super-hard types of calculus problems that were on the PCAT. I ended up running out of time on that section, and I didn't even have a chance to guess on the last 5 or 6 questions. I also ran out of time on the chem section and left at least 5 or 6 questions unanswered -- the only reason that happened was because I foolishly spent too much time trying to answer questions based on some bizarre organic chemistry reading passage (so I would look at a question, re-read part of the passage, look back at the question again -- a huge waste of time). When my time was almost out and I just started rushing through the test in an attempt to guess at the remaining questions, I skimmed over AT LEAST 3 questions that I would've easily been able to solve (basic stoichiometry calculations). I now have learned the hard way that (for the chemistry section, at least) the best strategy is to answer the most obvious easy questions first, and only return to the really hard ones after the easier ones have been answered.

I'm pretty certain that if I had the opportunity to re-take the test as early as this Monday, I would earn a score that ranks at least in the 50th-60th percentile on the chemistry section, simply due to me now having the foresight to utilize a better time management strategy. However, the quant section, on the other hand.... I'd probably have to spend at least 3-4 weeks with a professional math tutor just to learn how to answer the majority of the question types it tests on. I'm also definitely sure I would earn the same high scores on the verbal and RC sections (unfortunately, those are the kinds of skills I'm naturally good at -- obviously not math), and I'm *almost* just as certain that I'd earn the same high score on the biology section again. I actually have a biology degree, and I'm pretty certain that the only questions I missed on the biology section were based on concepts I didn't learn during any of my undergrad classes (but now I know to study for them!).

I agree that the 6% quant score is going to raise some eyebrows, and I'm really afraid that many schools would consider it to be simply too glaring a detractor to consider interviewing me. My top program choice is actually Creighton's Distance Pathway program. Is there any chance you might know whether they emphasize applicants having earned a minimum score on each subsection of the PCAT? Their "school page" on PharmCAS' website just states "N/A" next to the GPA and PCAT requirement fields.

 

[ldiot]

Yeah I remember last year the passage type questions were experimental so I skipped them. I guess I was lucky because I knew that they wouldn't count and saved a ton of time. If I had to take it now I'd probably score worse. The bottom line is that your composite score is good and you will never use calculus in pharmacy school.

 

[PAtoPharm]

Yeah I remember last year the passage type questions were experimental so I skipped them. I guess I was lucky because I knew that they wouldn't count and saved a ton of time. If I had to take it now I'd probably score worse. The bottom line is that your composite score is good and you will never use calculus in pharmacy school.

Your second point regarding calculus (which I have heard paraphrased by others) brings up a question -- why is the quantitative section on the PCAT so hard, especially since the vast majority of pharmacy math is simple algebra? Is it the AACP's way of trying to make the statement that the math section on the PCAT is comparably harder than the math section on any other health professions entrance exam? It just seems like the the difficulty level of the test is an example of overkill....

 

[ldiot]

Your second point regarding calculus (which I have heard paraphrased by others) brings up a question -- why is the quantitative section on the PCAT so hard, especially since the vast majority of pharmacy math is simple algebra? Is it the AACP's way of trying to make the statement that the math section on the PCAT is comparably harder than the math section on any other health professions entrance exam? It just seems like the the difficulty level of the test is an example of overkill....

That I'm not sure. Obviously one wrong calculation could hurt a patient, so I'm guessing if you can do calculus it proves that you are more likely competent? That's my only guess... anyone can memorize some slide but you would be amazed at how many people are horrid at math. There is a student in my class who aces phys/biochem quizzes but last semester couldn't even do the most basic calculations in pharmaceutics and was essentially attempting to copy my answers in lab on a weekly basis. I actually wish more coursework was problem solving because right now biochem and phys are 100% memorization/study habits and takes no intelligence.

 

[Trishna28]

That I'm not sure. Obviously one wrong calculation could hurt a patient, so I'm guessing if you can do calculus it proves that you are more likely competent? That's my only guess... anyone can memorize some slide but you would be amazed at how many people are horrid at math. There is a student in my class who aces phys/biochem quizzes but last semester couldn't even do the most basic calculations in pharmaceutics and was essentially attempting to copy my answers in lab on a weekly basis. I actually wish more coursework was problem solving because right now biochem and phys are 100% memorization/study habits and takes no intelligence.

Hi, could you tell me what kind of math one should refresh before pharm school this fall if the last math class they took were a decade ago? Is it mostly Algebra since you said there is no calculus in pharm school? Thanks!


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[ldiot]

Hi, could you tell me what kind of math one should refresh before pharm school this fall if the last math class they took were a decade ago? Is it mostly Algebra since you said there is no calculus in pharm school? Thanks!


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For pharm school it's pretty basic math from what I have seen so far. For example, a patient needs 30 grams of 12% hydrocortisone cream. You have 10% and 20% hydrocortisone cream in the pharmacy. How much of each of the two should you mix to get 30G of 15% cream for the patient? There's tons of different calculations but they are all very basic. There is no calculus. Some of the questions are a little harder but not so much the math but rather interpreting the question, for example calculate how much NaCl to add to a morphine I.V. to make it isotonic. Stuff like that... nothing too hard.