How have return students done?

[Falokis]

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I am getting ready to take the PCAT this Fall, but I have been out of school for a few years. My question is how are the people, who are returning after a few years, doing on the PCAT? I've taken all that is required for most schools and then some. I'm just checking to see how those older folks refreshed their memories for those subjects they haven't seen in a while.

 

[rxlynn]

I am getting ready to take the PCAT this Fall, but I have been out of school for a few years. My question is how are the people, who are returning after a few years, doing on the PCAT? I've taken all that is required for most schools and then some. I'm just checking to see how those older folks refreshed their memories for those subjects they haven't seen in a while.

My pre-reqs were 1984-85 vintage 😱 and I did some fairly intensive studying from late July until I took PCAT in october - got a 98 composite. I did all of the Kaplan book, as well as pretty much re-reading my major texts (bio, chem, organic) and working a lot of problems. Also, be sure that you do as many practice tests as possible. Time management is very important in the PCAT, so you need to be prepared for how fast you need to be able to move through the test.

 

[highlyfavored]

My pre-reqs were 1984-85 vintage 😱 and I did some fairly intensive studying from late July until I took PCAT in october - got a 98 composite. I did all of the Kaplan book, as well as pretty much re-reading my major texts (bio, chem, organic) and working a lot of problems. Also, be sure that you do as many practice tests as possible. Time management is very important in the PCAT, so you need to be prepared for how fast you need to be able to move through the test.

when you say fairly intensive what does that read? - 4-5hrs day/5-7 days a wk?

 

[RxRob]

You will need Schaum's outlines for Gen Chem, Organic Chem, and Molecular biology. Go through them diligently, skipping ONLY things you think you really remember. AFTER you've done that, get a pcat study guide with sample questions. The chem and math parts of the guide will be helpful, but the bio/anat/phys parts will NOT be helpful in terms of actual questions you will see, only the TYPE of questions you will see. I went back to school for a year before taking the pcat, but everything the pcat tests I had had almost 10 years before. I got 85 in chem, 83 in Bio, 78 in quantitative (ran out of time, no notice there was calculus for the first time on there!) then 99's in the comprehension and verbal, composite 94th. We also were the guinea pigs for the essay but I'm not sure how that figured in. Something about life on other planets was my essay topic.

 

[drugdoc]

It's been a while for me (chems 8-10 yrs, bio 3 yrs), and I got an 80 composite (72 math, 73 bio, 50 chem, 97 comprehension, 73 verbal). I'm taking it again and doing the same thing that I did the first time...reading textbooks, Kaplan book, another book. About 2-6 hours a day, 5-6 days/week for about a month before.