how to score 99 composite on the pcat in a month and half period

[pharmacistforever]

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i have been going through so much this summer ( two summer classes, work, relationship problems ) and i studied a little bit for the pcat. i have got only month and half to study for the pcat on october 6. i am tasking the pcat for the first time and my ambition is to get 99 on it. i know that sounds crazy but i willing to do the work. i have dr collins notes and i will buy the three Pearson exams. i will also start the new smster in two weeks which makes my task even harder

 

[sdh02]

I got 99 percentile on my second PCAT last September. On my first trial, I mainly studied with Kaplan and it was pretty much all crap and I ended up with 50 percentile. Since then I ordered Collins and studied about 5~6 hours every day for 1 1/2 months, along with Pearson practice tests. I personally think Collins put you in best chance since their exam format is pretty much the same as real one. I heard PCAT was changing their format so I'm not really sure about now but you have only month and a half and I think digging into Collins will give you the best chance to get 99 percentile. Good luck

 

[WhiteSnows]

You will get 99 if you believe long enough.

 

[DMRhythm]

It's definitely possible. I scored a 97th percentile on my first try after studying for 2.5 weeks so with 1.5 months a 99th percentile is doable. My biggest advice is just to study everyday, so the material is constantly refreshed in your head. What I did was lay out a schedule for everything that I intended to cover for the day and would try my best to accomplish that. I had the Kaplan and Barrons book and only used them for their practice exams. These practice exams were not a good representation of the PCAT itself so I only used them to study the material. Anything that I did not know I would write down on a master sheet of information that I made sure to study at the end of every day. The absolute best way to prepare yourself for the PCAT is to buy the practice exams online provided by Pearson. I studied those the week leading up to the exam and felt very well prepared for it. And make sure to RELAX and TAKE A BREAK on the day before the exam, I do not recommend intense cramming at all because it will only make you more stressed out.

Good luck!

 

[WhiteSnows]

Getting 99th on PCat can go against your application. It shows either you only study without socializing or involved in club activities. I say 85 to 90% is a realistic goal.

 

[oldstock]

Getting 99th on PCat can go against your application. It shows either you only study without socializing or involved in club activities. I say 85 to 90% is a realistic goal.

This is the dumbest advice in this thread !! Whoever posts this either scored very low on the pcat or did not take the pcat.

 

[WhiteSnows]

This is the dumbest advice in this thread !! Whoever posts this either scored very low on the pcat or did not take the pcat.

How is it a dumb advice when it is opinion-based?

 

[KidPharmD]

How is it a dumb advice when it is opinion-based?

Because in this case, your opinion only matters to the applicant if you are on an AdCom, or if you have experience with AdComs that openly believe that a 99% is a bad thing. Most of the my experience with admissions committees are the opposite. Reasonably rounded students (any leadership/volunteer/work experience) with a 99% get called with their acceptance while they are on their way home.

 

[WhiteSnows]

Because in this case, your opinion only matters to the applicant if you are on an AdCom, or if you have experience with AdComs that openly believe that a 99% is a bad thing. Most of the my experience with admissions committees are the opposite. Reasonably rounded students (any leadership/volunteer/work experience) with a 99% get called with their acceptance while they are on their way home.

Remember they not only look at your Pcat but also they look at the overall application. Spending all your time for the Pcat while lack of other things such as GPA, club involvement, socializing is a big no. There are a few people I know who failed to get in pharmacy with 99% of Pcat. As a graduate student, I know having the best grades in school mean nothing to the success of the pharmacist. People who socialize in school seem to get more friends and networking and jobs right after graduation. I guess the whole point is to be rounded individual. If you can get 99% on the Pcat while having some other things too, then good.

 

[KidPharmD]

Remember they not only look at your Pcat but also they look at the overall application. Spending all your time for the Pcat while lack of other things such as GPA, club involvement, socializing is a big no. There are a few people I know who failed to get in pharmacy with 99% of Pcat. As a graduate student, I know having the best grades in school mean nothing to the success of the pharmacist. People who socialize in school seem to get more friends and networking and jobs right after graduation. I guess the whole point is to be rounded individual. If you can get 99% on the Pcat while having some other things too, then good.

But what actually counts against you in those cases is the low GPA, lack of involvement, lack of extracurriculars, not having a 99% on the PCAT. Your point that a high PCAT score is not a sure fire entrance into school is correct, but only if you sacrificed other important things to get that 99%.

 

[sdh02]

Getting 99% composite on PCAT and good GPA gives you a scholarship opportunity, I was awarded Dean's scholarship because I got 99% PCAT score, which can relieve some of your financial burdens.

 

[oldstock]

Getting 99% composite on PCAT and good GPA gives you a scholarship opportunity, I was awarded Dean's scholarship because I got 99% PCAT score, which can relieve some of your financial burdens.

That is excellent and the way it should be !! Congrats !! 🙂

 

[wicked7172]

If that's not enough time (and you don't feel ready) then push it back another month as registration opens on Sept. 4 unless, your school requires the PCAT to be taken by then. In that case then you have no choice but to cram. Good luck

 

[WhiteSnows]

Getting 99% composite on PCAT and good GPA gives you a scholarship opportunity, I was awarded Dean's scholarship because I got 99% PCAT score, which can relieve some of your financial burdens.

How much is your dean scholarship?

 

[sdh02]

How much is your dean scholarship?

6k a year, which is renewable as long as I maintain 3.0 gpa

 

[WhiteSnows]

6k a year, which is renewable as long as I maintain 3.0 gpa

And I believe that is only school individually. I have nothing against 99 in Pcat as long as it is not all you got.

 

[SportsLover21]

Can you register for the Oct 6 PCAT now?

 

[afuen031]

Getting 99% composite on PCAT and good GPA gives you a scholarship opportunity, I was awarded Dean's scholarship because I got 99% PCAT score, which can relieve some of your financial burdens.

Can you message me about how to get that scholarship?

 

[sdh02]

Can you message me about how to get that scholarship?

Depending on school and funds availability, they will offer you an Dean's scholarship or any other merit-based scholarship if you have decent GPA and let's say 99% PCAT score. I can't say how did I get cause it was notified couple months after I got accepted, but you should look into school you are planning to apply and see what's their policy on scholarship. Make sure to apply early too, since many schools have deadline to be considered as scholarship candidate. Lastly, look for an outside scholarship, there are tons of scholarships available, it might be only 500 dollars or 1000 dollars but these all add up pretty good, and ultimately less money you have to borrow.

 

[afuen031]

Depending on school and funds availability, they will offer you an Dean's scholarship or any other merit-based scholarship if you have decent GPA and let's say 99% PCAT score. I can't say how did I get cause it was notified couple months after I got accepted, but you should look into school you are planning to apply and see what's their policy on scholarship. Make sure to apply early too, since many schools have deadline to be considered as scholarship candidate. Lastly, look for an outside scholarship, there are tons of scholarships available, it might be only 500 dollars or 1000 dollars but these all add up pretty good, and ultimately less money you have to borrow.

Alright, I will look into this. Thanks a lot !

 

[pharmgirl812]

Can you register for the Oct 6 PCAT now?

Registration opens September 4

 

[Pharm_Kat]

I took the PCAT today and I got a 98 after being in a similar position to you! I took 3 summer classes (physiology, calculus I, and speech) while working 2 jobs. Then I started my fall semester less than a week after my summer classes ended while still working 1 job. All in all I probably had 10 days of "real" studying time. You have more time than me, so you can use those extra days to get the 1 percentile higher than I did haha

I studied Dr. Collins exclusively. There were actually a handful of problems that were exactly the same as on the PCAT. Word-for-word the same question at least 5 times! I don't know how he does it! Although for bio I did have to think back to my pre-req microbio and gen. bio classes because he didn't go quite in-depth enough (for example, remember specific difference between gram+/gram- bacteria and some common infections/the bacteria that causes those infections. And brush up on the cell structures in some detail).

Also, when taking the exam there were some questions that at first I didn't think I had a hope of getting right. For example, there was a question about how an illegal drug causes a specific effect on the body (not sure how specific I'm allowed to be). I had NO idea. Never learned it. However, after examining the answer choices, there was only 1 answer that made sense at all (the wrong answers were about materials in the blood that didn't make sense, organs secreting substances are actually secreted by different organs, etc). This was true for bio, verbal, chem, and even at times quant. If you don't know the answer, always try not to let yourself panic and see if you can logically work it through with process of elimination. Works very well with verbal because some answers just don't make sense do to the structure of the sentence/analogy so you can immediately eliminate them.

The only thing I could have done differently to get a 99 was raise my reading score. I got a 95 or better in every section except reading where I got a 66. I didn't do practice tests for that due to my time constraints because I'm an avid reader already. But I wish I had practiced! I ran out of time because I was getting tired. Practice speed reading even if you don't think it's a rough area for you!

Good luck 🙂 Let me know if you want any other advice!

 

[lavenderhearts]

I took the PCAT today and I got a 98 after being in a similar position to you! I took 3 summer classes (physiology, calculus I, and speech) while working 2 jobs. Then I started my fall semester less than a week after my summer classes ended while still working 1 job. All in all I probably had 10 days of "real" studying time. You have more time than me, so you can use those extra days to get the 1 percentile higher than I did haha

I studied Dr. Collins exclusively. There were actually a handful of problems that were exactly the same as on the PCAT. Word-for-word the same question at least 5 times! I don't know how he does it! Although for bio I did have to think back to my pre-req microbio and gen. bio classes because he didn't go quite in-depth enough (for example, remember specific difference between gram+/gram- bacteria and some common infections/the bacteria that causes those infections. And brush up on the cell structures in some detail).

Also, when taking the exam there were some questions that at first I didn't think I had a hope of getting right. For example, there was a question about how an illegal drug causes a specific effect on the body (not sure how specific I'm allowed to be). I had NO idea. Never learned it. However, after examining the answer choices, there was only 1 answer that made sense at all (the wrong answers were about materials in the blood that didn't make sense, organs secreting substances are actually secreted by different organs, etc). This was true for bio, verbal, chem, and even at times quant. If you don't know the answer, always try not to let yourself panic and see if you can logically work it through with process of elimination. Works very well with verbal because some answers just don't make sense do to the structure of the sentence/analogy so you can immediately eliminate them.

The only thing I could have done differently to get a 99 was raise my reading score. I got a 95 or better in every section except reading where I got a 66. I didn't do practice tests for that due to my time constraints because I'm an avid reader already. But I wish I had practiced! I ran out of time because I was getting tired. Practice speed reading even if you don't think it's a rough area for you!

Good luck 🙂 Let me know if you want any other advice!

Hi Pharm_Kat,

How did you study for the PCAT in 10 days make a 98 comp. go to summer school and do two jobs. You are incredible!!!
But I want to know what concepts I should focus on in each section that came up alot on the PCAT? Here is my thread

Hi everyone,
I will be preparing to take the PCAT in October or November of 2015. (I have to save up the money to buy Dr. Collins PCAT study Guide, pay for the actual test and pearson practice test,). I want to start studying in May of next year because at the beginning of the year I will be studying for the pharmacy technician certification exam. I need your advice on how to prepare a study schedule that coinsides with the rigor of the PCAT test such as the hardest material to the easiest material. It has been two years since Ive been in school so I dont remember much at all about the PCAT but I want to take it before I go back to college to finish my degree in biology. For example, what concepts does the test put more emphasis on and concepts that are harder to learn. I havent had biochemistry, statistics, and human anatomy yet.