i know 8 days is definently not enough to study for the pcat, but its all i have!!!!!!!....what should i do, i decided to ignore the bio part since its just way to much to memorize...chem and math i have a better chance of learning more in less time....WHAT SHOULD I DO, I NEED TO SCORE ATLEAST A 50!!!!!...has anybody done last minute studying like this, what did u do, and how did it help....🙁
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is 8 days enough?
Started by chem123
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I was thinking the same thing.
You know there's an October test, right? Some schools accept October scores for fall 2008 admission... and they'll look more favorably on PCAT scores >50% anyway.
If you're really not prepared though, maybe it's better to wait a year and take whatever classes you were missing (if you were missing any) before trying the PCAT.
If you're really not prepared though, maybe it's better to wait a year and take whatever classes you were missing (if you were missing any) before trying the PCAT.
unless you REALLY have all your stuff down then 8 days should be enough for a review session of the past 2-3 years of science classes
6 days left now!.. I don't know whether I should even bother to read anything at this time.. Well.. I think I will... At least, the will count as an early start if I think about retaking in October. RIght? Will study until the night before the test.
Based on your first post, I'm assuming that you're using the Kaplan book to study with. I don't know your situation, but I would recommend reading through each chapter and doing the review problems. If you think you need the most help with chemistry, start there. I wouldn't recommend memorizing everything in the book anyway. If you can devote 5-6 hours of studying each day, then you can still do it. Kaplan's Math review only takes a few hours to go through as there are only 3 chapters, and you might be able to skip over the arithmetic section (but I don't know how good you are with math; this is just my experience). I didn't think that the Math review was sufficient enough for the PCAT, but I haven't taken it yet so that's just opinion again.
Write down all the important equations on flash cards and look over them when you're not reading the material.
I also recommend signing up for the October test as well - I know I am.
Most of all, good luck.
Write down all the important equations on flash cards and look over them when you're not reading the material.
I also recommend signing up for the October test as well - I know I am.
Most of all, good luck.
If you have the version with a huge geometry section, you can also skip that because the PCAT no longer tests that subject.
I started studying a little less than a week before the pcat too, using some outdated 2005 kaplan study book. In that time I was able to read most of the book from cover to cover. I don't think it really helped that much, but it did give me an idea of what the test wanted to know. I think a week's plnety of time and I know for a fact I hardly remembered anything I learned in all my classes. I did pretty good despite that though. The test is really just one big standardized test with some specific information required (mostly in bio section) so if you're good at those, then the test should be easy.
can you not take the PCAT in january before spring applications are due?
Most schools only consider PCAT up to the october test.
I still noticed that some schools consider Spring PCAT (eg. UGA, Howard). But they still advise us to take it as early as possible.
I think it will be best to study for the oct test with the idea that you still have jaunary test as the backup so you won't feel too nervous.
To be honest, you should look into taking the October exam. I'm getting a vibe that you really need to review more based off of the tone in your post.
If I had prioritize studying in this last week, I'd do a few problems for each concept covered. If you choose correctly, you should be able to get a very rough idea of where your strongest weaknesses are. Focus on those but don't spend time belaboring every detail because you didn't allocate enough time to studying. This doesn't work as well with biology because those problems are more knowledge-based than problem-based. Verbal and Reading involves non-concrete skills acquired over time, so your lack of studying isn't a huge detriment.
You do need to raise your goals though. 60 is the bare minimum, but you probably need at least a 70 to be in the range for most schools and around an 80 to fall into competitive ranges for many schools.
its easy to get a 50. i studied for 5-6 hours total months before the test and like 8 hours straight the day before the test and my score is in the 50s. So the total hours i spent studying is about 14 hours. like you, i had other priorities (getting that high gpa) so didn't really spend much time studying. with pcats, you can take it as many times but gpa is only once. i know that if i study a lot like everyone else here i can easily get at least a 75 and trust me, you don't want to stop at 50 as it is very unlikely that you will get in.
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