is the PCAT everything?

[Nyjess]

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hey u guys

I have a very good (high) gpa and the schools I want to apply to requires the PCAT...the things is i am not a very good standardized test taker at all, I really don't do well on them. I guess where Im gettin at is that, does the school penalize you if your PCAT score is not good even though you gpa is up there!

thanks!!!

 

[PharmMnM]

yes they do. They PCAT reflects how well you will do on the NAPLEX.
I guess they'll let it slide if you have 4.0 or something, but who knows.

 

[TennisBoy78]

It really depends on the school. Some schools want very high PCAT scores (over 80 percentile) while others require lower ones. However, if your percentile is extremely low, say 10 percent, then this definitely is a red flag.

Have there been studies conducted on correlations between PCAT scores and NAPLEX passage rates? What types of PCAT score ranges show a high correlation in passing the NAPLEX?

 

[Iseebigppl]

It isnt everything.


I go to UF now and a girl i know here got a 64 on hers and got in. She had a 4.0 GPA and had excellent letters/vol. hours/statement/ etc.

UF will deny someone got a 64 and got in, but she swears it me.

 

[lazydazy]

i don't think that the PCAT is everything. most schools have a sliding scale and will look at an applicant as a whole. my PCAT wasn't stellar and I got into both of the two schools that I applied to and was interested in attending. I've always done well in undergrad, extracurricular act., etc. and never performed well on standardized tests. That's just the way it is.

I have to disagree a bit on a previous comment, sorry, but I think that that our curriculum in pharmacy school will prepare us for the NAPLEX not necessarily our ability to do well on the PCAT as the material in our studies will be applicable to the NAPLEX and our ability to understand that will dictate how well we'll do one the NAPLEX.

 

[TennisBoy78]

I have to disagree a bit on a previous comment, sorry, but I think that that our curriculum in pharmacy school will prepare us for the NAPLEX not necessarily our ability to do well on the PCAT as the material in our studies will be applicable to the NAPLEX and our ability to understand that will dictate how well we'll do one the NAPLEX.

I completely agree with this premise. Again, I challenge PharmMn or anyone else to show me correlation studies conducted on the connection between PCAT scores and NAPLEX passage rates. Seems to me that these are completely separate types of tests.

 

[gjb19]

I completely agree with this premise. Again, I challenge PharmMn or anyone else to show me correlation studies conducted on the connection between PCAT scores and NAPLEX passage rates. Seems to me that these are completely separate types of tests.

Haha, dont listen to PharmMn. One day he's here posting about Pharmacy stuff, the next day it's in the pre-med forums talking about med school.

The point being is that PharmMn is an idiot! LOL

 

[ForcedEntry]

I completely agree with this premise. Again, I challenge PharmMn or anyone else to show me correlation studies conducted on the connection between PCAT scores and NAPLEX passage rates. Seems to me that these are completely separate types of tests.

You won't find such a study. However, if the pharmacy school "A" only accepts the "upper echelon" of students, then intuitively one could assume those students would do better on future exams, NAPLEX or MPJE, based solely on test taking ability.

 

[konkan]

hey u guys

I have a very good (high) gpa and the schools I want to apply to requires the PCAT...the things is i am not a very good standardized test taker at all, I really don't do well on them. I guess where Im gettin at is that, does the school penalize you if your PCAT score is not good even though you gpa is up there!

thanks!!!

PCAT is not everything, but it's way more important than gpa coz it is a much better indicator of how smart you're or how you will do in pharm. school.
I will tell you this - you have a much better chance to be accepted if you have a high PCAT and a low gpa than vice versa.

 

[PharmMnM]

the reason i say PCAT is important is because GPA varies at many different schools. One may have a 4.0 at an easy school but another person may only have 3.0 at a very challenging institute. The PCAT distinguishes the varying GPAs from another and tells the adcomm how up to the par you are with your knowledge on all the prereqs. They want to make sure everyone in pharmacy school are at the same level. Therefore the PCAT is important because then other factors are not weighed in. Also, PCAT really does say a lot abotu how one retains his/her memory, which is very important in pharmacy school. Soem people do well in their prereqs only because they cram the night b4 the test and only put information in their short term memory, take the test, then forgetit all. PCAT accesses your long term memory.


That ****** above, (gib19 or something like that, must have me mistaken for someone else cuz I don't even go in the med forum. he deserves to be banned from SDN. 😛 👎

 

[HarcourtMonopol]

Here's the study for those who wanted it: http://www.prweb.com/releases/2007/03/prweb513459.htm

And here's the most important quote for people who want to save time or are just lazy.

The study correlated various measures of student achievement with national licensure exam scores, but found that a student's composite PCAT score was the strongest predictor of performance on the NAPLEX examination. In addition to composite scores, the study also positively correlated PCAT biology, verbal, reading, quantitative, and chemistry scores with a student's score on the NAPLEX examination.

I'd really like to find out who funded it and some of the other details because this article is pretty sparse. If the study is credible, I would assume schools might place a little more emphasis on PCAT scores in the future. Then again, maybe most schools already feel like they're placing just the right amount of importance on the PCAT and admissions criteria will remain the same. I guess noone really knows, but I think this is an important article to share for those who didn't know studies like this existed.

 

[NetsRule]

It really depends on the school. Some schools want very high PCAT scores (over 80 percentile) while others require lower ones. However, if your percentile is extremely low, say 10 percent, then this definitely is a red flag.

Have there been studies conducted on correlations between PCAT scores and NAPLEX passage rates? What types of PCAT score ranges show a high correlation in passing the NAPLEX?

Which schools want very high PCATs?.......I've found a list for schools that require...but not a list for schools that require a high score.

 

[omnione]

The PCAT isn't everything, and it has its caveats like GPAs, LORs, and experiences. The combination of those four factors is the key.

For a guy like me who had an average GPA, my high PCAT really helped out. However, I still had to convince schools that I knew enough about pharmacy despite having no direct pharmacy experience. I'm sure my LORs were decent as well. So, the PCAT is one component of a school's equation, but it offers no guarantees.

 

[117296]

I doubt there are any actual studies showing that PCAT predicts NAPLEX, but I do understand where PharmnMn is coming from..

The PCAT tries to test your pre-pharmacy studies like the NAPLEX tests your professional pharmacy studies. Or that's the premise that I got out of the above wrangling and fighting, lol.

I have only taken the PCAT once and never taken the NAPLEX, so I may not even be qualified to say that...

 

[Bonbon2007]

For me the PCAT is everything....

 

[HarcourtMonopol]

I doubt there are any actual studies showing that PCAT predicts NAPLEX

Hmmm. You must have missed my post about two posts above yours. You can stop doubting now.