January PCAT and Interview

[deleted951073]

I already applied for pharmacy school at the university of Minnesota hoping to get accepted for fall 2019. The only thing left at this point is to take the PCAT in January which I'm really worried about. I am not a native English speaker and I'm struggling with the reading section. Also I don't have a bachelor's degree, I only took the prerequisites and I have a GPA of 3.88. I have a lot of experiences but not all of them in the pharmacy field.
Someone told me a good PCAT score is 70% and higher, and many people made me feel hopeful about getting accepted into the program. Also could I be rejected before getting an interview? I have a friend who got interviewed before even taking the PCAT but it was for a different university it wasn't for the UMN.
I read a lot of posts here about the pcat and a lot of them said it wasn't so bad, is this true?
I would really appreciate some advice on the pcat. Thanks

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[NextStepTutor_4]

Hi @Jessica SY! Congrats on finishing your application to the University of Minnesota. I'll help you answer some of the questions you asked.

1. "Could I be rejected before getting an interview?"
Your application can be declined and you may receive a denial email or letter stating that the school is considering other candidates. Not every candidate will get an interview but generally if you do get an interview, there is a high likelihood they will accept you if you do well at this stage.
2. "I read a lot of posts here about the pcat and a lot of them said it wasn't so bad, is this true?"
This question is really opinion-based. It depends on several factors such as how much you remember from undergrad and how well you prepared for the PCAT. If you compare the PCAT to the MCAT or the DAT, it is easier in difficulty.

Lastly, just remember that the PCAT is only a component of your overall application. Even without a solid PCAT reading score, you may have other qualities that bolster your application such as a solid GPA. In addition, your cumulative PCAT score is more important than your score in each individual section. Good luck!

 

[Mimrose]

I think your solid GPA will be very beneficial to you in the application process. It is possible for you to not be invited for an interview and thus be rejected before reaching the interview portion, but in my experience from interviewing candidates and when I applied for pharmacy school, if you are asked for an interview it's certainly a positive sign.

While it is favorable to have experiences in pharmacy when you apply, it's often not the make it or break it factor. I know plenty of classmates that did not have any pharmacy work experience before applying to pharmacy school and they have done just fine. However, I would say that working in a pharmacy previously does help you in your interview experience, since I was able to speak about my experiences as being a pharmacy technician and why I chose pharmacy. Experience definitely helps, but it is not everything they look at.

Regarding the reading section on the PCAT, it's not the end of the world if you don't do amazing on that section. The PCAT is weighed based on different sections, I've had friends who did amazing on all the other sections and got in the 20s in the reading section but their overall composite was still very good. I would double check with your specific school of pharmacy that you're looking to apply to and see if they have a required minimum score for the reading portion or not (some schools do, but most schools I've seen do not).

Let me know if you have any specific questions!