June Is Coming Soon !

[manutdmax]

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I wanted to start this thread for us, people who will take the PCAT in june, wth ? I just feel time and days are flying faaaast..with work, study, classes, and april is already knocking on the doooor ! ,,,questions we can talk about like, how you are managing your time with school and work, what sources are you using, what area is your weakest and what are you doing to improve it, plz feel free to discuss anything related to june exam...am already nervous ...is it true that june exam is the hardest exam of the year ?😱

 

[phuang06]

I wanted to start this thread for us, people who will take the PCAT in june, wth ? I just feel time and days are flying faaaast..with work, study, classes, and april is already knocking on the doooor ! ,,,questions we can talk about like, how you are managing your time with school and work, what sources are you using, what area is your weakest and what are you doing to improve it, plz feel free to discuss anything related to june exam...am already nervous ...is it true that june exam is the hardest exam of the year ?😱

Time can't fly by fast enough. I want this semester to be over already. As for studying for the PCAT.. I've been putting it off because I've been busy with my personal statement, getting LORs, classes, studying, clubs, and research. I am probably going to start studying in April during research when I have downtime. My weakest area would definitely have to be verbal and reading. For that, I would have to blame my missing the first two years of grade school in the US and being placed in ESL, where we did nothing but play games. Nervous? Not so much. Just take things one at a time, and you'll be fine I think.

 

[manutdmax]

yeah i hear you, but to be honest time is flying , and am very busy in school and work and i wish i can take two months off, i cant wait untill this test is done coz i realy need vacation ! 😀

 

[phuang06]

vacation?! I don't even know the meaning of 'vacation' anymore @_@

No vacation-ing for me 🙁 Gotta get ready for applications and get everything in order. After I'm done with applications and get into pharmacy school, THEN I'll have my vacation 😛

 

[Farcus]

nah I think I am just going to take it in august and have about 2 full month of pure pcat study. I might give the june a try but not shotting for anything spectular. Plan to do 6 hours a day , 3 hours with a break at the local library with is during the summer of course. right now just trying to keep up with my grades shooting for another 4.0 😀

 

[dovebar]

i know, i started studying a little bit at starbucks. i'm taking it in june too...have you guys registered for it? good luck to everyone studyin.👍

 

[manutdmax]

i will register for the exam in monday, am reviewing my chemistry , studying from kaplan and my notes,, guys its been a long time since i did anything related to chemistry ...i hope it is just a rumor that the june exam is the hardest one of the year !!!

 

[tellsarah]

What stinks about studying for an exam so far off is that I spend ALOT of time on a small amt of material because I want to really get it down. Then, a few weeks before the exam, I will have to kick it into over drive and study everything I haven't gotten to yet. I am not counting on a great pcat score in June. As much as I would like to only take the exam once, I know that I will need to take the exam multiple times to get a decent score. I think I will take the online Harcourt practice PCAT exam in May just to get an idea of my possible score and a better feel for the exam.

 

[alphaRx]

Ur absolutely right my friend...time is flyinggg awayyyyyyy!! and it scared the hell out of me, whenever i hear JUNE my heart starts pounding, and nw i just read a post saying tht June pcat is the hardest, nw tht doubles the pounding , but i havent heard anything like that before, lets hope its not true.
As of now i havent seriously started focusing on PCAT coz of finals and stuff!! I am planning to study from kaplan and barron pcat books. How about you guys? For those of u who hv already taken PCAT before, what books would u recommend?

 

[manutdmax]

i am studying from kaplan book which i realy enjoy, plus my notes, but i dont know..i feel nervous, i will do more practice exams😱

 

[uk2345]

At the end of spring semester, i will have stat, calc, 1 yr gen chem, 1st semester a & p, microbio, gen bio done. I am taking kaplan (may 5th - june 16). The main thing I'm worried about is organics (never taken before). I hear the chemistry section in the pcat is half (general) and half (organic). I'm pretty sure we all have similar organic textbook. Do you guys know which chapters or concepts to focus on? I know this is a very broad question but as soon as I get home from library, I'll let you know which textbook I have and maybe one of you can tell me which chapters to study and do problems? Appreciate the help...
I am pretty good with math and bio. Verbal, I'm not going to bother until the end. I need to get the chemistry down first and then work on my bio and math.

 

[uk2345]

I have following Organic textbook:

Organic Chemistry
Maitland Jones, 2nd ed.

 

[DeterminedGal09]

I need advice on preparing for the reading, writing and verbal.
Is the reading passages all science related. Will doing reading practice test be enough practice to do well? On the verbal, should i memorize words or read science stuff. Just please help PLEASE PLEASE lol

 

[InternDoc]

I need advice on preparing for the reading, writing and verbal.
Is the reading passages all science related. Will doing reading practice test be enough practice to do well? On the verbal, should i memorize words or read science stuff. Just please help PLEASE PLEASE lol

I dont know if it will helps you much b/c I have not take the exam yet. But, I did the practice test and it seems pretty good. Have you try the ARCO PCAT reading section yet ? If not, try it out and see how you do ? Reading just take practice, you cant learn from any textbook.
As far as vocab section, someone on here advise to study GRE top 200 and website freerice.
Good luck

 

[alphaRx]

I need advice on preparing for the reading, writing and verbal.
Is the reading passages all science related. Will doing reading practice test be enough practice to do well? On the verbal, should i memorize words or read science stuff. Just please help PLEASE PLEASE lol

For reading section:
The best way to score high is to master the timing, and the only way to do it is through practice! I would recommend reading well written journals or magazines such as time and also news papers such as new york times. Reading science related magazines will also help you because most of the passages will look like the articles in these magazines, they are usually science and medical related. When you do the practice tests make sure you time them, it will help you get used to the real test taking situation. 😎

For verbal section:
Again reading will help you build up a strong vocabulary, however on the other hand if you are good in memorizing and you have a lot of time at hands, then start studying kaplan's top 1600 vocab words. MOST of those vocab words keep coming up on pcats again and again! Anywayz good luck

 

[InternDoc]

For reading section:
The best way to score high is to master the timing, and the only way to do it is through practice! I would recommend reading well written journals or magazines such as time and also news papers such as new york times. Reading science related magazines will also help you because most of the passages will look like the articles in these magazines, they are usually science and medical related. When you do the practice tests make sure you time them, it will help you get used to the real test taking situation. 😎

For verbal section:
Again reading will help you build up a strong vocabulary, however on the other hand if you are good in memorizing and you have a lot of time at hands, then start studying kaplan's top 1600 vocab words. MOST of those vocab words keep coming up on pcats again and again! Anywayz good luck

what book in kaplan contain 1600 vocab? do mean PCAT book ?

 

[alphaRx]

yes the kaplan vocab book, its the book that i got when i took the kaplan course 🙂

 

[Spirala]

Ur absolutely right my friend...time is flyinggg awayyyyyyy!! and it scared the hell out of me, whenever i hear JUNE my heart starts pounding, and nw i just read a post saying tht June pcat is the hardest, nw tht doubles the pounding , but i havent heard anything like that before, lets hope its not true.
As of now i havent seriously started focusing on PCAT coz of finals and stuff!! I am planning to study from kaplan and barron pcat books. How about you guys? For those of u who hv already taken PCAT before, what books would u recommend?

I will be taking the June PCAT too! I took the kaplan course sometime last year cause I knew I wont have time to take it this year. I am taking Organic Chem now and I must say it makes a big difference! I didnt understand any of the O-Chem when I was taking Kaplan it all looked foriegn to me but now I can answer some of the questions. If I dont do well this June I will take it again in August but I plan to study my brains out at least 4 weeks before the exam so that I can retain a chunk of it. Like you I need to worry about my current classes and do well in them. What Barron book are you using specifically? I was looking for one and I didnt know where to start.

 

[medicalCPA]

I will be taking the June PCAT too! I took the kaplan course sometime last year cause I knew I wont have time to take it this year. I am taking Organic Chem now and I must say it makes a big difference! I didnt understand any of the O-Chem when I was taking Kaplan it all looked foriegn to me but now I can answer some of the questions. If I dont do well this June I will take it again in August but I plan to study my brains out at least 4 weeks before the exam so that I can retain a chunk of it. Like you I need to worry about my current classes and do well in them. What Barron book are you using specifically? I was looking for one and I didnt know where to start.

If I can give anyone any advice, it's to stay away from the Barron's book. Perhaps it works for some, but in my experience the book was a joke. The tests in it are so easy that they lull you into a false sense of security about the actual PCAT. IMO, the test was much harder than the jokes in the textbook. They say Kaplan's book is good, but in many respects it is the MCAT book with the m's changed to p's. If you really want to prepare well for the PCAT and you have the time, study like you are going to take the MCAT. Just ditch the physics and study math. Taking the MCAT was the best preparation I had for the PCAT, I think.

 

[InternDoc]

If I can give anyone any advice, it's to stay away from the Barron's book. Perhaps it works for some, but in my experience the book was a joke. The tests in it are so easy that they lull you into a false sense of security about the actual PCAT. IMO, the test was much harder than the jokes in the textbook. They say Kaplan's book is good, but in many respects it is the MCAT book with the m's changed to p's. If you really want to prepare well for the PCAT and you have the time, study like you are going to take the MCAT. Just ditch the physics and study math. Taking the MCAT was the best preparation I had for the PCAT, I think.

MCAT review from which books do you recommend ? Do you think the organic in MCAT is overkill for PCAT ?

 

[alphaRx]

I will be taking the June PCAT too! I took the kaplan course sometime last year cause I knew I wont have time to take it this year. I am taking Organic Chem now and I must say it makes a big difference! I didnt understand any of the O-Chem when I was taking Kaplan it all looked foriegn to me but now I can answer some of the questions. If I dont do well this June I will take it again in August but I plan to study my brains out at least 4 weeks before the exam so that I can retain a chunk of it. Like you I need to worry about my current classes and do well in them. What Barron book are you using specifically? I was looking for one and I didnt know where to start.

I was using the Barron's book from college library, and like many people noted here, the Barron book is kind of easier than the real PCAT so its better to use books like kaplan or MCAT examcrakers, which will prepare you more. Its a bit of an overkill, but i believe its all worth it.

 

[panzer]

For those who have taken PCT last october and january, i think they added "Illinois Sch of Health Sci Ctr" along with IIT. Where is this place? I search on google and I am getting UIC west campus [the illinois medical district].

Help appreciated thanks. 🙂

 

[ryce4u]

Is anyone using the Dr. Collins study guide to prepare for this up coming pcat ? How hopeful is the study guide because I think i'm about to buy it

 

[InternDoc]

Is anyone using the Dr. Collins study guide to prepare for this up coming pcat ? How hopeful is the study guide because I think i'm about to buy it

What's that ? NEVER HEARD OF.

 

[manutdmax]

i heard its helpful,,but no one like to talk about it in this forum..😎

 

[dovebar]

i'm doing awful with the studying...i've been so busy n e one else with me??
i haven't started at all really...don't even know where to begin, like which subject. anyone have any suggestions?🙁

 

[medicalCPA]

i'm doing awful with the studying...i've been so busy n e one else with me??
i haven't started at all really...don't even know where to begin, like which subject. anyone have any suggestions?🙁

What I suggest is, just start. Probably no one will have a concrete suggestion because everyone's studying style is different, and what works for someone else may not work for you.

 

[Ghady]

Is anyone using the Dr. Collins study guide to prepare for this up coming pcat ? How hopeful is the study guide because I think i'm about to buy it

Hey, im trying to make up my mind on whether to take the kaplan course or to buy Dr. Collins. Do u have a link on how to contact the Dr Collins guy.

 

[justyliz]

As for study tips, my recommendation to everyone is to focus on your weak areas. During your studying, you will find that you consistently do better on certain sections - don't focus on sections you're good at just because you like the material/find it easy. Emphasize your weaknesses.. after all, scoring a 99 instead of a 95 on verbal won't make that much of a dent on your composite score, but getting a 50 on chemistry will!

The best study materials in my opinion are Kaplan (biology, gen chem), old textbooks (calc, o-chem), and the official Harcourt PCAT tests. I was mislead into buying PCATProfessor when I was studying, and I do NOT recommend this progam at all - it was a complete waste of money and time. Good luck everyone.

 

[dovebar]

What I suggest is, just start. Probably no one will have a concrete suggestion because everyone's studying style is different, and what works for someone else may not work for you.

thanks...ur right, i guess i need to start by taking a practice test or something...which one is a good practice test that could tell me which subject is my weakest?

 

[panzer]

For those who have taken PCT last october and january, i think they added "Illinois Sch of Health Sci Ctr" along with IIT. Where is this place? I search on google and I am getting UIC west campus [the illinois medical district].

Help appreciated thanks. 🙂

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